Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Our Redeemer's sophomore outside hitter Sydney Popinga celebrates after scoring a point in the first set of Tuesday's Region 6 semifinal match against Glenburn at the Minot Municipal Auditorium. The Knights defeated the Panthers 25-8, 25-9, 25-13.

The Our Redeemer’s volleyball team doesn’t need much motivation to get pumped up for a match. If the players hear Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose” or DJ Casper’s “Cha-Cha Slide” in the locker room, those tunes will get the Knights’ juices flowing.

No. 1-seeded ORCS (38-2-3) swept No. 3-seeded Glenburn (17-13-1) in Tuesday’s second Region 6 Tournament semifinal match at the Minot Municipal Auditorium. The Knights earned the victory by set scores of 25-8, 25-9, 25-13.

“We just decided in the locker room that we would have a lot of energy,” sophomore outside hitter Cheyenne Lang said. “We weren’t going to let someone else get down on themselves. We know how we can play, and we wanted to show everyone what we can do.”

The Knights’ offense fired on all cylinders all night. Senior middle hitter Annie Folden tallied a match-high 15 kills, while Lang added 11.

After some early back-and-forth battles, ORCS led 7-5 in the first set. The Knights proceeded to score 12 straight points, widening the gap to 19-5 before shutting the door.

“The key was just knowing that Glenburn is a good team,” ORCS head coach Kara Nunziato said. “We knew that Glenburn would be a tough game coming in. We knew that they had played an awesome match against Velva. We needed to come in confident and strong in our game and knowing our roles on the court. Today, the girls executed from start to finish.”

Four Knights served at least two aces in the match. In the second set, their serving clinic paved the way for another late burst.

Although the Panthers scratched across some points in the middle of the third set, the Knights found ways to prevail. Glenburn junior middle hitter McKenna Rolland posted a team-high six kills, but the Knights’ strong defense kept the Panthers in check.

“Even if we made a mistake, we would lift someone else up,” ORCS junior middle hitter Olivia Nelson said. “We are all really close, so we don’t really get down on each other.”

ORCS sophomore setter Eden Olson distributed a match-high 25 assists, while senior libero Téa Boeckel led the Knights with 11 digs.

“For our offense to shine, it’s really the result of our unsung heroes,” Nunziato said. “Those are our defensive specialists and (Olson), who consistently connect to make those moments happen.”

Glenburn sophomore middle hitter Lorelei McIver served a team-high three aces, while senior defensive specialist Jackie Ostlund posted a team-high 11 digs. McIver also added three blocks.

“They have so much passion for this game,” Glenburn head coach Katie Dufner said about the Panthers. “We’ve made strides. To not get the outcome we were looking for is always a heartbreaker. They don’t give up on a lot. Tonight, we saw a lot of bits and pieces that we haven’t really seen. They really dug deep on things that they didn’t think they would get up.”

Both teams are idle today and will participate in Thursday’s tournament action. Glenburn will face District 12 No. 2-seeded DLB (27-11) at 6 p.m in a bout for third place, while ORCS will square off against District 11 No. 1-seeded Rugby (31-4) in the Region 6 championship match at 7:30 p.m.

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