Volleyball playoff pairings announced

They still have regular season matches yet this week, but local high school volleyball teams already know who they’ll be matched up with in the playoffs.Pairings for both the Section 7AA and 7A tournaments were completed Thursday.Ely (11-11) is seeded fourth among eight teams in the east half of 7AA and will face number-five Virginia in an Oct. 27 opening round match, set for Wednesday, Oct. 27 (5:30 p.m.) at Greenway High School in Coleraine.It’s the first half of a doubleheader that also features the top-seeded Greenway squad taking on Mesabi East.The playoffs continue Oct. 29 with second-round matches at home sites. The 7AA semifinals are Nov. 4 and the championship match is set for Nov. 6, at Grand Rapids.International Falls is seeded second in the east half of 7AA while Deer River and Blackduck earned the top seeds in the west side of the draw.In Section 7A, Tower-Soudan (23-1) is gunning for a trip to the state tournament and the Golden Eagles begin playoff action Oct. 27 (7 p.m.) against either Lakeview Christian Academy or Fon-du-Lac. AlBrook and Cotton also square off at Tower that night.Babbitt-Embarrass opens up tournament play at Silver Bay, also on Oct. 27.The second round of the 7A tournament takes place Oct. 29, with the semifinals (Nov. 4) and finals (Nov. 6) both at Hibbing.