When freshman Hilary Alley was deciding where to go to college, she had two impressive options. She could play field hockey at Princeton or lacrosse at Northwestern.
It was a tough choice, but one very important factor at Northwestern influenced her decision: her older sister, Abby Alley, then a junior on the NU lacrosse team.
“I wanted it to be her own decision, but I wanted to have her here and see her every day, ” Abby Alley said.
Hilary Alley concurred. “I think it would suck if I wasn’t here and get to see her every day, ” she said.
Now the blond, soft-spoken sisters from Lake Forest, Ill., are playing lacrosse on the same team for the first time and, along with Courtney and Ashley Koester, form one of two sets of sisters on the NU team.
Senior Abby Alley’s playing days are winding down as the Cats head into their final two games of the regular season, while her sister’s lacrosse career is just beginning.
“It’s so nice to share such a unique opportunity with her,” Abby Alley said. “It’s not every day you’re on a No. 1-ranked team. And I get to share it with my best friend.”
Abby Alley joined the NU lacrosse team three years ago after playing two seasons of NU field hockey. She has played in twelve games this season and has tallied four points.
Her sister has found time in seven games this season on a veteran team stacked with 13 seniors, and she should find more time in the coming years as the veterans depart.
The Alley sisters come from a tight-knit and athletic family. The sisters’ father played ice hockey at Wisconsin, and their mother won an Illinois state championship in curling. The Alley parents have come to watch their daughters at every NU home game of the season.
“It’s nice for them to kill two birds with one stone and see the both of us,” Abby Alley said.
The Alley sisters’ playing careers are almost identical. Each picked up lacrosse in middle school and then earned All-America honors for the sport in high school while also playing field hockey. They attended coach Kelly Amonte Hiller’s lacrosse camps together in high school.
Now each plays midfield for the Cats, and they even wear similar numbers, 9 for Hilary and 19 for Abby.
But for all that time they spend together, the Alley sisters said they never get sick of each other and rarely fight.
“They’re just sweet girls and willing to help everyone out in every situation,” said Amonte Hiller. “It’s a pleasure to have them on the team.”
In her time at NU, Abby Alley has watched the Cats build from an 8-8 squad to a No. 1 team, and she said she’s proud to pass that on to her sister. She said she expects even better things for Hilary’s playing career at NU.
“When I came here, I saw how quickly we grew,” Abby Alley said. “I think we’re growing even more quickly now. I can’t wait to see what they do.”
The good news for NU lacrosse is that there’s another Alley waiting in the wings. Youngest sister Hannah, a high school lacrosse player, will enter college during Hilary’s senior year.
Reach Courtney McCarty at [email protected].
