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 [November 18, 2024]
The Hartsburg-Emden Stags lost a tough three-set match on Friday
morning to the Stockton Lady Blackhawks in the semifinals of the
2024 Class 1A Volleyball State Championships at CEFCU Arena in
Normal.
The Stags breezed to a 25-12 set one victory, but once Stockton
settled in and played their game, it was the Lady Blackhawks
claiming victories in set two, 25-20, and set three, 25-21.
Alayna Briggs led the Stags attack with 20 kills while Cambelle
Hopkins added 8 kills.
Madie Mammoser, a 6’0 senior, led the Lady Blackhawks with 17 kills.
Taylor Haas, a 6’1 sophomore added 10 kills.
Set one
While the Stags fell behind 0-3 to start the first set, Emma Eeten
and Addi Briggs brought the game to a tie with a kill each as Sadie
Williams was at the service line. Alayna Briggs’ first kill kept the
teams knotted up at 4-4. With Addi Briggs serving a couple aces and
Alayna Briggs and Ellie Klokkenga getting kills, the Stags went on a
run and jumped out to a 9-4 lead, forcing the first timeout of the
set. With the Lady Blackhawks making a couple mistakes and Cambelle
Hopkins getting her first kill, the Stags were able to stay on top
12-5. Another kill from Klokkenga and the Stags held a 14-8 lead.
After Allie Grelck served an ace to extend the lead to 17-8, the
Lady Blackhawks were forced into another timeout. Eeten and Alayna
Briggs put the Stags in the driver’s seat with kills and a 19-9
lead. After Hopkins recorded an ace, the lead was 20-9 and the Stags
were setting their sights on victory. The Lady Blackhawks continued
to aid the Stags by hitting the ball out of bounds and with Celia
Cross and Alayna Briggs dominating the net, the Stags were ready to
put this set away. Cross, Hartem’s phenomenal setter, recorded a
kill to put the Stags up 23-10 and Briggs finished off the set with
two incredible kills, good for the 25-12 win.
Set two
Stockton started set two with a big block at the net on Alayna
Briggs, but she was quick to recover and get the kill to tie the set
1-1. The Lady Blackhawks went up 4-2 after an ace, the ball just
fell inbounds on the Stags. Stockton would continue to hold the
lead. Despite a kill from Hopkins, Stockton was up 9-5. The Stags
really had to fight hard to make their way back to an 11-11 tie. The
Lady Blackhawks did commit a handful of errors as the Stags kept
battling. Alayna Briggs tied the set with a kill, but then it was
Taylor Haas with the kill and the 12-11 lead was back in Stockton’s
favor. The Lady Blackhawks would never give up the lead from this
point on. Stags coach Jennifer Hayes was the one forced to call two
timeouts in this set, the latter coming with the score 17-13. When
it wasn’t a solid kill from Madie Mammoser, it was a tip from her or
one of her teammates. The tipping game just killed the Stags. Alayna
Briggs did serve an ace late in the game to make the score 17-16 and
soon after, a hitting error kept the Stags within striking distance,
18-17 the score. But the Lady Blackhawks had so much firepower and
Katelyn Winters used her two kills to stretch the lead to 22-17.
That score was reached after a long volley between the two teams had
both fan sections rattling the roof of CEFCU Arena. Hopkins and
Alayna Briggs each had a kill down the stretch but with the score
24-20, Mammoser found herself in a position to slam it home and she
did. One final kill in set two gave the 25-20 win to Stockton.
Set three
Alayna Briggs came out firing in set three with a couple early kills
for the 2-1 lead. Addi Briggs added a kill and an ace for the 4-2
lead. What happened next was crucial to the outcome but cannot be
changed. The scoring was two attack errors on Alayna Briggs, putting
the Stags in a deficit. Briggs would eventually get a correct call
to tie the set 5-5.
Set three was about to be an epic nail biter. This set would have
five lead changes and nine ties. Hang on, folks.
[to top of second column] |
Hopkins kept the game intense. It was tied 6-6
after her kill. She then gave her team the lead on another kill,
which was followed by a 7-7 tie. Again it was Hopkins tying the set
8-8 with yet another kill. Emma Eeten would tie the set 9-9 on a
kill. A 10-10 tie would quickly follow and that would be the end of
that. The next lead change belonged to the Lady Blackhawks and they
never let it go. After Stockton pulled ahead 12-10, Hayes had to
call a timeout. With the Lady Blackhawks going up 16-11, Hayes
called another timeout.
The Stags were having trouble adjusting on defense. Meanwhile the
Lady Blackhawks were playing with more confidence and they were
tipping that ball like crazy.
Three kills later by Alayna Briggs and one by
Hopkins, it was Stockton calling a timeout, even though they had a
19-16 lead, they needed to stop the Stags resurgence.
If only the Stags could’ve reached that 20-point mark first, but it
wasn’t in the cards. Hopkins and Addi Briggs put down the last two
kills for the Stags and still the score was in Stockton’s favor,
22-19 the score. Two kills by Mammoser and a service ace by Emily
Broshous put the Lady Blackhawks in the winning bracket. The final
score of set three was 25-21.
Stockton advances to the state championship with a 38-2 record.
Their only two losses of the season came against Galena. When facing
Galena for a third time this season, the last time being in the
sectional championship, Stockton won in two sets.
This was the first time in school history that Stockton was making
an appearance at the state tournament. Their coach, Maddie Pontius,
is a graduate of Stockton High School.
Hartsburg-Emden (31-9) moved to the third place game with the loss.
Last year the Stags lost in the state championship to Galena, losing
in two sets. This year the Stags had to get past a really tough
Augusta Southeastern team, and they did so in three sets in the
semifinals of the sectional tournament.
Stags stats
Points
Addi Briggs 12
Sadie Williams 10
Celia Cross 7
Allie Grelck 5
Alayna Briggs 4
Cambelle Hopkins 4
Kills
Alayna Briggs 20
Cambelle Hopkins 8
Emma Eeten 4
Addi Briggs 4
Ellie Klokkenga 3
Celia Cross 3
Blocks
Celia Cross 3
Cambelle Hopkins 1
Assists
Celia Cross 34
Digs
Cambelle Hopkins 14
Sadie Williams 10
Alayna Briggs 10
Celia Cross 9
Addi Briggs 5
Allie Grelck 4
Ellie Klokkenga 3
[Teena Lowery]
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