ELY— After three weeks on the road, the Timberwolves were happy to be home and they gave their fans a convincing three-set win over North Woods to celebrate.
“We were so ready to play on our home court tonight,” said Ely Head Coach Megan Wognum.
After a few initial jitters, the Wolves set the pace beginning midway through the first set and they kept their focus throughout the match, winning 25-18, 25-16, and 25-15. “We were able to find our rhythm in the second half of the first set,” said Wognum. “Once our passes were put on target, we were completing the plays.”
It was a different story for the Grizzlies, who had suited up just seven players for Thursday’s contest, one less than they had fielded in a game against Cherry earlier in the week. The shortage of players created some matchup issues for the Grizzlies.
“Ely had a very tough offense,” said North Woods Head Coach Kandi Olson. “We had to adjust our front row to accommodate their strong middle hitters. I ended up putting Morgan Burnett in that middle spot to help us out in the blocking department.”
The current North Woods player shortage is putting increased pressure on those team members still able to play, notes Olson. “Considering that everyone has basically had to shuffle to a new position almost daily, they’ve been very flexible and tried to do their best every time they go out there,” Olson said. “You can’t ask for more than that.”
Several Ely players had big nights, including junior Rachel Coughlin, who notched eight kills, ten digs, three blocked shots and two aces. Her sister Kate added ten digs, two kills and a pair of aces, while senior Kellen Thomas posted four kills, three digs, and two aces. Fellow senior Charly Flom tallied three kills and four digs, while Annikka Mattson added four aces. Senior setter Katrina Seliskar added 24 assists, two kills, six digs, and a blocked shot.
North Woods stats were unavailable as of press time.