ELY— North Woods found a tough go here last Thursday as they fell to the Timberwolves in straight sets, 25-13, 25-16, and 25-21. It was the Wolves’ fifth-straight sweep and it improved their season record to 9-2. Consistency has been a strong suit for Ely as the season has moved into the second half and they reaped its benefits against a North Woods team that has shown promise at times this season.

“Ely was a tough team with a strong attack,” said North Woods Head Coach Kandi Olson. “We worked hard on our blocking and digging all night and tried to answer their offense with an attack of our own.”

The Wolves showed plenty of balance, with four players posting double digit stats. Senior Brielle Kallberg had a big night, posting 13 kills, nine digs and seven blocks, while fellow senior Erika Mattson tallied 14 kills and two blocks. Junior McKenna Coughlin added nine kills and 21 digs, while senior setter McCartney Kaercher added 35 assists and seven digs.

“We played really well the first two sets,” said Ely Head Coach Andrea Thomas. “We were aggressive offensively and spread out a number of kills between players.  Winter Saino did a great job serving for us in set one.  She had a string of six serves the first time she served and four the next. In set three we struggled to get anything going early on.  We were down 9-16 before we turned things around and fought back for the win.”

Senior Coley Olson proved the workhorse for the Grizzlies, posting 14 kills and 11 digs, along with seven set assists. Senior Kayla Tschida added six kills and as many digs, while sophomore Olivia Udovich added ten digs and 13 assists.