HUDSON — Heading into one of the more hostile environments they will ever play in, River Falls volleyball gave the undefeated Hudson volleyball team everything they could handle, but fell just short in a four-set thriller 3-1 Thursday.

After falling 2-0 to Hudson in the championship of the Menomonie Sprawl back on Aug. 31, this matchup was circled on the Wildcat calendar. River Falls was more confident this time around with the squad significantly healthier; however, they could not quite pull it off.

The first set was what many would have called as close as it gets until they saw the later sets in the match, but River Falls could not pull it off in a 25-23 finish. The second set was the lone set that did not come down to the final points, with a 25-15 scoreline going in favor of Hudson. Trailing two sets to none, the Wildcats would not go away, with Maddy Range notching an ace to take a 30-28 set win. A block on the final point of the fourth set propelled Hudson to a 25-23 win to advance to 23-0.

Hudson had not beaten River Falls since 2015, but have now won both matchups this season.

What stood out on River Falls’ end was their ability to keep their composure and prevent runs from getting out of hand. Hudson was applying maximum pressure at all times to expand their leads, but seemingly every time they got up by four or five points, the Wildcats swiftly countered.

The third set 30-28 win showcased the mental fortitude, as a rowdy crowd was making no shortage of noise, but it did not get in the heads of the players. The atmosphere and tough competition gave River Falls an early taste of playoff volleyball.

The team will have to take it as a learning experience moving forward. As Hudson is now set up to likely take the conference championship, River Falls can now fully focus on improvement for the postseason.

The Wildcats like their odds no matter who they face, and the loss is not going to change that fact. River Falls stands at 26-8 on the year with a 4-1 conference record. With three conference matchups yet to play, the Wildcats take on Rice Lake on Thursday.