REGIONAL — The 7A sectional volleyball tournament got underway on Wednesday, with the North Woods Grizzlies and defending champion Ely Timberwolves on a collision course for a second-round battle on Friday.
The Grizzlies drew the No. 2 seed on their side of the bracket with a record of 20-3, while 18-9 Ely was tabbed as the No. 3 seed. For either team to reach the state tournament, they’ll have to navigate their way through one of the stronger slates of opponents in recent years.
North Woods was set to kick off action at home against No. 7 Littlefork-Big Falls, 7-14. The Grizzlies won the regular season matchup between the two in straight sets.
Ely was scheduled to host No. 6 Deer River. The Wolves defeated the 7-18 Warriors in straight sets in the opening match of the season.
If both North Woods and Ely were victorious, a grueling battle was expected on the Grizzlies’ home court on Friday, with this group of Wolves looking to extend the team’s dominance over the section for a fourth consecutive year. Ely won the first battle between the two 3-1 in the friendly confines of Memorial High’s gym, while North Woods exacted a measure of revenge with a 2-0 win on a neutral court at Mesabi East.
The Grizzlies came into the tournament riding a six-match win streak, while the Wolves had won four straight.
The winner won’t find the road any easier in the next round as they’ll likely meet the No. 1 seed on the opposite side of the bracket, South Ridge, in an Oct. 29 match at Rock Ridge High School.
The 21-5 Panthers suffered their first loss of the year at North Woods, 3-0, on Sept. 9. Ely did not play South Ridge in the regular season.
The final hurdle to clear for a ticket to state will likely be 19-2 Chisholm, the highest rated team in the tourney and also seeded No. 1. One of those two losses came in straight sets against the Wolves on Sept. 8. The Bluestreaks beat North Woods at home in a hotly contested battle on Sept. 29, 3-2.
The tournament championship match will be played at Rock Ridge on Nov. 1.