Volleyball: East Grand Forks Advances After Five-Set Victory

East Grand Forks volleyball advanced to the Section 8AA tournament semifinals with a five-set win over Wadena-Deer Creek on Friday night.

The match at Senior High gym featured persistent scoring rallies where leads changed frequently. Wadena-Deer Creek hitter Payton Gravelle recorded 34 kills, but East Grand Forks relied on consistent defense to take the sets 25-16, 25-21, and 15-13. The Green Wave will next play Thief River Falls on Wednesday.

Head coach Paula Devine acknowledged the strength of the opposing team. "We knew Gravelle was an unbelievable player who has had a great career. We just had to wear her down and I think we did in the end," Devine said. The coaching staff emphasized that defensive consistency was the primary factor in the victory.

Key defensive plays decided the close sets. Libero Kelsey Spilde recorded critical digs against Gravelle and Greta Van Batavia late in the third and fifth sets. In the third set, Spilde dug a hot shot, allowing Hayden Berg to set the ball for Lanee Hams, who finished the point to give East Grand Forks a 25-21 lead. In the final point of the match, Sydney McDonald put the Green Wave ahead 14-13. Brooke Hecht and CoCo Williams then blocked the Wolverines' final attempt to seal the 15-13 win.

Blocking was a central part of East Grand Forks' strategy. Hams recorded eight blocks, while Camille Julien and CoCo Williams each recorded five. The team blocked 21 total attempts from Wadena-Deer Creek. Hams noted the challenge of facing strong hitters. "It was definitely something that I had to adjust to. They are really good hitters and I thought the few digs that got up were really good," Hams said.

Scoring was distributed among several players. Hams, McDonald, and Julien combined for 45 kills. McDonald also recorded two service aces. In the fourth set, East Grand Forks tied the score 17-17 after a 6-1 run, but Celia Rinio helped lead an 8-3 run for Wadena-Deer Creek to force a deciding set. Rinio finished with 18 kills for the Wolverines.

Sydney McDonald credited the team's ability to convert defensive plays into kills. "We knew coming into this game that the middles and outsides were going to try and kill us but when we got those good digs, we utilized them and got the kill almost every time," McDonald said. East Grand Forks lost to Thief River Falls in the regular season, and the two teams will meet again in the semifinal round.