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Volleyball fever returns Wolves make it to state for third year in a row and get warm sendoff
Move over, deer season.
Make room, Thanksgiving.
Thanks to the Ely Timberwolves, volleyball is getting to be a constant on the community’s November calendar.
Tuesday morning, the Wolves were first treated to a pep rally and sendoff complete with a police, ambulance and fire truck escort out of town - and they carried on to St. Paul.
That’s the site of this year’s state tournament, and the Xcel Center is getting to be a familiar venue for the Wolves and their boisterous fans.
After winning their third straight section title, Ely nabbed the number-seven seed in this year’s State Class A Tournament and was set to meet number-two Minneota Thursday night, after deadline.
Ely won a game at state in 2022 and brought home hardware as the consolation champions last fall, and the Wolves will take a 28-3 record into the tournament.
They’ll also go with the support of a community that has taken a fancy to volleyball the last several years.
“Every year is so different, as there are different players, so now it’s just a different group of supporters along with some same people from the community and school who come out and cheer for us,” said head coach Megan Wognum. “I’m excited to see that in St. Paul.”
Big Ely contingents were on hand both at a Oct. 30 Section 7A semifinal and last weekend’s section title matchup with Bigfork.
Tuesday’s pep rally included the middle and high school student body along with well-wishers from the community, as well as a pep talk from retired basketball coach and current St. Louis County Commissioner Paul McDonald.
A few in town lined the streets as the team’s chartered bus pulled out of Ely and went south, but not before a quick pit stop at Ely’s Historic State Theater and a photograph under the marquee.
All indications were that the Wolves would have a healthy cheering section in St. Paul, including family members, students and fans who will travel from Ely as well as alumni who live in or around the Twin Cities.
While it’s the third time in as many years that the Wolves have qualified for state, the familiarity has not done anything to dampen enthusiasm or interest.
“I definitely think there’s a buzz about volleyball,” said Wognum.
Minneota has the higher seed and is a perennial Class A powerhouse, but the Wolves put a scare into them in a September matchup at the Class A Showcase, a Burnsville event that brought most of the state’s top smallschool teams to one venue.
Ely also beat Fillmore Central, another state qualifier, at the Showcase and the Wolves went 2-3 in their five contests there.
Showcase defeats have been Ely’s only regular season losses the last two seasons, and the Wolves haven’t lost a game to a section opponent since 2021.
Their last loss on the home court in Ely came in October, 2017.
Wognum said both last year’s experience and the showcase may make this Ely team better prepared for the bright lights of the state tournament.
“I think they’re ready,” Wognum said before Thursday’s game. “We were at the Xcel Center Wednesday and watched some of the Class 3A games, and that allowed the girls to see the court and get a taste of the atmosphere. We competed with Minneota at the Showcase and were neck and neck with them for awhile. And we beat Fillmore which was really good but unfortunately they were seeded above us. Hopefully we can see them later in the tournament.
The Wolves attended the state tournament banquet Tuesday evening and practiced at a St. Paul school Wednesday before some downtime that included a team activity and taking in action in the Class 3A and 4A state tournament at the Xcel Center.
Win or lose, the Wolves were set to play again Friday, either against New Life Academy or Fillmore Central in the semifinals or consolation round.
The tournament runs through Saturday, with consolation, third-place and title games set for the Xcel Center.
Until 2022, no Ely volleyball team had ever played in the state tournament. In 2023, the Wolves not only defended the 7A crown, but won the consolation title at state.
Ely has reached the section finals in three straight years and continued a streak of consecutive section final four appearances that dates back to 2018.
The school district as a whole is in on the team spirit, with student body part of the pep rally and school officials deciding to dismiss school for the weekend after classes on Thursday- giving both students and staff the opportunity to go to St Paul.
