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by Tom Coombe
Some first set turbulence was only temporary.
A late rally fueled by sophomore Audrey Kallberg helped the Ely Timberwolves get through that patchy air, and the high-flying high school volleyball team was at cruise altitude the rest of the way and claimed a third straight Section 7A title Saturday afternoon at Hermantown.
Kallberg recorded a match-high 18 kills, and senior all-stater Lilli Rechichi added 16 more in a 27-25, 25-15, 25-18 championship game sweep over the feisty Bigfork Huskies.
Ely ran its record to 28-3 and will move on to a Thursday state quarterfinal at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center. Seeding and pairings will be announced Sunday.
The Wolves’ third straight state tournament berth appeared to be in jeopardy, at least briefly, during the opening set.
Bigfork, which surprised many by moving on to the final with upset wins over North Woods and Floodwood, grabbed a 20-15 lead after falling behind 14-7.
Ely Head Coach Megan Wognum burned two timeouts during the run in an effort to calm the jittery Wolves.
“There was a lot of nerves today,” said Wognum. “And I think that kicked in right there and we saw Bigfork was ready to compete. But once we got into our rhythm it was a lot better.”
Kallberg helped turn the tide with a series of hits. The sophomore buried a kill to put the Wolves up 22-21, and the teams traded blows after that.
Ely was unable to finish things after grabbing a 24-22 edge, and it took another Kallberg kill, off a feed from setter Gretta Lowe, to give the Wolves a hard-fought win.
“She showed up today,” Wognum said of Kallberg. “When she and Gretta click they destroy. And we were understanding we had to place the ball and not just swing as hard as we can. It took us a while to figure that out.”
The tide seemed to shift as the second set began, as the Wolves jumped out to a 7-2 lead and maintained a narrow but comfortable lead throughout.
Ely found success feeding the ball to Rechichi, who found seams in the Bigfork defense.
“I think once we came out of the first set, we realized we can do this if we just take a breath and calm down,” said Wognum. “It was all up from there.”
The third set seemed almost anti-climactic, and the Wolves - and a loud throng of fans who made their way south on Highway 53 - could all but taste another section title.
Again, the Wolves were up early at 6-2 and never seemed threatened, even as Bigfork kept it close.
The Wolves took a 20-17 lead, then finished things off with five of the next six points.
Senior Clare Thomas added another seven kills as the Wolves again showed off their multifaceted offense. Sophomore Amelia Penke added three kills.
Lowe, who moved into the setting position early on in the season, distributed the ball well and wound up with 39 set assists.
Ely also found success at the serving line, with junior Sadie Rechichi contributing six of the team’s 13 aces - many in the opening set. She also recorded seven digs.
Lilli Rechichi led on defense with 10 digs while Peyton Huntington added six and Kallberg notched five to go with two solo blocks.
The win continued a remarkable run through the section for the Wolves, who haven’t lost to a 7A opponent since 2021 and haven’t lost at home since 2017.
Next comes the state tournament, and Ely will bring a collection of experience and first-timers to St. Paul.
“Some of these girls are experiencing it for the third time and some are experiencing it for the second or the first,” said Wognum, who has guided Ely to an 86-10 mark the last three seasons. “I think a mix of those girls will make a very successful team. They can carry each other.”
