Hartsburg-Emden brings home the 2018 Class 1A Girls Volleyball State Runner-Up trophy

[November 12, 2018] 

The Hartem Stags ended their 2018 volleyball season right where they wanted to be ~ Redbird Arena in Normal. While the perfect ending to the storybook season would have been first place, the Stags still brought home the second place hardware with dignity and that’s what matters most.

The Stags were up against a tough young team from Newark that featured three 6’0 starters and another one who came in at 5’11 in the lineup. Each of the 6’0 starters represented the freshman, sophomore and junior class respectively. That’s a lineup that will most likely dominate the tournament in the coming years. The Stags gave the Lady Norsemen a good fight but in the end it was over in two sets, 25-16 and 25-23.

Megan Williams, a 6’0 freshman for Newark, recorded the first kill of the match and it was nothing short of excellent. Madi Malone, a 6’0 sophomore, recorded Newark’s second kill and the Stags were just getting a glimpse of what was to come. Mattie Chapman, the 6’0 junior, slammed down the third kill of set one and Newark was up 3-2.

A kill by Anna Hayes finally gave the Stags something to cheer loudly for, as the Stags were forced early to get their points off errors by the Lady Norsemen. Hartem would take a 5-4 lead on a hitting error by Malone but that would be the only lead the Stags would be allowed in set one.

The Newark frontline dominated the net on defense and Hartem just couldn’t make the adjustments or make up the height difference for that matter.

Grace Beekman finally got a kill through the block to make the score 7-10. Beekman would fire another kill down the line that was impressive, but Hartem was still playing catch-up with the score 9-14.

A kill by Hayes that just blew down the line past the Newark defense made the score 12-17. Hartem was still in a hole and trying every which way to shovel themselves out.

Malone, who had 474 kills on the regular season and only trailed Hayes’ 501 kills coming into the state tournament, then just annihilated a ball to put the Stags down deeper, 13-20 the score. Beekman recorded back-to-back kills to keep things interesting here, but the Stags were still in a position they just don’t like, trailing 16-22.

Williams, who had 227 kills as a freshman, pounded another ball into the Redbird Arena court and the Stags hopes were all but dashed in this one, 16-23 now the score.

Malone would end set one on a kill and the final was 25-16 in favor of Newark.

Set two

Set two saw Newark run out to a 3-0 lead with Williams recording the first two kills and Malone adding another one as well. After another kill by Williams made the score 5-2 in Newark’s favor, a fan of the Lady Norsemen exclaimed, “The freshman is having the match of her life right here.”

Kills by Alaina Bradburn and then Hayes allowed the Stags to tie the set 5-5.

Newark took the lead again, but Hayes absolutely buried one for the Stags and her kill breathed new life into Hartem.


Izzy Classen’s kill made the score 8-9 just before Emily Craig’s ace serve tied the game 9-9.

Hartem took a 10-9 lead on a Beekman kill and that brought the fans to their feet. Beekman got another kill off the block and Hartem maintained an 11-10 lead.

But Malone was just chomping at the bit to kill the ball and she did. Her kill gave Newark a 12-11 lead and the Norsemen were back in control. Newark ran out to a 14-11 advantage and still the Stags never gave up.

Izzy Classen gave it her best shot diving long and hard for a ball off the hands of Williams but Newark held a 17-13 lead. Kills by Izzy Classen and Hayes, along with a block by Sami Perschall and Bradburn, pulled Hartem closer as the score was now 19-16 in favor of Newark.

A tip by Hayes and an error by the Norsemen allowed Hartem to sneak right back into set two, with the score now 19-18, Newark.

A Newark kill and two Hartem errors later and the Norsemen were out in front 22-18. A kill and an ace serve by Hayes and it was still a ballgame, 22-20 the score.

Hartem found themselves down 23-20 before mounting a comeback that made things look like a set three was possible. A kill by Bradburn was just the beginning of the run. A hitting error by Chapman helped Hartem’s cause and then a block by Lily Escobedo and Beekman really caused a thunderous applause. The score was tied 23-23 and Newark called a timeout.

Following the timeout, Hartem committed a service error and then, no surprise here, the freshman did her final act of destruction. Williams with the kill was the last blow. Newark took set two 25-23, but the Hartem players had absolutely no reason to hang their heads.

All hands on the trophy.

The Stags were defeated by a Newark team that went 40-2 on the season. Newark’s only two losses on the season were to Decatur St. Teresa, who finished in third place in the Class 1A state tournament, and Pleasant Plains, who finished the season as the Class 2A State Champions. A pretty respectable season by the Lady Norsemen.

Hartem finishes the season with a spectacular 36-5 record and while the heavy-hitters like Hayes and Beekman get a lot of attention for the Stags, it’s worth noting the entire team is a scrappy bunch and that’s a big reason why they reached Redbird Arena.

Lexi Barry, the 5’2 senior libero for the Stags, had a team-leading 13 digs for the Stags in the state championship match and some of her efforts were absolutely astonishing. Barry was flying through the air time after time, sprawled out digging volleyballs at every corner of the court. She quickly hopped up after hitting the floor, ready for the next attack.

Sisters Izzy and Avah Classen were definitely thrown into a volleyball system unlike no other they had seen before, after moving to the Hartem school district over the summer, and both girls stepped onto the court like Stag veterans.

Izzy Classen’s 2 kills and 7 digs were huge against Newark.

Avah Classen, a freshman, contributed 5 digs and 2 assists.

Alaina Bradburn had 3 kills for Hartem in the championship match and while the kills were key, so were her 2 blocks at the net. She can spark the defense without a doubt. Basically at 5’10 and playing the middle, Bradburn, a sophomore, is a rock star.

Emily Craig, Sami Perschall and Lily Escobedo all represent the junior class and will most likely step into bigger roles next year for the Stags.

Craig had 2 digs and an ace serve against Newark.

Escobedo had 7 assists and a block in the championship match.

Perschall was in on a block, too.

Sophomores Brianna Grabowski, Hattie Langley and Jaedyn Rybolt will undoubtedly play bigger roles next year, too.

Seniors Abbie Hoerbert and Ivy Merz may not have seen playing time on the court at Redbird Arena, but it didn’t stop the two seniors from cheering their teammates on.

Last but not least, back to the play of Hayes and Beekman in the championship match.

Hayes finished with 9 kills, 6 digs and an assist.

Grace Beekman ~ 8 kills, 11 assists, 10 digs ~ a good day for the sophomore.

Beekman, a 5’10 sophomore, is consistently impressive night after night on the court. She finished with 8 kills, 11 assists and 10 digs against Newark.

And for the final time this season, many Stag prayers were answered when the Beekman family announced they were NOT moving. Thank you, Blake and Lori.

And for the final time this season, a few words from Hartem’s coach, Jennifer Hayes, who entered the press conference blaring the song, “Celebration” from her phone. “It’s always a good day to listen to Kool and the Gang,” said the upbeat coach.

“Alright we’re ready,” she said, taking a center seat at the table. Her daughter, Anna, and teammates Grace Beekman and Izzy Classen were seated at the table with her in front of microphones and the rest of the Stags gathered around, all proudly wearing their state medals.

The 2018 Class 1A Girls Volleyball State Runner-Up ~ The Hartem Stags!

When asked to talk about the legacy this team leaves behind, Hayes opened with, “Really I can’t say enough about the group of girls that I have behind me here. Like I’ve said earlier to anybody that would listen to me talk and ramble, when my daughter was born, you always hope if you coach for as long as I have, that you have a girl, and that you’ll be able to coach through and be a part of the things that you did even prior to her coming here.”

Anna Hayes is surrounded by her mom, Jennifer and the team's host for the IHSA State Tournament, Donna Vaughan. Vaughan remembers when Anna was born and Jennifer had to leave in the middle of coaching. Vaughan was a host then nearly 18 years ago. She was excited to be a host for Anna's last high school game at Redbird Arena. "Crazy how things work out," said Vaughan.

With that, Hayes nodded to her 2018 IHSA State host standing nearby, Donna Vaughan, and acknowledged that Vaughan was her host even before Anna arrived. “Donna, our host, was my host in the IESA tournament when I actually went into labor with Anna, so she started this journey with me with Anna and she’s ending it with me.”

Jennifer Hayes smiles at her daughter, Anna, on the court at Redbird Arena.

Hayes then reached out to give her daughter, Anna, a little pat on the back and looking at her, said, “I love her. I’m so excited for her to go to Memphis. But everybody around here is friends. They’ve all been to my house. We do all the birthday parties, all the celebrations, all the homecomings, all the proms. So I see these girls all the time and they’re a class act. I mean a true class act and everywhere we go and everywhere that we play, coaches, officials and fans tell us what a great program we have and it’s because of the girls we have, the community we have and the school that we have. Everybody knows Hartsburg-Emden volleyball and I am so proud to be a part of it.”

Newark finishes in first place with a 40-2 record. Meggie Scott holds the trophy for the Lady Norsemen.

“Really I don’t think Newark made many mistakes,” said Coach Hayes of the championship match. “They just had a solid game. I didn’t think there was anything that we did wrong. I think Newark played hard. I think that being here last year really was a big deal for them (Newark finished in 4th place in 2017) and to be on the floor, have that experience with all those players and come back and be able to get through all those jitters. I know we were a little tight. We didn’t play as solid as we did yesterday. It’s a bigger floor and I’ve got a lot of young girls back here. A lot of people put in a lot of effort and I’m sure we’ll have another run at it.”

Hayes also praised Lexi Barry. “Lexi is a great, great defender,” said the coach. “A lot of our success goes to Lexi in the back row. A lot of times in the game of volleyball you don’t hear about the little and the mighty, you know, but that’s really where it all starts. The passers don’t get a lot of the recognition they deserve because without them you have nothing and I thought she did a phenomenal job.”

Hayes concluded her part of the press conference by thanking the press for coverage of the little school. “We have maybe 500 people we get to have in our community and to come and do the things we do, I think is outstanding. We don’t get to take it from everywhere. We don’t get to go from St. Louis or Chicago. We have what’s there. We have what comes and that’s what the heart and soul is, the grit of what our community is and that’s why we are here and that’s why I am proud of these girls.”

Meanwhile over on the Newark side, Head Coach Tonya Grayson noted in the press conference, “I’m impressed that it happened in two. We were prepared for a dog fight.” Newark had defeated Hartem earlier this season.

Mattie Chapman, who finished with 5 kills for Newark, praised her libero, Meggie Scott, and also praised Anna Hayes following the win. “Our biggest goal is to get a good block because she (Hayes) is a powerhouse, and we knew that, but I never knew Meggie would have that great of a game. Like if we missed the block, no worries, she’ll get it up. She’s just an amazing player. I can’t believe she’s on our team. I love it. Our defense did super-good. They were scrappy as always. They’re just amazing.”

Scott led the match with 17 digs and she is also the single-season school record holder for Newark. Scott, a phenomenal point guard on the school’s basketball team, smiled at the recognition and said in the press conference that she had dreamed of this moment her whole life. “Tonight was definitely a team win,” said Scott.

The setter for Newark, Olivia Nelson, finished with 25 assists and admitted to having a lot of thoughts in her head for that last point. “I had a bunch of thoughts in my head, like, oh my gosh, who am I gonna set to? I said alright I’ll just get it out to Megan and she can put one down. Sure enough she did. I had full confidence in her.”

Megan Williams was the freshman putting down the last kill for Newark. She went back into the game with the scored tied at 23-23. “When I went in I just felt confident in myself and in the passes that Meggie was having, I knew it was going to get up to Olivia, whether it was me or Mattie Chapman. Pretty much it was just like a dream.” Williams finished with 9 kills.

Madi Malone finished with a team-leading 11 kills for Newark and she praised her teammates along with Hartem’s Hayes. “Anna Hayes is one of the best outsides I’ve ever played against and I give her major credit,” said Malone. “She’s great but I think our team just came together when the time was right.”

Scott grabbed the mic one more time to give props to Hartem. “I want to give a lot of credit to Hartsburg because there’s no one we would have rather played in the state championship. They’re a phenomenal team, phenomenal players, phenomenal coach and I just wanna congratulate them on a heckuva season. They’re awesome.”

The Hartem Stags concluded their day with fire truck rides through Emden and Hartsburg before friends and family gathered back at the high school for a celebration that included pizza and cake. Nothing like a small-town celebration.

A crisp and cold day for a firetruck ride requires many warm blankets and hats.

Grace Beekman and her sister, Kaylee, share in the celebration. Kaylee is the assistant coach of the Stags.

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How many Stags fit on a firetruck? Answer: All of them.

Please don't drop the trophy, Anna.

Congratulations to the Stags! What a fabulous season!

[Teena Lowery]