GLEN ULLIN — Two more District 7 teams secured spots in the Class B Region 4 tournament Monday night, though their paths there couldn’t have been more different.
Richardton-Taylor-Hebron made quick work of New England with a three-set sweep, while Mott-Regent had to dig deeper, surviving a back-and-forth battle and outlasting Hettinger-Scranton in five sets to punch its ticket to regionals.
Richardton-Taylor-Hebron 3, New England 0
Richardton-Taylor-Hebron left little room for doubt in its regional qualifier, using a strong defensive effort and sharp offense to sweep New England 3-0.
The Raiders made quick work of the opening set, winning 25-15 behind the attacking efforts of Chloe Schmidt and Paige Christensen. But the Tigers found more fight in the second, taking advantage of RTH errors to build an early lead and put the Raiders in a position to respond.
Afton Coots helped spark that response as the Raiders clawed their way back into the set. With the score even at 19, the Raiders took charge down the stretch to claim a 25-21 win and move within a set of the sweep.
The Raiders tip a kill over the net during its 3-0 sweep of New England in the District 7 tournament.
Alexis Taylor / The Dickinson Press
New England kept the pressure on in the third, with Meadow Olsonawski making plays to keep the Tigers in contention. Josie Schutt helped the Raiders regain control late, delivering a kill as RTH sealed the 25-19 finish.
The most exciting part for coach Chelsie Evans was how the Raiders connected across the court, turning defensive plays into points and opportunities at the net.
“Our defense made me kind of feel that way and how we were moving defensively, and then executing on offense,” Evans said. “Using good defense and putting the ball away. And I think just seeing that front row, back row connection made me pretty excited.”
1/8: New England Tigers vs. Richardton-Taylor-Hebron Raiders – Nov. 2, 2026.
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2/8: New England Tigers vs. Richardton-Taylor-Hebron Raiders – Nov. 2, 2026.
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3/8: New England Tigers vs. Richardton-Taylor-Hebron Raiders – Nov. 2, 2026.
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4/8: New England Tigers vs. Richardton-Taylor-Hebron Raiders – Nov. 2, 2026.
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5/8: New England Tigers vs. Richardton-Taylor-Hebron Raiders – Nov. 2, 2026.
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6/8: New England Tigers vs. Richardton-Taylor-Hebron Raiders – Nov. 2, 2026.
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7/8: New England Tigers vs. Richardton-Taylor-Hebron Raiders – Nov. 2, 2026.
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8/8: New England Tigers vs. Richardton-Taylor-Hebron Raiders – Nov. 2, 2026.
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The Raiders now turn their attention to the Region 4 quarterfinals, where they will face Flasher on Nov. 9 at the Bavendick Center at Bismarck State College.
“Going into regionals, this is a huge accomplishment for us,” Evans said. “We’re just going to come into practice this next week and really get the kinks out going into regionals, and be ready to play some tough teams.”
Mott-Regent 3, Hettinger-Scranton 2
Mott-Regent wasn’t ready for its season to end.
The Wildfire had to fight back after falling behind two sets against Hettinger-Scranton, answering with back-to-back wins to pull out a five-set victory and secure a spot in the Region 4 tournament.
The Nighthawks came out strong defensively in the opening set, limiting Mott-Regent’s attack while building a 16-9 lead. Callie Timm put away the final point in a 25-15 win for the Nighthawks.
Mott-Regent’s Violet Greff helped lead the Wildfire to a five-set victory over Hettinger-Scranton in the District 7 regional qualifying game Monday night.
Alexis Taylor / The Dickinson Press
Mott-Regent started to respond in the second, but Anisha Gonder made sure the Wildfire had to work for it. Gonder delivered three consecutive kills to help Hettinger-Scranton build a lead, but the Wildfire made its way back into the set. After pulling even at 18, Mott-Regent took over late, with Shaunie Mayer’s kill completing a 25-22 win.
Gonder continued to give the Nighthawks hope at the net in the third set. Hettinger-Scranton opened up a 19-10 lead before Katie Buckmeier finished off a 25-14 win, putting the Nighthawks one set away from advancing.
The Wildfire jumped out to an early lead in the fourth set and held off a Nighthawk rally, even after Gonder helped Hettinger-Scranton pull within two at 14-12. Violet Greff delivered a kill to put the Wildfire ahead 20-18, and an ace helped Mott-Regent finish the set 25-19 to force a deciding fifth.
With a regional spot hanging in the balance, Mott-Regent saved its best for last. The Wildfire jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Hettinger-Scranton wasn’t going quietly, pulling even at 7-7 to put the pressure right back on Mott-Regent. The Wildfire delivered their biggest run of the night, stringing together four straight points before securing the 15-10 win.
1/9: Hettinger-Scranton Nighthawks vs. Mott-Regent Wildfire – Nov. 2, 2026.
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2/9: Hettinger-Scranton Nighthawks vs. Mott-Regent Wildfire – Nov. 2, 2026.
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3/9: Hettinger-Scranton Nighthawks vs. Mott-Regent Wildfire – Nov. 2, 2026.
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4/9: Hettinger-Scranton Nighthawks vs. Mott-Regent Wildfire – Nov. 2, 2026.
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5/9: Hettinger-Scranton Nighthawks vs. Mott-Regent Wildfire – Nov. 2, 2026.
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6/9: Hettinger-Scranton Nighthawks vs. Mott-Regent Wildfire – Nov. 2, 2026.
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7/9: Hettinger-Scranton Nighthawks vs. Mott-Regent Wildfire – Nov. 2, 2026.
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8/9: Hettinger-Scranton Nighthawks vs. Mott-Regent Wildfire – Nov. 2, 2026.
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9/9: Hettinger-Scranton Nighthawks vs. Mott-Regent Wildfire – Nov. 2, 2026.
Alexis Taylor / The Dickinson Press
The comeback was exactly the kind of response head coach Karagan Damjanovic had been challenging her team to deliver all season.
“We’ve been working really, really hard on moving on past mistakes, because it’s just a matter of who can bounce back faster,” Damjanovic said. “And thankfully, that was our team tonight. I told my girls to stay level headed, stay controlled, and just go play your game.”
The Wildfire entered the season with a young, fresh-faced varsity roster and plenty of questions. Now, they’re headed to regionals with a five-set playoff win behind them.
“Last year I lost eight seniors and a whole varsity team, and so girls really stepped up,” Damjanovic said. “We have a brand new team who some people questioned would meld together very well, but they did tonight.”
Mott-Regent advances to the Region 4 quarterfinals, where it will face Central McLean at 2 p.m. MST Nov. 9 at the Bavendick Center..
Alexis is a sports reporter for the Dickinson Press. Hailing from Adams, Massachusetts, she graduated from High Point University in 2026 with a degree in Sports Media.