“We’ve been together our whole lives, and we thought it would be a good idea to start off college together.” – Hannah Willis

“We thought we’ve been doing the same thing ever since we were born, so splitting up wouldn’t be a good idea.” – Haley Willis

Hannah and Haley Willis, two of the defensive anchors for Republic’s volleyball team, will attend Central Methodist University to continue their careers.

“I know the impact these girls have had on hundreds of lives by their personalities and their good attitudes,” says volleyball coach Piper Wright. “They’ve been amazing girls on and off the floor. Good leaders, too.”

Hannah says they first decided to attend the same school, then worked together to decide which school that would be.

“We talked it over together and weighed the pros and cons of each college, and one night we were just both like, ‘Let’s just commit to CMU,’ so we did,” she says. “So we didn’t ever have to argue what college we were going to. We just knew it was right.”

Haley says volleyball wasn’t the only factor in the decision.

“It’s a beautiful campus, it’s not too far from home. And I was also really looking for a Christian college, and CMU offers the spiritual aspect, the academic aspect, and the volleyball.”

Both girls say they’re looking forward to a higher level of competition as they step up to college.

“I’ve always dreamed of playing collegiate volleyball, so it’s really just exciting to me that I’ll get to play more competitively, and all the time,” says Haley.

“I really love volleyball and I’ve always been really competitive,” Hannah says. “I think this will be more competitive than the high school level. And high school has made me a good player, but I think college will develop my skill to a really good extent.”

“We’re very, very excited to have Hannah and Haley come to CMU,” says coach Lauren Noble. “Even professors, administration, staff, coaches. I got a huge email from someone in admissions saying how excited they are to have these two ladies. That’s the first time I’ve ever gotten such an email.”

Both Haley and Hannah plan to major in biology.

Republic volleyballer Nicole Hallam was honored Thursday night for her two-time all-state recognition. Hallam was a key player during one of the most successful stretches in Republic volleyball history. She started as a varsity middle for three seasons, and earned all-state recognition during her junior and senior years.

Hallam’s teams won three district championships and went to three state quarterfinals. Her senior season, 2011, the Lady Tigers also won a Central Ozark Conference crown, finishing with a record of 30-6.

“(Nicole) worked extremely hard and is a huge reason for the success of Republic volleyball,” says coach Piper Wright. “It was a joy to coach an athlete like Nicole because of her hard work ethic and all-around skill level.”

Hallam graduated last spring with a 3.85 GPA. She’s playing volleyball at Lindenwood University, and started as a freshman in all 15 varsity matches this season.

For the second year in a row, senior Sarah Kreul represents Republic on the all-state volleyball team.

Kreul was named an all-state selection on the second team by the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association. She was named to the second team last season, too.

Kreul, a setter for the Lady Tigers, was one of the senior leaders on a team that advanced to the state sectionals. Republic ended with an overall record of 28-8.

A rough stretch midway through the second game put the Republic Lady Tigers in a hole they couldn’t climb out of, as they ended their season with a close loss to Ozark in the state sectionals, 25-23 25-22. 

Republic led early in both games before allowing Ozark to nab the momentum. In the second game, it was a key stretch when Ozark won five out of six points to take a 17-10 lead and nearly put the game away.  But as they’ve done all year, Republic fought back. They scored four straight points to make the score 17-14, and eventually closed to within a point at 20-19. They stayed within a point until Ozark scored two straight at 23-22 to win the game and the match.

“We lost the momentum in that second game,” says coach Piper Wright. “We gave several points away in a row. We did a good job fighting back from it, but against a team like that, it’s very hard to fight back when you get down four or five points.”

In game one, both teams were sharp early. Republic jumped to a 6-3 lead, but Ozark tied it at 11, then took the lead for the first time at 12-11. The teams went back and forth, and were tied 23-23, but Ozark scored consecutive points to take the one-game lead.

Wright says despite the disappointing end to the season, she’s proud of the team–and the senior class, in particular.

“They’re some of the best kids I’ve ever coached,” says Wright. “Their leadership is unbelievable, not only on the court, but off the court. They just fight so hard, and some of them were leaders as juniors last year.

“It’s tough to lose them, and I hate that we didn’t make it farther for them, but they are the reason we’re so successful.”

Republic ends its season with a 28-8 record. Ozark improves to 26-7.