Hartsburg-Emden and West Lincoln-Broadwell split in volleyball action

[February 21, 2019] 

Fans in Hartsburg Tuesday night were treated to some of the most outstanding volleyball action in the entire state as the Hartem Stags hosted the WLB Lady Wolverines. Both the seventh and eighth grade teams battled it out in three sets with Hartem and WLB splitting the victories.

There were a number of intense volleys, breathtaking kills, unbelievable digs, a few surprise tips, and just overall impressive defense and amazing offense out of both junior high teams.

Not to be left out, there was an exciting block by WLB's Kloe Froebe of a monstrous hit by Hartem's Lily Barry. The competition just doesn't get any better between two teams.

The sweat dripping from the girls after three hours of solid volleyball was proof of the hard work demonstrated on the court. These athletes are fun to watch and the huge crowd that turned out on Eighth Grade Night did not go away disappointed with the effort. In the end, both sides had to settle for one victory.

Is there a chance these two teams could meet in the postseason?

Yes for seventh grade and yes for eighth grade. Both are Class 1A schools and with the tremendous athletic ability on both sides and two solid coaching staffs, the chances are very good. Stay tuned.

WLB wins seventh grade 22-25, 25-19 and 26-24

With the two teams splitting the first two sets here, fans knew what to expect in set three. The score was tight early on.

A huge kill out of the middle from Kloe Froebe tied the set 4-4.

WLB took an 8-7 lead, but quickly it was the Stags out front 10-9. The two teams traded points back and forth until WLB ran out to a 19-13 lead.

A kill by Jenna Bowman made the score 20-14 and the set was looking like the Lady Wolverines had things in control.

But never count out a team coached by Jennifer Hayes. The Stags pulled to within 22-19 and then Cloee O'Donoghue went on a tear. Her three straight kills led the Stags back to a 22-22 tie.

A tip by Hartem put the Stags up 23-22. O'Donoghue with another kill and the score was in the Stags hands, 24-22.

But over on the other side, do not count out the experience of the other Kloe, Froebe that is. Froebe's kill set the fans on the edge of their seats as the score was now 24-23.

A kill by WLB's Tori Geriets tied the score 24-24 and the momentum was shifting.

Hartem was called for a lift on the next point and with Becca Heitzig serving game point, O'Donoghue took the final swing for Hartem and the ball drifted out of bounds.

WLB picks up the 26-24 win in set three to decide the match.

Coach's comments on the seventh grade match

Kim Heitzig, who is in her fifth year coaching volleyball at WLB, was proud of her entire team following the win over Hartem.

"Our girls came out a little slow, but showed true grit in pulling out the win," said Heitzig. "I cannot individually single out one player, as this group of girls play with the one competitive mindset and have great chemistry. They are all multi-sport athletes. They continually challenge one another to be a little better every practice and match. Hartsburg has a reputation for great volleyball and they are well-coached. My seventh grade team doesn't get the opportunity to play at this speed and intensity so to come out with a win is amazing! The coaching staff couldn't be prouder."

Jennifer Hayes, who is in her 26th year coaching volleyball at Hartem Junior High, was extremely happy with her young seventh grade team. "We have been working relentlessly this season trying to improve our game," said Hayes. "With only two returning starters from last season, we had to start all over this season with very young and inexperienced players. We played WLB the very first night of the season. We were definitely not ready for them. It was a great match tonight to see how far we have come and what we still need to work on for the post season. I was extremely happy with our progress. We gave ourselves a chance to win and that's all I can ask. We are getting better every day."


Hartem wins eighth grade 25-19, 20-25 and 25-20

Set one

Fans were already settled in on the bleachers, full of anticipation and popcorn, when this highly-anticipated match between the eighth grade squads from Hartem and WLB served off.

The Stags Lily Barry made a statement from the beginning with her first kill of the game from the back row.

WLB earned their first point of set one off a kill by Kloe Froebe.

Barry hit another back row kill and a shot down the line that would put Hartem up 6-3.

Cassie Crabtree's kill kept the Stags in the lead 7-5.

WLB tied things up at 7-7 and then it was Barry just hammering one down on the court for an 8-7 lead.

After a kill by Jenna Bowman and an error by the Stags, the score was knotted 9-9.

Cloee O'Donoghue would break the 11-11 tie with a kill and this ignited the Stags out to an eventual 18-12 lead.

The Lady Wolverines battled back, but it was Barry for the Stags just "burying" the ball to make it a 20-15 lead. By the time Barry was finished in set one, she had eight kills and the Stags had taken the first set 25-19.

Hartem eighth  grade volleyball members were honored at eighth grade night on Tuesday.  Players are Tyler Scott, Abby Montgomery, Violet Merz, Dani Phillips, Hope Griffieth, Cassie Crabtree and Lily Barry.

Set Two

WLB stormed out to a 5-0 lead in set two. That quickly escalated to a 12-5 WLB lead.

A kill from WLB's Elly Martinez put the Lady Wolverines up 16-7.

Hartem hung in this one pretty solid, but WLB was on a roll. A Froebe kill made the score 20-13.

Before long the score was 22-15 with the Stags on a run. After an ace by Addie Beekman, the WLB lead was cut to 22-19.

Jenna Bowman's kill was perfectly timed and the WLB lead grew. After an ace by Becca Heitzig, the Lady Wolverines were in the driver's seat 24-19.

After a long volley on game point, Barry landed a kill for Hartem and the Lady Wolverines had to give it another shot.

This time a Stags error allowed the Lady Wolverines to exhale with the 25-20 set two win.

Set three

WLB got the jump on the Stags here. A 4-2 Lady Wolverine lead after a Kloe Froebe kill was just what the fans from Lincoln wanted.

And the fans from Hartem got what they wanted when their Stags went ahead 5-4.

The next point made a thunderous sound in the gym as Lily Barry went up for the kill and Kloe Froebe went up for the block. The sound was incredible as Froebe blocked Barry. BOOM! It was just a point to tie the set 5-5, but it was a noise that rattled the rafters. Junior High volleyball at its finest.

Barry went on a tear after that and threw down four kills over a stretch of points until the lead settled at 11-6 for Hartem.

The Lady Wolverines were not about to roll over and die, and kills by Froebe and Martinez proved that. With the score 12-12, set three was still a toss up.

Ties would result at 14-14 and 16-16 and then it was just a matter of the eighth graders from Hartem deciding that no one would beat them on their court on this night.

Cassie Crabtree, who has improved a ton since last season, had three huge kills down the home stretch and put the Stags up 20-17.

Barry didn't let up either, and before long, her back-to-back kills guided the Stags to a 23-17 lead. A tip by Barry put the Stags up 24-17.

A couple passing errors by the Stags allowed the Lady Wolverines to creep back into the match, 24-19 the score. WLB got another point on a Stag error and the game was 24-20 nearing the three-hour mark.

Finally, it was Barry putting the win away with a kill. The Lady Wolverines got a hand on it, the ball just went flying off the hands of Martinez and Regan Goodey and out of bounds.

The final score 25-20 as Hartem walked away with a win on eighth grade night.


Coach's comments on the eighth grade match

Experience won out in this one. Coach Hayes and her team are well-poised for moments like this. A talented group of eighth graders guided the Stags to the win in front of a big crowd on their night. "Eighth Grade Night is always an emotional night - knowing that the regular season is over and the end of your Junior High career," said Hayes. "I think there was a lot of pressing. A lot of pressure to play in front of a big crowd. We definitely did not play our best by any means, but we pulled it out. I have a very talented group of eighth graders. They are going to make a huge impact on my high school teams in the next four years."

On the losing end of this one, WLB coach Kim Heitzig was still upbeat about her eighth grade team's effort. "Several of our seventh graders play key roles for our eighth grade team and I would not be lying if I said I was a little scared that our girls wouldn't have the energy or mental stamina to play a tough match," said Heitzig. "I told our two eighth graders that they would have to play hard to lift up the others. Elly Martinez played one of her strongest matches of the season and Anna Hagerman battled through an injury to make it back in the match. Winning even one set against this talented and successful Hartsburg Eighth Grade Team has instilled confidence in these girls that they can be competitive in volleyball."

WLB seventh grade stats

Regan Goodey 23 assists 2 aces
Becca Heitzig 2 aces
Kloe Froebe 16 kills 13 digs
Jenna Bowman 11 kills 9 digs
Tori Geriets 6 kills 7 digs

Hartem seventh grade stats

Addie Beekman 14 points 20 digs
Cloee O'Donoghue 17 kills 18 digs 4 blocks
Zoe Miller 12 assists

Hartem eighth grade stats

Lily Barry 25 kills
Cassie Crabtree 12 kills 9 points 7 blocks 16 digs
Cloee O'Donoghue 10 points 11 digs
Addie Beekman 30 assists


WLB eighth grade stats

Regan Goodey 24 assists
Becca Heitzig 2 aces 12 digs
Elly Martinez 8 kills
Kloe Froebe 13 kills 17 digs
Jenna Bowman 8 kills

[Teena Lowery]