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CITY  (NewsDakota.com)–The one constant in the game of volleyball is the impact of momentum on a match.

Tuesday night, momentum was initialized, then swung, then swung again as Carrington topped Valley City 3-2 (25-14, 25-20, 23-25, 21-25, 15-10) at the Hi-Liner Activities Center in Valley City.

It was the first non-tournament match of the season for both teams, and for the second straight match in Valley City between the two teams, the match went the limit after a team took a 2-0 lead.

Carrington was fueled by a hard-hitting attack by junior Madison Wendel, who started the team strong with several net plays, powering the Cardinals to a dominant 25-14 win in the opener and a 25-20 win in the second.

The Hi-Liners responded behind Dierra Diegel, who began to find her stride as a hitter in the interior of the match.  Her attack late in the third gave the Hi-Liners their first set point of the night.

Valley City’s block began to play a bigger role in the fourth, with Tiffannie Justesen and both Dierra and Danica Diegel playing a huge role.  Jasmine Stevens block at the 24-21 pushed the match to a fifth set.

But the Cardinals scored repeatedly off the serve, something Valley City could not answer on the night.  Josey Page found a run of aces in the fifth to push the Cardinal lead to 11-4, and the Cardinals used the side-out for a 15-10 win in the final frame for the match victory.  Head coach Sharon Boehmer complimented her players on their response in the fifth.

Hi-Liner head coach Katy Van Dyke liked what she saw from her defense and her block, as the team adjusted to neutralize the attack of Carrington after the second.

Both teams enter conference play in their next matches.