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Ely tops Virginia tourney

Dumps Duluth-Marshall in straight sets on Tuesday

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 9/29/22

DULUTH—The unbeaten Timberwolves made short work of Duluth-Marshall here on Tuesday, allowing a number of the team’s younger players to get in on the action. Ely took it in three, 25-12, …

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Ely tops Virginia tourney

Dumps Duluth-Marshall in straight sets on Tuesday

Posted

DULUTH—The unbeaten Timberwolves made short work of Duluth-Marshall here on Tuesday, allowing a number of the team’s younger players to get in on the action. Ely took it in three, 25-12, 25-11, and 25-17.
“It was a quick game that allowed us to get more people on the floor which was nice to see,” said Head Coach Megan Wognum.
A total of 12 players made the stats board on Tuesday, with seniors Madeline Kallberg and Rachel Coughlin, and Natasha Fulkrod leading the way at the net with six kills apiece. Kallberg added six digs and three aces, while Coughlin added 14 digs and Fulkrod tapped four aces to bolster their stats. Junior Hannah Penke posted five kills and ten digs, while senior Kate Coughlin added four kills, eight digs, and four aces. Sophomore Clare Thomas added four kills and four aces, while junior Sarah Visser tallied 21 set assists and five digs. Senior Courtney Eilrich posted nine digs.
The win, coming as the volleyball season heads into its final three weeks, further cements Ely’s position as the team to beat in Section 7A. But Wognum said the team won’t be resting on its laurels, despite their success to date. “We are going to take the next week and half to refine some of the skills we need to work on,” she said. “Our defense is really coming along but we are always working toward better coverage and movement on the floor.”
Ely’s latest victory cruise came on the heels of their most recent tournament win, this time at Rock Ridge on Saturday.
The unbeaten Wolves made short work of their contests with Cherry and Cromwell before facing a couple of their toughest challenges of the season against South Ridge and Kittson County Central. The Wolves topped the Tigers 25-18, 25-13 and Cromwell 25-12, 25-13, before facing South Ridge in the Wolves’ tightest contest of the year to date. The Wolves took the first set 25-23 and lost the second 25-18 before edging the Panthers 17-15. Against Kittson County Central, the Bearcats took the first set 27-25, but lost momentum, allowing the Wolves to recover for a 25-20 second set win. Ely easily took the decider, 15-4, to keep their perfect record intact.
The Wolves relied heavily on the offensive prowess of Penke and the Coughlin sisters throughout the tournament. Penke racked up 31 kills, while Kate Coughlin tallied 30 and Rachel Coughlin added 22. The three of them also led in digs, with 32 for Kate Coughlin, 30 for Penke, and 20 for Rachel Coughlin. Kallberg also posted a strong performance, with 15 kills, 19 digs, and 52 set assists, while Visser added 51 assists, 16 digs, and six aces.
Sophomore Lilli Rechichi posted 18 kills and five blocked shots on the day, while seniors Courtney Eilrich and Natasha Fulkrod added 18 digs and ten digs respectively.
The Wolves are set to host Northeast Range on Monday and travel to Lakeview Christian on Tuesday.