BIGFORK- The North Woods volleyball team took its first road trip of the season on Tuesday and came home with a convincing 3-0 decision over the host Bigfork Huskies.
The Grizzlies got on an early roll when Addy Hartway got a block to break a 2-2 tie and then stepped to the service line. With Hannah Kinsey controling the center of the court with blocks and kills, Lauren Burnett collecting a couple of kills, and Hartway nailing a pair of aces, North Woods was suddenly up 10-2. The Grizzlies kept pouring it on as they ran away from the Huskies for a 25-9 win.
The match tightened up considerably in the second set as the Huskies kept nipping at the Grizzlies’ heels and kept the final at 25-19.
With the match on the line, the Huskies came out loaded for bear in the third game. A quick three-point run put Bigfork in the lead 6-2, and the Huskies looked confident. But the Grizzlies remained unimpressed, chipping away at the lead until a Kinsey slam put them ahead 9-8. With Talise Goodsky at serve finding the weak spots in the Bigfork defense, scored eight consecutive points to take a 15-9 lead. Having fully regained control, North Woods led by as many as eight before closing out the match with a 25-18 win.
Olson had good things to say about Goodsky’s service run.
“She really has great court sense,” Olson said. “She understands the flow of the game and she looks for holes and really tries to capitalize on them.”
With a new lineup this year, Olson said that Tuesday’s match was an opportunity for Kinsey to develop additional confidence and continuity with her setters, which showed in her front line productivity.
The Grizzlies were scheduled to take their 2-1 record on the road Thursday at Mesabi East. Additional upcoming road trips include Monday, Sept. 12 at Deer River and Tuesday, Sept. 13 at South Ridge. North Woods won’t be back on their home court until a Sept. 20 tilt against Cherry.