West Fargo downs Hi-Liners in four sets
After a thrilling comefrom-behind win in the first set, Valley City dropped the next three sets and fell to West Fargo 25-22, 21-25, 16-25, 18-25 in Eastern Dakota Conference volleyball at the Packer Gym.
In the first set, West Fargo jumped out to an early 7-2 lead. Including four points in a row. But the Hi-Liners stayed close, then would tie it at 14 on a service ace by Brynn Lueck. An attack
error by West Fargo’s Ellee McIntosh gave Valley City a 15-14 lead. Hadley Thoreson and Dacota Potratz combined on a block to make it 16-14. That was part of Valley City’s 8-1 run, capped off by a service ace by Jovi Borg that made it 20-15.
West Fargo would go on a 5-1 run to cut the lead to one at 21-20. A kill by Addy Kvilvang made it 22-20 Hi-Liners. That was followed by an attack error on West Fargo and a kill by Kvilvang to make it 24-20. The
Packers would score the next two points but then a service error by Aubrey Finn would clinch the set for Valley City 25-20.
In the second set, it looked like West Fargo was going to run away with it. The Packers jumped out to a 11-2 start to the set. But the Hi-Liners would not go quietly in the set. Valley City would use a 10-5 run to cut the lead to four at 16-12. They would get it down to three on a couple of occasions. A kill by Kadie
Kocka made it 21-18, a Thoreson kill made it 2219 and a Dacota Potratz kill made it 23-20. But McIntosh would get two kills sandwiched around a Huseby block to take the set 25-21.
Valley City would jump out to a 2-0 lead in set three thanks to a service error and an attack error by West Fargo. Kills by Ruby Chitty and Ava Halvorson and a service ace by Liv Odden was part of a four point run for the Packers that would give the lead at 4-2. A kill by Borg ended the run to make it 4-3, but that would be as close as the Hi-Liners would get the rest of the way.
The Packer went on a 9-2 run to open up an eight point lead at 135. That lead would stay between five and eight points the rest of the way until a double hit violation on the Hi-Liners made it a nine point set at 25-16. West Fargo was now up two sets to one.
In the fourth set, Valley City could never get the lead, but thanks to two Kvilvang kills, kept the Hi-Liners tied at 1,2,and 3. But a Halvorson kill for the Packers made it 4-3 and the set was never tied after that.
The Valley City stayed close, between two and five points, for a while. The Packers would have a six point lead at 16-10 after an ace by Chitty, 1812 after a Hi-Liner attack error, 19-13 after a kill by Grace Wehri and 2014 after a kill by Aurey Morris.
A Dacota Potratz kill made it 22-18 West Fargo. But two kills by McIntosh and one by Halvorson finished up the set making the final 25-18.
Jovi Borg led the was with nine kills and added eleven digs. Addy Kvilvang had seven kills and two blocks. Kadie Kocka had six kills and a team high 13 digs. Ava Huseby and Dacota Potratz had five kills each while Hadley Thoreson had four kills. Drew Potratz and Brynn Lueck both nearly had double-doubles. Potratz had 13 assists and nine digs, and Lueck had 14 assists and eight digs. Kinlee Sufficool added nine digs. Borg, Sufficool and Lueck each and two service aces for the Hi-Liners.
Valley City is 2-11 in the EDC and 5-12 overall. They will host Grand Forks Central on October 3rd at the HAC.