According to River Falls Broadcasting's volleyball producer and color commentator, Rob Doerre, the River Falls/Hudson volleyball match this Thursday night in Hudson is being billed as "The War on 94."

"If we want people to be excited to watch us, then we have to be exciting to watch," said Hudson Head Coach Brittany Young-Sanchez. "Being exciting to watch means to fight and play hard."

The Raiders have been exciting to watch. Hudson comes into the Big Rivers Conference battle 22-0 and ranked #5 in the most recent state poll. The Raiders were victorious over the Wildcats in their Menomonie Sprawl Tournament match 2-0 earlier this season. It was the first time Hudson has beaten River Falls in any volleyball match since 2015. River Falls' senior outside hitter and conference player-of-the-year candidate Maddy Range was on the sidelines with a dislocated shoulder at the Menomonie Sprawl. Range is back and the Wildcats are 25-6 on the year with all six tournament losses coming at the hands of current ranked teams in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Many prognosticators are predicting Thursday's winner could crown the conference champion and the #1 seed in the play-offs.

"When you see good kids that are working hard to do it the right way," said River Falls Head Coach Sara Kealy, "You want to get behind them and that's true for both programs. I'm excited. It's what you want. It's the epitome of high school sports."

There is a unique dynamic to Thursday's game that's absent with most other sports in the Hudson/River Falls rivalry. Most of the girls on both teams have been playing Kokoro Club Volleyball together since middle school. The club season is close to six months long from December through June and many of both teams' parents spend ample time together at out-of-state tournaments.

"Most of our girls have attended her (Coach Sara Kealy) camps, too" said Sharon Kendhammer, mother of Raiders' senior outside hitter Hannah Kendhammer. "It's the sportsmanship you want to see."

"There's a mutual respect for sure," said Kealy.

"The sport has brought us together," said Sara Dusek, mother of sophomore middle hitter Brooke Dusek. "But we've decided as two communities we're going to do this event and it's going to be a tradition for years to come."

The tradition Dusek is referring to is the "Pass Set Attack Cancer" event taking place Thursday night during the Hudson/River Falls high school volleyball match. It's a coordinated effort between both teams and parents. All proceeds will benefit The Rhino's Foundation, a local non-profit organization providing funds to families in northwestern Wisconsin dealing with cancer.

Sara Dusek was a beneficiary of Rhino's funds not once but twice battling breast cancer. The "War on 94" has a completely different meaning when you're hearing cancer cell scores as opposed to rivalry volleyball scores.

"I looked over at Matt (husband)," said Dusek, upon hearing the initial news from her doctor five years ago. "He (Matt) took my hand and the first thing I thought of was we have a young family. What are we going to do? I was in survival mode. I need to fight this and I need to live because I need to be their mom."

Dusek said when the help from Rhino's showed up at their doorstep, it was like a big hug from the community.

"It doesn't always have to be this big huge grand gesture, but even the smallest gestures gives you a little bit more hope because people are thinking of you and supporting you."

Dusek's oldest child, Brooke, was in fifth grade when she first heard the news. She’s now one of the top middle and right-side hitters in the conference as a sophomore.

"It was really hard having to see her (mom) struggle with her dealing with it every day," said Brooke, "It taught me to never give up and never lose hope. It also did make our family really stick together and with our volleyball team, we've learned to do that as well."

Each student-athlete will write who they are playing for on their individual volleyball sign.

"I'm playing for my mom," said Brooke Dusek.

Young-Sanchez said, "I kept getting asked by the kids, 'How many names can we put on our sign?' It was really sweet but also really sad that that many people are affected by cancer.

"We're focusing on serving this year," said Young-Sanchez, "How do you serve your team and how do you serve your community. This event puts an exclamation point on that thought."

There will be approximately 15 silent-auction gift baskets the players and parents collected. They have also been selling T-shirts. Donations can also be made at www.rhinosfoundation.org.

Sharon Kendhammer lost her mom, dad, and grandmother to cancer. It's an event close to her heart.

"I love the fact it's local and any organization that can help is a big part of my life," said Kendhammer.

"The girls do it as competitors and as friends," said Kealy, "That place is going to be packed."

"All the energy and the packed gym is going to create another dynamic to coach with the mental game," said Young-Sanchez.

Coach Kealy said she has a similar message for her team this week, "You're always in control. You may not be able to control things that are thrown at you, but you can always control how you respond. I love it when we do stuff that's bigger than what our team is doing on the court." 

Sara Dusek may have defined the perfect summary and conclusion for Thursday night’s big game and event, "It's the sports that bring us together, but it's not the glue."