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CITY, N.D. (VCSUVikings.com)-Four Vikings tallied double-digit kills Wednesday night as the Valley City State volleyball team held off a Mayville State rally to win in five sets.

The Vikings were in control of the match after winning 25-23 and 25-18 in sets one and two. But the Comets rallied back to force a game five after winning 25-14 and 25-18 in sets three and four.

After falling behind 9-7 in the deciding game, the Vikings scored five straight points to take a 12-9 lead and then put the match away on Taylor Sharp’s 14th kill of the night to win 15-13. The victory came on Senior Night in Valley City as the Vikings honored seniors Megan Johnson and Polette Medina before the match.

The win guarantees Valley City State will finish the regular season with a winning record, the first time that has happened since going 16-15 in 2006. With two matches remaining, VCSU improves to 14-11 overall this season and 8-6 in the North Star Athletic Association. The win also guarantees VCSU the No. 4 or No. 5 seed for the NSAA Tournament. The No. 4 and No. 5 seeds will face each other in the first round of the six-team tournament. The Vikings currently sit in fourth place while Presentation College is in fifth.

Mayville State drops to 6-25 overall and 2-12 in the NSAA.

Taylor Sharp led the Vikings with 14 kills in the match, one of four Vikings in double figures. Senior Megan Johnson hit a team-high .296 for the Vikings as she racked up 13 kills. Clarissa Olson had 12 kills and six block points. Paige Benson added 10 kills.

Rowan Garcia had 28 assists, while Leah Ruter totaled 26 assists and two service aces. Libero Hailie Wilds had a big match with 26 digs. Polette Medina added 12 digs and Charlotte Huschka had 11.

Mayville State out-hit the Vikings in the match, .184 to .168. Mayville State tallied 15 blocks compared to 11 for VCSU. The Vikings committed 15 service errors as well – compared to just one by Mayville – but somehow found a way to win. VCSU hit .348 in the fifth set, tallying nine kills and just one error in 23 attacks. Megan Johnson came up big with three kills in the deciding set, while Autumn Johnson and Taylor Sharp each had two.

The Comets were led by 17 kills and 4.5 blocks from Cassidy Miller. Hannah Bliss and Whitney Janu each had eight kills in the loss. Freshman setter Jana Mehus totaled 37 assists, 14 digs and six kills. TaLise Hansen led the Comete defense with 22 digs while Jayden Warner added 20 digs.

Up next: Valley City State finishes the regular season on the road this weekend. The Vikings play a 4 p.m. match Friday at University of Jamestown, and then travel to Dickinson State on Saturday. Mayville State will play at Dickinson on Friday and at Jamestown on Saturday