Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Glenburn volleyball players celebrate after scoring a point in the third set of Monday evening's Region 6 match against Velva. The Panthers earned a 15-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-22 victory over the Aggies at the Minot Municipal Auditorium.

In the midst of Glenburn’s comeback against Velva, Glenburn head coach Katie Dufner told the Panthers to be the louder team.

Not only did District 12 No. 3-seeded Glenburn (17-12-1) find its collective voice against District 11 No. 2-seeded Velva (13-19), the Panthers earned a thrilling four-set victory in Monday evening’s final Region 6 Tournament first-round contest at the Minot Municipal Auditorium.

Glenburn won by set scores of 15-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-22.

“They have faith in each other,” Dufner said of the Panthers. “I think that really showed today. They came together and pulled out something that I don’t think anybody was really expecting.”

The Aggies handled the first set, but the Panthers showed their resiliency in the second frame. Glenburn junior middle hitter McKenna Rolland delivered some thunderous kills.

“We just had our confidence,” said Rolland, who led the Panthers with 16 kills. “We just kept swinging, not tipping. Finding the open spots and just cheering as loud as possible. Even though they’re the little things.”

Velva led 24-22 in the third set, but Glenburn forced a timeout. The Panthers rattled off four consecutive points, nabbing a 26-24 set victory.

“It’s a hard gym to play in,” Dufner said. “The sound just dies. If they are the louder team, it’s going to increase their ability to play. They came back and it blew me away. It was so fun to watch.”

Velva attacked in the fourth set, but the Panthers always found counters. Strong serving and robust net play gave the Panthers a 25-22 victory in the final frame.

“We were pretty nervous coming in,” Rolland said. “We hadn’t seen them play. We just kind of adjusted to (Velva) and came back. That was awesome.”

Rolland also led the Panthers in aces (five) and digs (35). Junior outside hitter Nadia Post dished out 21 assists, while sophomore middle hitter Morgan McIver posted a team-high four blocks.

Although the Aggies came up short, they posted 102 team digs. Five Velva players posted double-figure dig totals, with junior setter Maddison Effertz (30) leading the way.

“We definitely made huge improvements all-around with our players,” Velva head coach Cassidy Peterson said. “It didn’t end the way we wanted, but we were a different team at the end of this year. We were having new shoes that were filled and getting adjusted to that. The girls definitely started to mend well with who they were beside.”

According to Dufner, Glenburn advanced to the regional semifinals for the first time in school history. The Panthers will face District 12 No. 1-seeded Our Redeemer’s at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Auditorium.

“We just need to play our game,” Dufner said. “We need to increase our communication, but that can always go up. We need to have confidence, as well. It’s tough going against a team like Our Redeemer’s because they’ve got the name. They’ve got all the good players and everything, but it will be fun to see what our girls can do against them.”

As the Panthers exuberantly sprinted to the locker room, junior outside hitter Hannah Hagen grasped senior setter/outside hitter Morgan McIver in her arms. Hagen yelled, “And we’re not done!”

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.