Photo: Eric Detweiler

Emporia, Kansas

The Axtell Eagles closed a remarkable season at the Class 1A-Division II state volleyball tournament in Emporia, finishing fourth after a pair of hard-fought matches Saturday at White Auditorium.

Axtell entered the tournament with a 27–13 record and was the No. 8 seed in the 1A-DII field.

On Friday, the Eagles surged through pool play to reach the semifinals. Axtell knocked off top-seeded Marais des Cygnes Valley in a thriller (25–27, 26–24, 25–21) and followed that with a 2–0 victory over Victoria (25–16, 25–19) to secure a spot in Saturday’s final four before falling to rival Hanover 20-25, 21-25 to close out pool play. 

In Saturday’s semifinals, Axtell faced Linn. The Bulldogs controlled the match, defeating the Eagles in straight sets, 25–13, 25–19, which sent Axtell to the third-place match. 

In the third-place match, Ingalls edged Axtell 25–18, 25–22, giving the Bulldogs the victory and leaving Axtell with a hard-earned fourth-place finish in the state tournament.

It was the first state tournament for the Eagles since 2017, under first year Head Coach and Axtell grad Rhonda Hasenkamp. The Eagles soared this season under Hasenkamp's leadership, led by Natalee Strathman, Maggie Strathman, Katelyn Detweiler, Regan Hasenkamp, Calleigh McClellan, Ava Broxterman Clair Buessing and Alyssa Hasenkamp.

As the Eagles turn the page to the offseason, the experience gained in Emporia should serve as momentum for next year, with several underclassmen returning who gained valuable postseason minutes against top competition.