Volleyball Playoffs: Agates Advance After Acing Aitkin and Grounding Greenway

It’s been a cra­zy couple of weeks,” Coach Carley Challen­der wrote in an email. While “crazy” sums it up well, anyone fol­lowing the Two Har­bors volleyball season knows it’s no surprise that the Agates are dominating their first rounds of playoffs.

The Agates faced Aitkin on Wednes­day, October 23, in the Class 2A, Section 7 North Subsection Quarterfinal. They swept the Gobblers in straight sets. The first set made it clear who was in charge, ending with a commanding 25-9 score. Aitkin put up more of a fight in the next two sets, but Two Harbors sealed the victory 25-23 and 25-21.

The win advanced the Agates to the Class 2A, Section 7 Quar­terfinal, which they hosted on Friday, Oc­tober 25, welcoming Greenway to their home court. The Raid­ers gave them a battle, forcing the match to four sets. Two Harbors edged out a 25-23 win in the first set, but Gre­enway responded with a 25-18 victory in the second. The Agates bounced back with a 25-19 win in the third, and in a thrilling fourth set, they clinched the match 25-21.

With these addi­tional home wins, the Agates maintained their undefeated home-season record and advanced with a 23-4 overall standing. Equally exciting, this marks the first time since 1998 that Two Harbors volleyball has reached the semi­finals.

“I think for a long time we’ve been thought to be an ‘easy win’ in our confer­ence and section and just the small school district up the shore. It’s been so surreal to coach a team that is willing to take their individual talents and use them for the bet­terment of the team,” said Challender.

The Agates now pre­pare to head to Her­mantown, where they will face the Rush City Tigers in the Class 2A, Section 7 South Sub­section Championship on Wednesday, Octo­ber 30.

We’ll report the outcome in our next edition, but no matter the result, these young athletes have a lot to be proud of this sea­son.

“Our girls have a lot to celebrate and a lot to be proud of, and we’re excited we get to share this accom­plishment with our community. We’ve been an underdog all season, and going into the semifinals, being an underdog is a great place to be,” Challen­der said.

The Silver Bay Mar­iner volleyball season was cut short by South Ridge on October 23rd at the Class 1A, Sec­tion 7 South Subsec­tion Quarterfinal. The Cook County Vikings unfortunately fell to Cromwell-Wright in 3 sets, also on October 23rd.