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By CHRIS

DOBROWOLSKI

News Sports Editor

HALE - It's a new season for the Hillman volleyball team.

After dropping two matches this season to Atlanta, Hillman got its revenge at the perfect time when it defeated the Huskies 3-1 Monday in a Class D district opener at Hale High School.

Hillman took the first two games 25-14 and 25-21. Then, after Atlanta held on for a 25-22 win in Game 3, the Tigers closed out the match with a 25-21 win.

"We're a different team than we were this season," said Hillman coach Erin Fleming. "I'm proud of the girls tonight. They had a lot of Tiger spirit, they were moving and talking. There was a lot of cohesion tonight. It was great to see."

The Tigers cruised to the win in the first game, then overcame an early hole to pull ahead of the Huskies 11-10 in the second game. From there they never looked back and put themselves on the brink of the sweep.

Atlanta wasn't going to go down without a bit of a fight, however, and held the lead late in the third game, before Hillman came roaring back to tie the contest 21-21. The Huskies rattled off the next four points to force a fourth game.

The fourth game was a nip-and-tuck game throughout before the Tigers pulled it out in the end.

Courtney Jones was a force at the net for the Tigers, contributing 16 kills and three blocks. Morgan Allen helped out with seven kills and two blocks. Defensively, Lacey Creamer had 28 digs, while Alissa Clink added five aces.

Fleming said last weekend's Forest Area Invitational, where Hillman defeated Traverse City Christian and split with Harbor Light among its matches, was a huge benefit for the Tigers in getting ready for the postseason.

"The competition on Saturday was what we wanted to play against tonight," she said. "It boosted their confidence level to what they could really do."

Now Hillman gets to face two-time North Star League champion Posen in Wednesday's semifinals. Like Atlanta, Posen took six out of seven games against Hillman during the regular season.

"Their 14-0 record is hard to put behind them," said Fleming. "But with districts it's 0-0. We've got a lot to work toward. The week's not over."