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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Grizzlies top Spartans in three

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 10/9/19

FIELD TWP—In an up-and-down match on Monday, the Grizzlies topped Nashwauk-Keewatin in straight sets, 25-22, 25-14, and 27-25. With the regular season heading into its final game on Tuesday, the …

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Grizzlies top Spartans in three

Posted

FIELD TWP—In an up-and-down match on Monday, the Grizzlies topped Nashwauk-Keewatin in straight sets, 25-22, 25-14, and 27-25. With the regular season heading into its final game on Tuesday, the Grizzlies have shown they’re capable of high-intensity play— at least most of the time. “We need to work on maintaining a high level of play throughout the whole game,” said North Woods Head Coach Kandi Olson following Monday’s win.

“We roller-coastered a bit throughout the night,” said Olson. “It took us a while to find our groove.”

Senior Coley Olson had a big night, with 15 kills, eight digs, and six ace serves. Fellow senior Kayla Tschida notched ten kills and nine digs, while senior Karlyn Pierce tallied 11 kills. Sophomore setter Morgan Burnett added 34 assists, seven digs, four kills, and two ace serves.

Monday’s win came on the heels of the team’s third-place finish at the Mesabi East tournament on Saturday. “We started off really strong and working together really well,” said Coach Olson, as the Grizzlies started the day with 2-0 match wins over both Wrenshall and Floodwood. It was the afternoon session, when North Woods faced host Mesabi East and this year’s powerhouse, 21-3 Ely, that they ran into trouble. “In the afternoon we struggled with the strong attacks we were facing.”

Even so, the Grizzlies put up impressive stats. Olson tallied a remarkable 34 kills, 19 digs, and four blocks in the tournament, while Tschida added 15 kills and 22 digs. Senior Karlyn Pierce posted 21 kills, while Burnett added 72 set assists and 18 digs. Sophomore Abbi Shuster added 19 digs and four ace serves while ninth-grader Hannah Kinsey posted ten kills and six blocks.

The Grizzlies wrap up their regular season at home, on Tuesday, hosting South Ridge, with a 7 p.m. start.

volleyball, sports