Valley City Outlasts Kindred in Five-Set Thriller; Kocka sets School Record

Posted By: jerrye
September 10, 2025 @ 7:00 am
Sports

KINDRED, N.D. — The Valley City Hi-Liners volleyball team outlasted the Kindred Vikings in a five-set thriller Tuesday night to open their season, highlighted by Kadie Kocka setting a new school record with 35 kills in a single match.

The first set was tightly contested early, but Kindred seized control midway through, building an 18-10 lead. Valley City mounted a late push to cut the deficit to four, but the Vikings held on for a 25-19 win.

The second set saw a reversal, as Valley City jumped out to an 18-9 lead with Kindred struggling to match its sharp play from the opener. The Vikings made a late rally, but the Hi-Liners evened the match with a 25-19 victory.

Through the first two sets, Kocka and Kindred’s Taylor Sanders carried their teams, with both outside hitters trading powerful swings. Kocka finished the night with her record-setting 35 kills, while Sanders tallied 17 kills and three aces.

The third set remained close into the late stages, with Valley City holding a narrow 19-18 lead before calling a timeout. The Hi-Liners came out strong, finishing on a 6-0 run to secure a 25-18 win and a 2-1 match advantage.

Kindred answered in the fourth. Valley City held two match points, but the Vikings’ defense denied multiple potential match-winning swings from Kocka. A block at the net sealed a 27-25 Kindred win to force a decisive fifth set.

Behind the serving of Skye Neilson, Valley City raced out to a 4-0 lead in the finale. The Hi-Liners maintained the advantage until Kindred rallied to tie the set at 12-12 and eventually earned a match point at 14-13. Valley City survived two match points before regaining the lead at 16-15 on a Kindred error.

On the final point, Kocka delivered once more, hammering the match-winning kill off the Kindred block to secure the fifth set 17-15 and the season-opening victory for Valley City.

The Hi-Liners will return to action Thursday, Sept. 11, when they host Central Cass at 7:15 p.m. The match will be broadcast on 1490 AM/96.3 FM KOVC, streamed online at NewsDakota.com and on the KOVC Live YouTube channel.