HUNTER, N.D. — The Valley City Hi-Liners faced one of their toughest Region 1 tests of the season Tuesday night but emerged victorious, outlasting Northern Cass in four sets (25-21, 16-25, 25-23, 25-7) to improve to 16-6 overall and 9-1 in Region 1 play.

The opening set featured tight, back-and-forth play early as the teams split the first 10 points evenly. Behind the hot hand of senior Kadie Kocka, Valley City built separation midway through, stretching the lead to 18-13 before closing out the 25-21 win.

Northern Cass responded in dominant fashion in the second set, jumping ahead early and never looking back. A strong defensive effort limited the Hi-Liners’ ability to score off serve, as the Jaguars rolled to a 25-16 win to even the match.

Set three mirrored the first, with neither team gaining much ground early. Valley City used a 7-2 run to build a 14-9 lead and later held a 24-23 edge before Kocka ended the set with a perfectly placed drop shot to secure the 25-23 victory.

The fourth set was all Valley City. The Hi-Liners overwhelmed the Jaguars with relentless serving and aggressive net play, racing to a 16-3 lead behind four consecutive aces from Kocka. The senior standout finished with 22 kills on the night, while Katie Burchill anchored the front line with several key blocks to seal the 25-7 win and the match.

Next up for Valley City is a road matchup against Oak Grove in Fargo on Thursday, with the top seed in Region 1 potentially on the line. First serve is set for 7:15 p.m.