Ely sweeps match at North Woods

FIELD TWP- Last year’s Section 7A champs, North Woods, hosted a team seeking to dethrone them and get back to the state tourney this year, Ely, on Thursday for the Grizzlies’ annual Dig Pink fundraiser, and as usual the gym was packed to the rafters.
But the Grizzlies aren’t the same team that went to state, graduating key starters from that squad, and the ninth-ranked Timberwolves took full advantage with a straight set win.
The Wolves got out to a quick 6-1 lead in the first match on the strength of three Audrey Kallberg kills and an ace by Charlotte Hegman. The Grizzlies crawled back to within two at 7-5 on a Laurin Glass kill, but Ely responded with a five point run to get to 12-5, setting a tone that would carry them to a 25-12 win in the opener.
North Woods struck first in the second set with a kill from LaNara Guenthner, and when the Wolves pulled ahead 6-2 the Grizzlies didn’t falter. They dug in and stayed close, with a Tessa Burnett ace pulling them into a 9-9 tie. A short run put the Wolves up 15-11. With the gap at three, two kills and a block by Violet Udovich sparked a run that pushed the lead 23-14, a margin too large for the Grizzlies to overcome as they lost 25-17.
The early part of the third set was a tight battle, with the score tied five times through 8-8 before an Ely error put the Grizzlies ahead 9-8. It looked as if the set would be a fight to the finish with the score at 11-11, and then the Wolves caught fire. With a Kallberg hammer that broke the tie, Ely was suddenly off on an 8-0 run, with scores by Kallberg, Amelia Penke, and Lydia Shultz driving the spree, and the Wolves suddenly held a commanding 19-11 advantage. The stunned Grizzlies had little left in the tank to respond, and a Shultz ace sealed the sweep with a 25-15 win.
Grizzlies Head Coach Kaileen Richmond said the match was reflective of a season that’s had its ups and downs.
“This season has certainly been a roller coaster,” Redmond said. “We’ve had moments where we’ve played some really good volleyball, but we’ve also struggled to maintain that level of play consistently. I think that’s been one of our biggest frustrations as a coaching staff because we know what this group is capable of when everything comes together.”
Glass led the Grizzlies in kills with 8, and Guenthner added 5. Tessa Burnett and Michaela Brunner had 7 and 4 digs, respectively, and Carsyn Burnett put up 18 set assists.