A fast start sent the Ely Timberwolves a step further in the Section 7A playoffs.
The high school volleyball team set the tone in the opening set and never looked back, waxing Mt. Iron-Buhl 25-8, 25-16, 25-9 in a surprisingly quick 7A quarterfinal at the high school gymnasium.
The win put Ely, now 25-4, into Friday night’s semifinals against Barnum.
MIB (19-9) was seeded third in the north half of 7A and took a set from the second-seeded Wolves just three weeks earlier.
The playoff rematch was seemingly over as soon as it started, with senior Audrey Kallberg hammering the first of her 10 kills to put the hosts on the board.
MIB never even reached double digits and the Wolves, who are rated ninth in the state in Class A, were on their way.
The win was in sharp contrast to Ely’s playoff opener on Monday, when the Wolves struggled at times on the way to a sweep against Northeast Range, “We were definitely more nervous on Monday, but we came out a little more confident and ready to go tonight,” said Ely Head Coach Megan Bialik.
That was evident right from the get-go as Ely exuded confidence and used its deep and potent arsenal of offense.
It was set up on defense, according to Bialik.
“I think it started with our strong receive, and that set up our offense, and I feel like that’s exactly what we needed,” she said.
Kallberg helped lead with 10 kills and junior Violet Udovich recorded 10 kills as well.
Udovich was a force in the middle, blocking numerous Ranger hits and coming up with four solo blocks for the night.
Senior Lydia Shultz notched eight kills while Amelia Penke finished with six and Charlotte Hegman was next with five.
Gretta Lowe dished out 35 set assists and added seven digs for the winners, and Shultz had three of the team’s seven ace serves.
The Rangers kept the second set respectable, but Ely took over in the third, finishing off the matchup in less than an hour.
That came in contrast to Monday, when Ely was never seriously threatened, yet the Wolves were at times sluggish against Northeast Range.
“They like to be challenged,” Bialik said of the Wolves. “You can tell we crave that sometimes, so I feel like being challenged is our forte.”
More challenges await the Wolves, starting with Friday night’s semifinal with Barnum (17-8).
“I know they’re number one in the south and I know they’re strong and solid and that we’ll need to come out ready to play like we did tonight.”
Chisholm and Cromwell square off in Friday’s other semifinal, and the two winners will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 4, back at Rock Ridge, for the 7A title and a berth in the Class A State Tournament set for Nov. 1113 at St. Paul’s Grand Casino Arena.
Signs seem to be pointing toward an Ely-Chisholm rematch.
The Bluestreaks prevailed in five close sets when the teams met in mid-September, in a contest that had 218 points, 110 won by Chisholm and 108 by Ely.
• Northeast Range gave the Wolves more of a battle than MIB, but Ely won 25-17, 25-11, 25-12.
The opening set was tied at 14 before the Wolves pulled away.
Penke and Kallberg dominated up front, contributing 13 kills each in the sweep.
Hegman wound up with eight while Shultz (five) and Udovich (five) were next on the stat line.
Lowe had 30 set assists and Peyton Huntington delivered three ace serves.
