ST. PAUL — The North Woods Grizzlies returned to the state Class A volleyball tournament for the first time in 13 years last week, capping a remarkable turnaround from just four years ago when their season record was 11-16.
Of the 147 Class A teams that stepped onto the court this season, only eight made the final cut for the state tourney, and the Section 7A champion Grizzlies were among those who traveled to the home of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, to compete for the state championship.
Led by seniors Lauren Burnett, Izzy Pascuzzi, Brynn Chosa, and Brittin Lappi, the Grizzlies were seeded eighth by the tourney coaches and drew defending champion Mayer Lutheran for their first-round matchup on Thursday.
Squaring off against a formidable lineup including multiple six-footers, North Woods did more than just hold their own, giving the eventual state champion Crusaders plenty to handle before falling 3-0.
Pascuzzi was the first to get the Grizzlies on the board with a scorching kill down the line at 1-1, and a Burnett score gave North Woods an early 5-4 lead in the first set. But the Crusaders reeled off a six-point run to take a 10-5 lead. North Woods closed to within three at 10-7 on a pair of Burnett kills, and after trailing by seven again, closed the gap to three at 14-11 with a Pascuzzi kill and Burnett ace fueling the surge. The Grizzlies went down seven again, but a Lappi tip started another run to shrink the margin to 20-16. The Crusaders closed out the set on a 5-2 run for the 25-18 win.
With Chosa and Carsyn Burnett ably handling sets, North Woods kept the heat on early in the second set, with a Crusaders error knotting the score at 8-8. Mayer Lutheran went up 16-10, but the Grizzlies fought back to 16-13 on a Pascuzzi kill, forcing a Crusaders time out. That move took the edge off the Grizzlies’ momentum, and the Mayer Lutheran took a two-set advantage with a 25-17 win.
The Crusaders continued their surge into the final set, quickly building a daunting 14-4 lead. A Lauren Burnett ace and a Pascuzzi kill got North Woods back on track, and the Grizzlies narrowed the margin to five at 22-17 with the help of some Mayer Lutheran errors, kills by Burnett, and an ace by Chosa. But poised just three points away from the match win, the Crusaders would not be denied, outscoring the Grizzlies 3-2 the rest of the way to advance to the semifinal round with a 25-19 win.
“I thought we showcased ourselves well in what we are capable of,” Head Coach Kaileen Redmond said. “We truly went in with the mentality of we have nothing to lose and they have everything to lose against a team that plays a much higher caliber schedule than we have opportunity for. After watching some of the other teams up against ML, I think we did pretty well.”
The loss dropped North Woods into the consolation bracket and a Friday tilt against 26-7 Cleveland. The No. 5-seeded Clippers lost a first round match to Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 3-1.
The first set was tight early on, with Burnett, Pascuzzi, and Lappi scoring for North Woods through a 7-7 tie.
Then suddenly, the complexion of the match changed dramatically when Cleveland reeled off seven consecutive points to take a 14-7 lead. A Burnett kill halted the run for only a point, as the Clippers took the serve back and increased the lead to 18-8. Cleveland continued its unexpected dominance by outscoring North Woods down the stretch 7-1 to claim a 25-9 win.
Clearly bolstered by their convincing win, the Clippers kept the pressure on in the second set, going up by nine points at 19-10 and again at 21-12. But with Pascuzzi at serve the Grizzlies made their strongest run of the match, cutting the lead to only three at 21-18 and forcing a Cleveland time out. After the break the Clippers put together a 4-0 run to win the second set 25-18.
Fighting for their tournament lives, the Grizzlies put up a strong fight in the third set, with a pair of Pascuzzi aces keeping them close early at 9-7. A Chosa push shot that dropped in for a score tied the set at 12-12, but after a Cleveland time out the Clippers built a 19-13 lead. But the Grizzlies weren’t finished yet, with Lappi taking the serve at 24-19. North Woods fans were on the edge of their seats as a Burnett kill and a Clippers error narrowed the margin to 24-21, but the hoped for rally failed to materialize when a shot went long and wide, handing the set and match to the Clippers with a 25-21 win.
“I’m not really sure what happened,” Redmond said. “We kind of individualized a little bit more than I would have liked to see and just couldn’t seem to get out of our funk. Not sure if it was nerves or something else, but I can confidentially say the team that showed up versus South Ridge and Floodwood (at sectionals) definitely outplayed our Friday crew that showed up.”
While North Woods didn’t fare as well in the tourney as they had hoped, it didn’t take the shine off a 24-5 season that was the Grizzlies’ best mark since 2018, and one win better than the 2012 state tournament team.
Redmond noted how integral her seniors have been to the program.
“I’m devastated to be losing my seniors, they helped me build this program and I have been working with them since they were in sixth grade,” she said. “It’s more than just seniors graduating, we all grew together. I wouldn’t be where I am without these seniors.”
With the Grizzlies’ seniors having played their final matches in North Woods blue, Redmond will be looking at rebuilding next year around a talented group of returners, led by Tessa Burnett, Carsyn Burnett, and Ella Kruse, all of whom figured significantly in tournament action.
“The younger players are very aware of the relationship I had with the seniors and can strive to build them, too,” Redmond said. “Our program is becoming more and more successful. I’m seeing growth in even our youngest ones and bringing back competitive drive. I really look forward to another run at this in the future. I told Kandi (former coach Olson) when I started alongside her seven years ago that I wanted this program to be my legacy and it’s finally heading that direction.”