The rematch is set. Wednesday at 7 p.m. the top two Class A volleyball teams in northeast Minnesota will face off for a trip to the state tournament.
Ely advanced to the finals Friday night, beating Barnum 27-25, 25-14, 25-23. Chisholm beat Cromwell 25-10, 25-21, 25-18 in the other semifinal.
Both teams will return to Rock Ridge High School Wednesday night with the Section 7A title on the line.
For the Wolves, Friday night was a game of momentum, one that tipped back and forth early on until Ely pulled out a 27-25 win to get things going. Barnum didn't go quietly in the third and made Ely work for the clinching 25-23 win.
Ely is 25-4 overall. Chisholm is 27-3 with a 3-2 win over Ely on Sept. 14. In all, 222 points were contested in the two-hour-plus marathon and the host Bluestreaks won 112 to Ely’s 110, prevailing 28-26, 22-25, 22-25, 25-21,15-13.
Ely is the state's 10th-ranked Class A team and is looking to return to the state volleyball tournament. The Wolves were Section champs in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Chisholm's only trip to state was in 2007.
