KMAland stories
East Atchison’s historical volleyball season had many positive aspects and elements to it, and one of the big ones proved to be the continued improvement and ascent of senior Natalie Hedlund. KMA Sports has named Hedlund this year’s KMAland Missouri Volleyball Player of the Year.
“The senior season was definitely one of the most memorable seasons of my high school career,” the multi-sport star told KMA Sports. “Looking back and watching film (from the Final Four), it really made me content with how our season went, seeing some of the good plays we had. We played together, and I could tell we were having fun out there.”
The Lady Wolves finished the season at 28-8 and in fourth place of Class 1 — the highest finish in school history. Hedlund’s total kills and efficiency made big jumps from her junior season to her senior season, going from 3.2 kills per set and a .253 hitting efficiency up to 3.9 and .300.
“It was a pretty big jump for me, personally,” Hedlund said. “Over the summer, we put in a lot of work with weights and leagues and going to camps. It became even more serious for me knowing that I wanted to play in college and getting ready for that.”
Hedlund’s successes helped her reach that goal, as she recently committed to continue playing volleyball at the next level with Washburn.
“It was a little bit of a later recruiting process, but I talked with Washburn coaches over the phone,” she said. “I sent them some highlights, and they were interested. I ended up going on a visit about a month ago, and I really connected great with the coaches. I got to talk to the players and tour campus, and I realized that it was somewhere I could definitely see myself playing and going to college. It was definitely the best fit out of the colleges I was looking into.
“I connected really well with the coaches, and they’re great people. The players I talked to and got to be around are amazing girls. I got to watch them play against Northwest Missouri State University, and seeing their connection on the court kind of reminded me of how close we are on my high school team. That’s a huge part of volleyball for me. Having fun is one of the main parts, and it shows they really truly enjoy playing with each other.”
Hedlund also led the Lady Wolves this season with 81 total blocks and played a full six rotations while averaging 3.0 digs per frame.
“It was such a great group of girls,” Hedlund concluded about her East Atchison team. “I truly connected with them on the volleyball side and off the court. All of us have been playing together for multiple years, and it showed. It was a year where we all were really invested in the season and being able to put those skills on show at state was great.”
Hedlund is the first non-Maryville athlete to win the KMAland Missouri Volleyball Player of the Year.
Madison Hagey
The East Atchison High School Varsity Volleyball Team finished their historical and magical run in Cape Girardeau. Their coach Madison Hagey has been named the KMAland Volleyball Coach of the Year. Coach Hagey guided the Lady Wolves to a 28-8 season, another conference and district championship and their first appearance in a state semifinal.
“I always said these girls are special,” Hagey told KMA Sports. “They’ve played together for a long time and you can just tell that this group of girls are winners. It was really fun this season to watch them work together and get better as the season went on.”
“Once you’ve gone to the Final Four, you want to go back,” Hagey said. “Having been there and experienced that, I’ve come to know what it’s going to take in the future to get back down there. Just showing the girls that and buying in to what it takes to get back there is going to be huge. The girls experienced that and the younger girls watching our older girls do that, they know what it takes and are willing to put in the work to get back there.”
For Hagey, it was also a chance to continue to coach and share her love of the game of volleyball with her team. “When I was in college, I helped coach some elementary volleyball in Maryville,” Hagey said. “From that moment, I knew that I wanted to be involved in coaching. I loved teaching, and I have a background in volleyball. I played in college, so just using that knowledge I developed over the years and having a chance to teach girls and bring them the love of volleyball I have has been awesome.”
Hagey is the first coach from KMAland Missouri to win the annual KMAland Volleyball Coach of the Year award, which dates back to 2013.
