FIELD TWP- The North Woods volleyball team turned a sluggish start into a five-set battle in Monday’s home opener, but Mt. Iron-Buhl held off the Grizzlies in the deciding set to claim a 3-2 win.
The Grizzlies got off to a slow start as the Rangers took control midway through the opening set and cruised to a 25-15 victory.
North Woods began turning the match around in the second set, rallying from an early deficit and taking a 15-14 lead on a Carsyn Burnett kill. A Laurin Glass score extended the advantage to 19-16, but the Grizzlies faded down the stretch as MI-B escaped with a 25-23 win and a two-set lead.
A kill by Michaela Brunner to open the third set helped set a different tone, and North Woods raced to a 13-3 advantage behind five consecutive aces from Kalleigh Goodsky. The Rangers narrowed the gap, but the Grizzlies held on for a 25-19 win.
North Woods kept the momentum going in the fourth. LaNara Guenthner provided an intimidating presence in the middle of the Grizzlies’ front line, and North Woods closed the set with a 6-0 run to win 25-16 and force a deciding fifth set.
The Grizzlies fell behind 4-0 in the finale, but rallied behind an Ella Kruse ace and scores by Brunner and Guenthner to take a 5-4 lead. The Rangers answered with a six-point run to build a 10-5 advantage, and North Woods could not recover as MI-B won the set 15-11.
“Obviously a tough one to come up just short, but I was really proud of the way our girls responded after that first set,” Head Coach Kailleen Redmond said.
Glass paced the North Woods attack with 13 kills, while Guenthner had ten and Brunner added nine. Goodsky finished with seven aces and Tessa Burnett had five.
Tessa Burnett led the defense with 20 digs, followed by Glass with 18 and Brunner with 13. Carsyn Burnett distributed 19 set assists, while Goodsky recorded 16.
The Grizzlies are rebuilding after graduation took Lauren Burnett, Izzy Pascuzzi, Brynn Chosa, and Brittin Lappi from last season’s Section 7A championship team, which advanced to the state tournament in St. Paul.
“We’re still figuring out what our best lineup looks like and asking some players to step into bigger or new roles this season,” Redmond said. “It was great to see some of those players make an impact Monday night. We are seeing our younger and newer players gain confidence every time they’re on the court.”
The Grizzlies opened their season Friday with two wins and two losses at the Mora Early Bird Tournament.
North Woods dropped its first set against Hinckley-Finlayson 25-22, then dominated the second 25-10 and took the deciding set 15-7. The Grizzlies followed with a two-set sweep of Floodwood, winning 25-19 and 25-22.
Host Mora handed North Woods its first loss of the tournament, 25-11 and 25-16. The Grizzlies then closed the day with a three-set loss to Carlton-Wrenshall. North Woods took the opening set 25-23, but Carlton-Wrenshall answered with wins of 25-12 and 15-6.
“Overall, I’m encouraged by where we are early in the season,” Redmond said. “We certainly have things to clean up and areas where we need to become more consistent, but that’s expected after graduating the crew we did last year. This group is competitive, they work hard, and they want to get better.”