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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

HELENA – The Helena Huskies took on the Hillcrest Patriots on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at Helena High School, and after beating the Patriots 3-0 on the road on Sept. 25, the Huskies had a chance to win both five-set matches in the regular season against their opponents from Tuscaloosa.

Not only did Helena win, but it did so in similar fashion to their first meeting as the Huskies took another 3-0 sweep.

The win was even more special for the Huskies because they hosted Senior Night during the match. The team honored Presley Lively, Haylie Deifenderfer and Cammi Pugh with a ceremony on the court as they played their final home game at Helena High School.

The teams had a close first set as Hillcrest only trailed by a handful of points despite Helena leading in the final stretch. In the end, Helena closed out the set and took the win.

The Huskies won the opening frame, 25-21, and that set the tone for the rest of the match.

With the momentum now in Helena’s favor, the second set saw the Huskies get out to a more comfortable lead as their hold on the match increased.

Helena ended up taking the second set, 25-16, and the nine-point victory gave the Huskies a 2-0 lead in the match to put them on the verge of victory.

Hillcrest made the third set closer, but Helena led despite the best efforts from the Patriots. However, Hillcrest was still within striking distance as Helena neared match point.

Now up just 24-21 on match point, the Huskies held off the Patriots from extending the match by securing the point to finish off the sweep. Helena won the third set by the same score line as the first, 25-21, to earn a 3-0 victory in straight sets.

The third set victory ensured that Helena finished both five-set matches against Hillcrest without dropping a set.

Helena will finish out the regular season on the road at Oak Mountain on Thursday, Oct. 12 before going to Homewood for the Blalock Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 14. Afterwards, Helena will go to Pelham for the area tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 18.