Tracy Blood laughs when she says she has been crazy busy, but it is the kind of laugh that comes from someone who has learned to sprint through her days. She works full-time, she coaches volleyball, and she and her husband host a steady rotation of four grandchildren who are all three and under. Their house has a dedicated toy room that rivals anything the kids have at home. Birthdays, dinners, drop-ins, three-times-a-week visits. It is a lively place, and she would not trade any of it.
Even on a night when practice ran longer than planned because warm-up jackets arrived and caused twenty minutes of trying things on, swapping sizes, and general chaos, she still had time to sit down and talk volleyball. She may be busy, but she always has time to brag about the girls who make up the Silver Bay Mariner volleyball team.
Last year’s roster leaned heavily on three seniors who played major roles. This fall brought a different lineup, different positions, and different responsibilities.
“It’s kind of been a reset season,” said Blood.
The coach entered this year wondering how she would fill those roles. She did not know if it would take one player per position or a combination of girls. What she found instead was a team that adapted faster than she expected.
“They are one of the best teams that I’ve had that has been able to adapt to change, especially change on the fly,” Blood said.
That adaptability showed up immediately. In the Moose Lake match just last week, she made changes in the middle of sets, shifting hitters, adjusting blocking assignments, and moving girls into new spots with no warning.
“Whatever I asked, they did it and they did it like champs,” Blood said.
Silver Bay lost in five, but the performance left her proud. Two nights later, the Mariners beat South Ridge in five at home, again adjusting mid-match and again responding with calm execution.
The Marshall tournament reinforced the same theme. Silver Bay battled Two Harbors to three sets in the opener, a meaningful step forward after losing to them 3-0 in the season opener. The Mariners beat Cook County in two, came out a little flat in the afternoon, lost to Marshall, then regrouped to beat Fond du Lac. They advanced, beat Marshall in three, and finished second overall after another three-set battle with Two Harbors.
Silver Bay is running a 6-2 this year, something Blood has wanted to try for a long time. It gives her six hitters on the floor and lets her blend the strength of her seniors with the eager athleticism of her younger players.
“We get 6 hitters on the floor,” Blood said. “So, we always have a front row of three attackers.”
It also lets her bring younger players into varsity roles earlier than they might have otherwise.
“Next year I’ll have girls that are going to have seasoned experience on varsity,” Blood said, which will be crucial when the team has such strong seniors this year.
Senior captain Callie Ernest, a four-year varsity starter, brings calmness to every rotation. Blood calls her level-headed, poised, and praised the stability she shows in her roles.
“She has been playing so consistent on every level,” Blood said. “Serving, passing, hitting, just overall.”
Senior Berkley Hoff brings a different kind of energy. She is one of the tallest players on the roster and has a strong hockey background that shows up in her grit. Blood calls her fearless. She started the season on the outside and proved she could hit from there, but the team missed her blocking presence in the middle. When Blood moved her back, Hoff immediately delivered big blocks and became an enforcer at the net again.
Senior Lilly Ernest is the libero who never stops moving. Blood describes her as relentless and explosive, the kind of player who sets a personal goal to not let a ball hit the floor.
“Her body’s flying in that direction,” Blood said. “Always looking to scoop up any ball that comes her way!”
Two more seniors, Addison Velcheff and Mikaela Lindgren, bring enthusiasm and experience. Both have been long-time volleyball players who show up every day ready to work.
The underclassmen are equally important to the team’s identity. Sophomore Kinley Nelson is one of the most athletic players in the program. Blood calls her an absolute freak athlete with a ceiling that is incredibly high.
“Physically, she can jump out of the gym,” Blood said. “Right now, we are working on building her consistency, but her raw potential is terrifying for opponents.”
Junior Aiyana Lee is built to dominate the net. She played varsity last year and continues to grow into a major presence in the front row.
“Her potential is absolutely through the roof,” said Blood.
Junior Madilyn Peterson plays all the way around and has quietly become one of the most improved players on the team. She spent the winter playing in an adult league in Duluth, balancing volleyball with hockey, and came into the season determined to earn a full-rotation role.
“She set a goal for herself and she definitely accomplished it,” Blood said.
Sophomore Hadlee Rohloff is a first-time varsity player who alternates between middle and opposite. She is fine-tuning her blocking and hitting and has loads of potential as she moves into her upperclassman years.
The 6-2 relies on two setters who complement each other well. According to their coach, junior Emmalee Harrison is a returning starter who controls the team’s tempo while freshman Audrey Ernest is a scrappy, high-energy hustler who has already shown she belongs on the varsity floor.
Even the managers play a role in the team’s rhythm. Senior Stella Lapointe handles photography, electronics, filming, and anything else the team needs. She played volleyball as a freshman, switched sports, and returned this year because she missed being part of the program. Sophomore Charlee Ernest helps her run the bench and keep everything organized.
The program itself is smaller than it used to be. Blood started coaching in 2023 with more than fifty players in grades seven through twelve. This year there are twenty-three. Class sizes have shifted, and some grades have more boys than girls. The junior high team did not have enough numbers to form this fall, but the C-squad is still active, made up mostly of seventh and eighth graders with a few freshmen and one sophomore who is playing volleyball for the first time.
The future pipeline is beginning to rebuild. The elementary program combined fourth, fifth, and sixth graders this year and already has about ten players.
Blood knows she will feel the loss of her seniors when the season ends. They have been with her since she started coaching. They are multi-sport athletes, leaders, and examples for the younger girls.
“It’s going to be very different next year to not have them on the floor,” Blood said. “They’re going to create a lot of voids next year.”
The schedule ahead is busy. Silver Bay travels to Cherry, hosts Cromwell for parents night, heads to Cook County and Floodwood, then enters homecoming week with another Cook County match on October 1.
“I feel like before you blink an eye, the season’s gonna be over again,” Blood said.
For now, she is focused on the day-by-day progression that has become her coaching philosophy.
“We try to tweak something a little bit more every single day,” Blood said. “We want to blend this group so seamlessly that by the time playoffs arrive, you won’t be able to tell who a freshman is and who is a senior.”
It is a busy season for Blood, just like everything else in her life. But when she talks about this team, she does not sound tired. She sounds proud and very excited for what is still ahead.
