Alex Eisen/MDN ORCS senior Annie Folden (12) attacks the ball in a Class B volleyball game against North Star played Tuesday evening in Minot.

Players took turns placing bags of ice on top of their heads during timeouts. Spectators in the stands were using the game program as personal fans. Wiping down the court became a routine stoppage of play.

The Our Redeemer’s gymnasium on Tuesday evening felt like a sauna, as two traditional top tier Class B volleyball programs sweated out an intense affair.

After dropping the first set, ORCS rallied back for a four-set home victory over North Star by set scores of 22-25, 25-18, 25-13, 25-16.

“Mental toughness is definitely a factor when you are playing and you feel uncomfortable,” ORCS head coach Kara Nunziato said. “But, at the same time, it forces you to be more focused. All summer long we played in a lot of hot weather, so I guess you could say we have been conditioned a little bit.”

No A/C, no problem.

Sophomore Cheyenne Lang echoed Nunziato’s remarks: “It’s a challenge, but we have been training all summer to play in conditions like this. It really paid off, I think.”

A back-and-forth opening set was last tied at 19-19. The Bearcats finally managed a small cushion and took the frame 25-22.

The Knights responded emphatically by opening a 10-point advantage early in the second set, 16-6, and holding on for a 25-18 set win.

“I don’t think we were in the right mindset to start off the game,” said Lang, who finished the match with eight kills and nine digs. “But, I’m glad we came together as a team later on and just did what we had to do.”

The third set played out similarly to the second, as ORCS got away early to hold a 10-point buffer. This time, however, the Knights didn’t allow the Bearcats back into the set.

A block and an ace by senior Annie Folden brought the Knights to set point, where sophomore setter Eden Olson delivered a back-row kill for the third set dagger, 25-13.

Folden finished with a team-high 12 kills and two blocks. Olson tossed up 27 assists.

“Everyone got more vocal and took care of their roles on the court,” Nunziato said. “The whole team came together.”

All of North Star’s momentum from the first set was gone.

ORCS junior Olivia Nelson returned a North Star dig at the net to put ORCS up 14-7 in the fourth set. Bearcats called a timeout.

Out of the break, Nelson played the role of a makeshift nurse — jokinglyputting her hands on Lang’s forehead to check her temperature.

“It was a little difficult and a little slippery,” Nelson said about the conditions. “But, for the most part, it really got our energy up because we had to focus on playing through the heat.”

The red-hot Knights closed out the fourth set and match with a Folden kill at 25-16.

Junior Macy Lindquist added seven kills during the contest and senior libero Téa Boeckel dug up 19 digs.

North Star was led by sophomore Danielle Hagler, who kept the Bearcats in the match at times with 20 kills and 10 digs.

Only ice packs were going to cool the Knights off.

“This is the first time it has ever gotten this hot,” Lang said. “So, we just had a lot of water and ice packs.”

The Knights next match is a District 12 home contest on Thursday against Surrey. The varsity match is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.