The beginning and the end wasn’t pretty but the middle two sets for the Alden-Conger volleyball team were encouraging Monday night when the Knights hosted Blooming Prairie in the final regular season home match.

Alden-Conger (4-18) rallied from a 25-14 first set defeat for a 25-20 victory in the second set and pushed the Awesome Blossoms in the third set 25-17. But in the fourth set the Blooming Prairie hitters wore down the Knights and the Blossoms cruised to a 25-13 win.

The victories have been a little smaller this season and Alden-Conger head coach Melissa Wasmoen said it was fun for her team to take one set from Blooming Prairie on senior night.

“Throughout this whole season they’ve really kept their spirits,” Wasmoen said.

The Knights were tenacious on defense at times Monday and three different players registered double-digit totals in digs. Ariel Keller led the team with 17 digs while Kenzie Martin tallied 12 and Hayley Knutson had 10.

The Blossoms’ hitting duo of Kristen Hagen and Marie Morem were too much for Alden-Conger down the stretch.

“They do what they’re supposed to,” Wasmoen said of Blooming Prairie’s hitters. “They get back to the green line and they do their approach and swing hard. That’s where we get beat.”

Hagen led the Blossoms with 13 kills and Morem added 12 as she came through in big spots for her team throughout the night.

Neither team hit particularly well, the Knights committed 20 hitting errors and Blooming Prairie committed 26.

Alli Songstad led the Knights with 21 assists. Alden-Conger missed just two serves the entire night.

The Knights face Randolph Thursday in Randolph to wrap up the regular season.