BISMARCK (NewsDakota)- It was an almighty battle in the second Class B Semifinal on Friday at the Bismarck Events Center but, ultimately, number one prevailed.

For a second consecutive day, the top-seeded Langdon Area/Munich Cardinals were forced the distance and for the second straight day, they advanced, this time over fourth-seeded Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier 3-2 (26-24, 16-25, 25-11, 21-25, 15-3) to advance to the Class B Championship Match vs (2) Medina/Pingree-Buchanan.

The first set was tic-for-tac as the Rebels (27-12) and Cardinals (38-5) matched mini runs throughout until E/K/M reached set point at 24-23, but Langdon rattled off the final three points to win the set.  The Rebels flipped the script in the second set, thanks in large part to the serving of Kailey VanEnk, who went on a late 5-0 run to give her team control and level the match.

The third set was dominant by the Cardinals, with freshman hitter Hillary Haaven (21 kills) dominating offensively and Taya Feist (five blocks) dominating defensively.  But after falling behind 5-0 in the fourth set, the Rebels rallied behind the hitting of Betsy Huber and Elli Lloyd as they came all the way back to force a decisive set.

But in the fifth, Langdon scored eleven of the first twelve points of the set, helped by the serving of Mya Swanson, to advance to the final with an opportunity to go back-to-back after winning the Class B title in 2024.

E/K/M face Our Redeemer’s in the third place match, with coverage Saturday on KDDR The Tornado beginning at 7:45am.