SILVER BAY— An increasingly impressive Ely volleyball squad made short work of Silver Bay here on Tuesday, downing the Mariners in straight sets, 25-7, 25-12, 25-13.
“The girls played well tonight and were able to keep the momentum on our side most of the night,” said Ely Head Coach Andrea Thomas. “Our serving was very effective.” Junior Kellen Thomas led the charge in the first set, serving points seven through 19 to give the Timberwolves a commanding lead. Sophomore Rachel Coughlin and her sister McKenna, a senior, had extended serving runs of their own in the second set.
Rachel added eight kills and four ace serves on the night, while McKenna tallied seven kills and six digs. Junior setter Katrina Seliskar added 18 assists, and Raven Sainio posted three kills.
Tuesday’s win came on the heels of another straight set victory for Ely against Cherry last Thursday. It was a win that the Wolves had to work for. “As usual, it was a hard-fought battle against Cherry,” said Thomas. “We had to come from behind in set three to win.”
Ely took set one 25-17, edged the Tigers 25-20 in set two, then rallied in the final stanza to win 26-24. “The girls showed their ability to focus on the point at hand and work their way back into the game,” said Thomas.
Several players had big nights for Ely. McKenna Coughlin topped the kill chart with ten and added four block shots to her stat total. Sophomore Kate Coughlin posted seven kills, six digs, and six ace serves, for one the strongest performances of her young career. Sophomore Madeline Kallberg added seven kills and six digs, while Rachel Coughlin tallied six kills and as many digs. Seliskar posted 30 assists.
The Wolves were set to host Mesabi East on Thursday. The Broncos of International Falls come to town on Monday.