VALLEY CITY, N.D. — It wasn’t always easy, but the Valley City Hi-Liners found a way to finish their regular season on a high note, defeating the Lisbon Broncos in straight sets (25-21, 25-21, 25-16) on Senior Day.

The first set was tight throughout the early stages, as the teams split the first 22 points evenly to sit tied at 11. Valley City then built some breathing room with a short run to go ahead 18-13, but Lisbon countered quickly to pull within one at 18-17. The Hi-Liners answered once more, extending the lead to 24-19 before senior Kadie Kocka capped off the set with a kill to give Valley City the 25-21 win.

The second set followed a similar pattern. The Broncos kept pace with the Hi-Liners, even taking a 17-16 lead late in the frame. But Valley City regrouped with a late surge to go up 22-18 before Lisbon again closed the gap to one, forcing a Hi-Liner timeout. Out of the break, Skye Nielson and Kocka combined for three consecutive kills to put away the second set 25-21.

Lisbon continued to hang around early in the third, but the Hi-Liners finally found another gear down the stretch. Leading 20-16, Nielson rattled off four straight kills before teaming up with Katie Burchill for a block at the net to close out the set 25-16 and secure the sweep.

With the win, Valley City finishes the regular season at 17-8 overall. The Hi-Liners are expected to enter the upcoming Region 1 Tournament as the No. 2 seed, unless Oak Grove falls to Wahpeton on November 4.