Bearcats end season with fall to RLF Eagles

By Editor | November 10, 2025 |

By Coach Tina Turn
KCC 2 — RLF 3
The KCC Bearcats’ 2025 playoff run came to an abrupt end on Friday, Oct. 24, when they hosted the No. 3-seeded Red Lake Falls Eagles in Hallock for the Section 8A quarterfinals. The matchup was highly anticipated, as the two teams had previously met in September in a thrilling five-set battle that ended in a KCC victory. On that night, the Bearcats dominated the serve-and-pass game and controlled the net. This time, however, the story flipped.
In the opening set, senior Kaydence White fired off a huge kill to ignite the home crowd, but the energy was short-lived. The Eagles’ aggressive serving tested KCC’s serve receive, and the Bearcats struggled to get in system, falling 16-25.
Set two saw a stronger response from KCC. The Bearcats tightened up their serving and improved their passing, which led to 15 kills in the set. White led the way with 8 kills, followed by fellow senior Afton Lindgren with 4. With momentum shifting, KCC took the set 25-18.
Lindgren kept the pressure on to open set three with a 6-point serving run, though the Eagles answered with a run of their own to take the lead. Down 9-13, KCC called timeout and regrouped. Nadia Neumiller responded with a serving streak that helped the Bearcats retake control, and they closed out the set 25-20 on a Hanna Warnke kill.
The Eagles fought back in set four, and KCC found themselves trailing for most of the frame. The Bearcats briefly led 15-14 midway through, but RLF finished strong to take it 25-18 despite KCC recording 11 kills in the set.
In the decisive fifth set, the Eagles once again pressured the Bearcat serve receive, limiting KCC’s offensive rhythm. Red Lake Falls jumped ahead early and never looked back, winning 15-7 to claim the match.
In their regular-season meeting, KCC served at a 93% rate and passed a 2.03 average. In this playoff match, those numbers dipped to 86% serving and 1.68 passing — key statistics that told the story. The Eagles won the serve-and-pass battle decisively, and that made the difference.
It’s a tough way to end a strong season, but the Bearcats have much to be proud of. They packed the gym, played hard against quality opponents and delivered exciting volleyball all season long — finishing with a 20-10 record. We say goodbye and thank you to a great group of seniors, three of whom have been starters for three years. It has been fun to watch them on the court playing a game they love.

To view the stats from this game, click this link: VB Stats vs. RLF Eagles

afton lindgren gets one of her 9 digs during the Bearcats’ playoff game against the Red Lake Falls Eagles. The Bearcats fell to the Eagles in five sets ending their season. Lindgren had 10 kills, 18 assissts and served 17/20 including 3 aces in the match.
(Photo courtesy of Sideline Lindsey)