Collinsville community gathers in stadium to watch hometown hero win Olympic gold medal

The next time Collinsville High School’s girls volleyball team walks into the gym, they’ll be playing on the same court where an Olympic gold medalist started her career.

Michelle Bartsch-Hackley, a 2008 graduate of Collinsville High School, won a gold medal in women’s volleyball Saturday night in her Olympic debut in Tokyo. It’s the first gold medal for the U.S. program.

Folks back in her hometown cheered her on. Collinsville High School hosted a watch party at Kahok Stadium Saturday night, with about 200 people showing up in red, white and blue — as well as Kahok purple — at 11:30 p.m.

“It’s really inspiring, just knowing we’re playing in the same place as an Olympian,” said senior Sydney Sommer. An outside hitter, she plays the same position as Bartsch-Hackley.

Emma Stauthammer, a senior libero, echoed Sommer. “It gives us aspirations,” she said.

The U.S. swept Brazil in three sets, even with an error-riddled first set.

In the first set, Bartsch-Hackley earned the first two kills as well as the set point, helping to set the tone for the entire match.

The two teams faced off in the gold medal match twice before, in 2008 and 2012 — Brazil won both times.

Bartsch-Hackley ended the Olympic tournament as the best receiver on any team, according to stats from volleyballworld.com. She was also in the top-10 for attacks and total points.

Bartsch-Hackley’s parents still live in the area, and Athletic Director Clay Smith said her mom still helps support the high school volleyball team.

They weren’t at the stadium, but the stream of the match showed live clips from the Collinsville HIgh School watch party. Because of COVID-19, Olympians’ friends and families weren’t able to travel to Tokyo to watch the competitions.

“They’re having their own watch party,” Smith said. “They’re pretty superstitious; they’ve been at the house every other game.”

While she’s been a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team since 2015, Bartsch-Hackley didn’t make the roster for the Olympics until the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. In 2016, she was cut, as the No. 4 outside hitter behind what NBC Sports called a “murderer’s row” of outside hitters in 2018.

The Collinsville volleyball community has continued to follow Bartsch-Hackley’s career, which has included playing for the University of Illinois, professional stints abroad and helping coach a men’s college team.

“When I found out [she made the roster], I was posting all about it,” said junior setter Addy Johnson.

Bartsch-Hackley is the second Collinsville alumni to compete or medal at the Olympics. The first was swimmer Tom Jager, who won seven medals — including five gold — over three Olympic games, most recently in Barcelona in 1992.

Saturday was the final day for the Tokyo Olympics; the Paralympics will start Aug. 24. The U.S. women’s win for indoor volleyball was one of the last events and helped push the U.S. ahead of China in the gold medal final count, 39-38. In total, the U.S. won 113 medals, more than any other country.

This story was originally published August 8, 2021 at 9:01 AM.