ELY— Will the Timberwolves claim the Section 7A volleyball title for a fourth year in a row? That answer remained unknown as of the Timberjay’s Wednesday press time. The Wolves were set to take on South Ridge at the Rock Ridge School gymnasium on Wednesday night in semi-final competition after easily defeating Chisholm in the quarterfinal round last Friday.
The Wolves, who have dominated Section 7A since 2021, will be looking to make it to the section championship once again, set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Hermantown High School. If so, they’ll be facing the winner of Wednesday night’s contest between Floodwood, the top-seed in the south subsection, and Bigfork, the north subsection’s second seed.
That could set up an Ely-Floodwood championship match-up for the third year in a row.
Playing in Ely, last Friday, the Wolves made short work of fourth-seeded Chisholm, taking three straight sets 25-15, 25-8, and 25-9.
“We came out ready to play on Friday night,” said Ely Head Coach Megan Wognum. “We got the nerves out when we played our first game on Wednesday so I think we came in stronger mentally on Friday. We had a quick offense and completed our kills with minimal errors.”
Senior Lilli Rechichi dominated at the net for Ely, posting 15 kills and four solo blocks, along with a match-leading 13 digs. Sophomore Audrey Kallberg added ten kills and 11 digs, while senior Clare Thomas posted seven kills and nine digs. Sophomore setter Gretta Lowe added 31 assists and six digs.
“We knew that Chisholm was going to fight hard but it all came down to who wanted it more,” said Wognum. “Our serving was amazing as well as our blocking and digs.”
Playoff-opening jitters last Wednesday kept their match with Littlefork-Big Falls closer than it otherwise might have been, but the Wolves prevailed in straight sets 25-13, 25-14, 25-13. Rechichi had another big night on offense, with 15 kills, while Thomas pitched in with eight kills. Kallberg notched seven kills and added 12 digs, while sophomore Charlotte Hegman posted six kills and four digs. Lowe added 37 assists and seven digs.
The Timberjay will post results on Ely’s Wednesday night game at timberjay.com. Watch for full game details, and potentially the results of the Section 7A championship contest, in next week’s print edition.