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POSTED: Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009

PREP VOLLEYBALL: Golden Eagles' season ends

The Ferndale volleyball team beat Shorecrest 25-21, 26-24, 28-26 in the consolation third-round match on Saturday, Nov. 7, in the Class 3A Northwest District Tournament but lost 25-20, 25-21, 25-21 to Everett in the second-place match later in the day and were eliminated from the postseason.

In the match against Shorecrest, Erika Locker moved from outside to middle and gave the Golden Eagles 12 kills and eight blocks, and coach Patti Hoelzle said many players who didn't see much playing time earlier in the season stepped up to contribute to the sweep.

"It was wonderful to see the heart and intensity they brought to the court," Hoelzle said in a phone interview of players such as Samantha Garza. "She had 14 digs and in the back row and was solid at serve receive. She was all over the place on defense and playing awesome."

In the 3-0 loss to Everett, Hoelzle said her players may have worn out a bit against a tough opponent.

"Everett is a really solid team. They have some really good hitters and put up a good block on us," she said. "(We) were still being scrappy on defense but it wasn't enough."

Amber Evans had 14 of the Golden Eagles' 27 team kills.

Ferndale finishes with a 13-6 record and is losing senior starters McKenzie Clark, Haley Grunhurd and Leslie Sigurdson, but Hoelzle said the future is bright.

"We had our hopes up for getting to that state tournament so (the loss) was heartbreaking, but we have a strong group of girls coming back next year," she said. "I'm very proud of the outcome and where they ended up."