Hills Moves Onto Semi-Finals with Win Over Smithtown West

Records: HHH (16-0)  Smithtown West (9-7)

The Hero: In this much-anticipated matchup between the number-one seed, Half Hollow Hills, and the eighth seed, Smithtown West, the hero was Hills' libero, Cody Lao. Lao helped the team win in three straight games, an easily won match.

Lao and Hills defeated Smithtown West in just under an hour, definitely one of their quickest victories all year.

Other nominations for hero of this match are Chris Kaimis, with 14 kills, Mike Degrazia with 18 kills and 5 blocks, and setter Remy Janco with 42 assists. Cody Lao contributed to the game with a career-high 22 digs, an astounding day for the senior from . The game scores were: 25 to 13 in game 1, 25 to 17 in game 2, and 25 to 22 in game 3.

The Turning Point: During this match, Hills dominated all three games, eventually leading to a quick victory. This contest was mostly one-sided, with Hills' home-field advantage playing a huge roll in the win. After every mis-hit by Smithtown, or a kill or block from Hills, the home crowd exploded, yelling with intensity, rooting on their Hills team. The Smithtown players never heard the end of it after they committed an error, or got blocked by Hills.

Probably the longest rally came along in the third and final game, with Hills losing by 1 point, at 18 to 17, Smithtown in front. During this one point, both teams had 3 full possessions and chances to win the point, but with great plays from both sides, the rally continued. The rally came to end when Smithtown felt the wrath of Hills middle Chris Kaimis, with a beautiful kill right on the line, to give Hills the point. The crowd erupted with joy and Smithtown seemed to have already given up at that point. Hills went on to win 25 to 22 in that game.

The Quote: The quote came from the hero, senior libero Cody Lao. When asked how his team was feeling after the victory, with only 1 game between them and the county finals, Lao said, "We are feeling extremely confident with only one game standing in our way from counties. Being the number-one seed definitely puts a bounty on our heads, with all the underdog teams trying to take out the best team. But, you know, we're giving 100% out there every game, and it should be very difficult for any team to try and beat us."

The Bottom Line: With Hills being the number-one seed, heading into the semi-finals of the county tournament, and being home for their next match, it should be very hard for any team to beat them. Especially with their home crowd being from two different schools, and HHH East, the opponent will have a hard time adjusting to all the screaming from the crazy Hills fans. Also, Hills could advance to the county finals for the second year in a row, with a possibility to advance to states if they win. Watch out for this Hills team!

The Key Stat:  The defining stat was the amount of errors committed by Smithtown. Smithtown committed about 12 carries in the game, a significant amount compared to the measly 2 carries by HHH. Smithtown also committed rotational errors. And on the last point of their season, Smithtown had too many men on the court. Their coach seemed furious, with good reason, losing their season on an error.

Who's Next? Hills will host their next match at home against Northport, the fourth seed, in the semi-finals in the county tournament. The match is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m.

BOX:

Game 1: HILLS WIN 25 to 13

Game 2: HILLS WIN 25 to 17

Game 3: HILLS WIN 25 to 22