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Wolves among nine squads in Saturday’s event at Coleraine
If Ely’s volleyball team is going to be tested during the regular season, odds are that it will be on a weekend.
That raises the stakes a bit Saturday, as the Wolves travel to Coleraine for the Greenway Tournament.
Ely is off to a perfect 3-0 start this fall with three easy wins, including Tuesday’s 25-14, 25-19, 25-8 sweep of Littlefork-Big Falls.
But that’s par for the course for the Wolves, who haven’t lost a weekday regular season match since Oct. 4, 2021 and have notched 15 consecutive regular season sweeps.
Weekend tournaments, however, have been much more competitive for the Wolves and the one at Greenway could bring the team’s first test of the season.
“I think the girls look forward to them more because the matches are a little bit quicker, the best two out of three and that kind of keeps us moving along in the day,” said Wognum. “And sometimes (regular season) games can get a little long and it feels like that is just the right rhythm for us.”
The Wolves will tangle with Cherry and Mesabi East in pool play to start the Greenway event, but some unfamiliar opponents - including Class AA Mora and Moose Lake-Willow River - loom in the second series of games.
“I think Mora might be a nice team to see because that’s somebody we don’t see every day,” said Wognum.“It feels like in our section we see a lot of the same teams all of the time.”
Ely might also get a rematch with Greenway, which fell in three to the Wolves on Aug. 27 but has traditionally had one of the better programs on the Iron Range.
While the tournament may mark a step up in competition for the Wolves, it pales in comparison to what’s coming up later in the month.
For the third straight year, the Wolves will compete in the Class A Showcase at Burnsville, an invitation-only event that features most of the state’s best Class A teams - including much of last year’s state tournament field.
That event is Sept. 20-21 and in 2023, Ely’s only regular season defeats came at the Showcase.
• Senior Lilli Rechichi had 13 kills and nine digs as the Wolves rolled past Littlefork-Big Falls to cap off the first day of school before a good-sized, enthusiastic home audience.
The Wolves were inconsistent at times, struggling midway through the second set before erupting late to regain control of the match.
The third set was no contest as after dropping the first point, Ely rattled off 20 of the next 23.
“We’ve just got to find our rhythm a little bit quicker,” said Wognum. “We are not in the groove yet and I think in time that will come but we’re just not there yet.”
Sophomore Gretta Lowe has moved into a setting role for the Wolves and she delivered 28 set assists in the win, while also notching six ace serves.
Junior Sadie Rechichi contributed another four aces for the winners and had three digs to go with them.
At the net, Ely once again displayed balance and a multi-pronged attack.
Audrey Kallberg delivered seven kills with Clare Thomas (five), Charlotte Hegman (four) and Lydia Shultz (three) following.
Kallberg also had seven digs and as a team Ely finished with 15 ace serves.
