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Ely’s volleyball team powered its way to a third straight section title this fall, and earned a third straight state tournament berth as a result, with senior Clare Thomas playing a pivotal role.
It turns out that both Thomas and her teammates are high achievers in the classroom as well as on the court.
Thomas, a standout hitter for the Timberwolves, has been named to the All-State Academic Team, as recognized by the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association.
The Timberwolves also have landed a MVCA award, and a prestigious one at that.
Ely has won a MVCA Academic Gold Achievement Award, which goes to teams with a 3.75 team grade point average or higher.
According to MVCA guidelines, team GPAs are calculated using the 10-highest cumulative and non-weighted GPAs on a team’s section playoff roster.
Thomas gained all-state academic individual honors by maintaining at least a 3.80 grade point average over the course of her high school volleyball career. Only seniors who are on their respective team’s playoff roster are eligible for the award.
The academic recognition comes on the heels of a huge year on the court for Thomas, who was also named to both the All-Arrowhead and All-Iron Range Conference teams.
The outside hitter was third on the team with 189 kills and finished with 53 ace serves to go with 189 digs.
Ely went 28-5 this year on the way to winning Arrowhead, IRC and Section 7A titles.
