HILLMAN - Oct. 29, 2009 - Hale's volleyball team played one of its best matches of the season Thursday, and the Eagles needed everything they could muster to hold off Hillman 25-18, 20-25, 25-23, 25-17.

"It was definitely one of the most exciting matches of the year," said Hale coach Heather Chrivia. "It's a shame we didn't have many fans there to see the spectacular job these girls did. The girls were so intense and there were great volleys all night."

The Eagles turned in season-highs in serving (92 percent), digs (105), kills (33) and blocks (6) as well as 32 assists.

"The best thing was the fact we only allowed 10 aces," Chrivia said. "That means the girls really worked hard and really had to earn every single point. Hillman had some great digs and some hard hits. I told the girls to just keep putting the ball down and stay strong digging the ball, and they did just that."

Laura Sidebottom, the Eagles' lone senior, led the way with 12 kills, 24 digs, two blocks and two aces as well as 100 percent serve efficiency.

"Laura had a great night," Chrivia said. "All 11 girls contributed to the win whether they made the stat sheet or not. Chelsie Wilson was really strong on the net and played really aggressive, Jessica LaBranche made some great passes and came through when the team really needed her and Vanessa Largent played a position she had never played before and really did a great job on the net."

The Eagles (10-12-2) finished 8-6 in North Star League play, good for fourth place. Hillman fell to 7-7 and finished fifth.

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Hale Stats: Laura Sidebottom 2 aces, 2 blocks, 24 digs, 12 kills, 100% serving; Kelsey Reilly 4 aces, 21 digs, 6 kills; Stacey Eno 2 aces, 2 blocks, 29 assists, 10 digs, 3 aces; Lindsay Weaver 2 blocks, 13 digs, 2 kills; Shelby Rhein 2 aces, 12 digs, 2 kills; Halley Wolkens 22 digs, 6 kills; Lauren Moritz 3 digs, 1 kill; Lizz Farrand 1 kill.