FIELD TWP- Last Thursday’s home volleyball match between the North Woods Grizzlies and International Falls Broncos came to a sudden shocking halt when a North Woods player appeared to be seriously injured, filling the gym with an abundance of concern.
Junior libero Brynn Chosa crashed to the floor while diving for a ball out of bounds, striking her head and crumpling motionless against the stage. Team personnel and others rushed to her aid as her teammates huddled nearby.
“I really relied on the captains and my assistant to help with the team while I attended to Brynn,” Head Coach Kaileen Redmond said. “Without me even asking, Becky (Lappi), Lauren (Burnett) and Izzy (Pascuzzi) stepped up in keeping the girls calm and collected so I was able to maintain my focus on Brynn and the steps in handling that injury.”
Cook Ambulance was called, and when EMS personnel arrived the Grizzlies players formed a line to shield their teammate from view as aid was rendered. Within moments the Grizzlies were joined by the Broncos players in a show of support.
“The I-Falls coach and team were so kind throughout the whole night and seeing them nearly immediately join our team overwhelmed me with gratefulness,” Redmond said. “They showed true sportsmanship in this moment and never once pushed us to move faster than we could.”
In updates posted by her parents to social media, it was reported that Chosa suffered a concussion and was treated and released.
Play was stopped for about 30 minutes as Chosa was tended to, and then the teams had a brief warm-up period before the match resumed.
The Grizzlies were up 1-0 and leading 14-9 in the second game when play was halted, and it took them a few points before regaining their stride. But a big kill by Burnett at 16-12 was the turning point, igniting a 9-2 run to close out a 25-14 win.
The third game was the most competitive of the match, with the Broncos knotting the score at 13-13. Burnett gave the Grizzlies the lead on a little popper over the net, and then Tessa Burnett came in to serve, sparking the team to a four-point run and an 18-13 edge. It was all the cushion the Grizzlies would need as Brittin Lappi and Lauren Burnett sealed the 25-17 win with kills and claim the straight-set victory.
While North Woods got big hits all night long, Redmond gave credit to the team’s defense for the win.
“After Monday’s game against MIB we had all agreed that we needed to focus in on our defense,” she said. “This game showed some serious improvement in that department and I’m pleased all the hard work is paying off.”
The Grizzlies moved to 2-0, and Redmond noted that team chemistry has been key to getting off to a strong start.
“Our team energy has been high and continues to stay elevated as each day goes on,” she said. “We’ve been able to pick each other up after a long rally and errors and move through them together focusing on our long-term goals.”
Bigfork
The Grizzlies were on the road at Bigfork on Tuesday, where they faced their toughest foe of the young season. North Woods won the hotly contested match 3-0, taking the first game 25-16 while edging out narrow 25-23 and 25-22 wins in the other games.
The Grizzlies were scheduled to remain on the road for a Thursday match at Mesabi East and contests on Monday and Tuesday at Deer River and South Ridge.