AGS won the first match 21-25, 25-9, 25-21, 27-25, while Hale came back to win the second match 21-25, 25-16, 16-25, 25-19, 15-11.

The doubleheader was scheduled after the Wolverines' visit to Hale was postponed by snow on Jan. 6. As a result, the two teams played nearly as many games as they might in a weekend tournament, only without the chance to rest and watch other matches. With the first varsity contest beginning at about 6:30, the squads didn't filter out of the gym until nearly 11 p.m.

“Coming off a weekend of intense volleyball (at the Mio Invitational), my girls were a little tired and beat up,” AGS coach Jeri Christie said. “At least three of them were not feeling real well. It was a long evening, and by the end they just wanted to go home.

“They played real well for the most part. We just had too many lapses in communication and mental errors – not making good choices and not talking to each other.”

Hale coach Kristi Benedict had similar feelings about the marathon.

“What a long night,” she said. “I have to commend the girls for hanging in there, as I know they were tired.”

Hale came out strong to edge the Wolverines in the opening game of the first match. But Angela Porn served 12 straight points in the second game – including 7 aces – to key the Wolverines' 25-9 win in the second game. AGS held onto the momentum through the rest of the match, holding a narrow lead throughout the third game. Jessica Beasinger served an ace to pull the Eagles to within 23-21, but Tasha Dewald placed a ball on the line in the back corner to regain the serve for AGS, then finished the game with an ace for the win.

“(Porn) had a good serve, and we couldn't get good passes up,” Benedict said. “She scored a lot of points for them. We're struggling with inconsistency – one game they are playing very well and the next game the focus and communication are gone. In volleyball you just can't do that.”

In the fourth game, Hale led for much of the match, until Porn's front line play gave AGS a 24-21 lead. Hale staved off the loss with tips by Shannon Self and Kara Hunt, and after a Wolverine error Self served an ace that gave Hale a 25-24 lead. But after regaining serve, the Wolverines took the final two points when two Hale hits narrowly missed landing in-bounds.

The Wolverines continued their strong play into the second match, winning the second game 25-21. Charisse Morris served eight straight points, four of which resulted in Jodi Bilacic kills, in a key run that helped the Wolverines take a 14-10 lead after trailing 9-7. Beasinger again made the Wolverines pay, serving a pair of aces in three serves to tie the contest at 21-21. But when AGS was able to regain the serve, Bilacic tipped the ball just inside the line for a point, and the Eagles were unable to return Dewald's serve that hit the top of the net and took a nosedive to the court for a 24-21 lead. A Hale error finished the game.

With both teams beginning to tire, the Eagles took a big lead in the second game, opening up a 21-9 margin behind the hitting of Andrea Herzog, Karys McKulsky and Self, and some key blocks from Laura Barclay. Sam Baron had three kills in four points that pulled the Wolverines to within 22-14, but that was as close as Hale let AGS get.

The Wolverines turned the tables in the third game, taking an early lead behind Porn's serving and extending it as Porn and Katie Cypher combined for some strong front-line play.

But in the fourth and fifth games, Hale controlled the action, consistently getting the ball to Herzog and McKulsky in the front line while keeping AGS from mounting any long runs. McKulsky ended the second match at 10:40 p.m. with a kill.

“Andrea and Shannon had some hard hits, and Brandi (Jaremba) did a good job of getting to the ball,” Benedict said. “Defensively, the girls made some good saves that helped keep them fired up. Just a really LONG night!”

“Hale was tough,” Christie said. “They had some good servers and some good hitters. They played good defense – my girls had a hard time finding the 'holes' to hit to and at times Hale seemed to hit all of ours.

“It was a battle – once again we played good volleyball and the girls have nothing to be ashamed of. They are tough; they never give up and they work together.

“They have the makings of a championship team and I think they are beginning to realize it.”

After Monday's action, the Wolverines were 7-8-4 overall, 4-4 in North Star League play, while Hale is 6-8, 5-3.