The Two Harbors Agates took on the Silver Bay Mariners last week, playing in front of a large audience at Two harbors High School last week. As it was “Parent & Influential Person Night,” for Two Harbors, many fans were there to be recognized for supporting their favorite player. But as much maroon and white cheered on their team, there was plenty of Mariner blue in the stands.
Differing from the last game I attended, the high school fans for the Agates changed their garb from cowboys and cowgirls to hockey players, football, and other sport uniforms. Their enthusiasm definitely remained the same. They make for great cheerleaders.
I missed the first set that ended in a score of 25-17, Two Harbors. When I joined the crowd during the early part of the second set, the Agates were ahead. However, very quickly, the Mariners were able to tie it up at 8-8. The score volleyed just like the volleyball, with one team scoring then other one tying it up. Brooklyn Nelson faked a set and the ball went over the net before the Mariners were ready for it, scoring a sneaky little point. This is when the Agates started to pull further ahead.
Rachel Bopp, a Two Harbors Junior, sent over a serve that the Mariners mistakenly thought would be out, bringing the score to 21-17. From there, the Mariners were a bit thrown off. Shortly after what a Mariner fan near me loudy debated as an iffy call, the Agates took the second set with a very similar score to the first, 25-18.
Two Harbors took the third set as well, taking the win. The Mariners couldn’t catch up to the Agates who quickly pulled ahead and ended the night with a 25-13 win. Rachel Bopp had a particularly great set kill after kill. She would have 11 over the night along with 8 digs, and 3 aces served.
Her teammates were also on point. Brooklyn Nelson, a sophomore, racked up 23 set assists and Harper Powell, a senior, matched Rachel’s number of kills at 11. Sophomore Delaney Nelson had a great night, as well, with 8 digs and 3 aces served.
“It’s a great day to be an Agate!” Coach Carley Challender said in an email. “We’re proud of how scrappy our girls played and the energy both teams brought to the court.”
Indeed, both teams played with passion and their parents, influential persons, and fans matched that passion with admiration.
The previous night, Two Harbors had taken, what Coach Carley Challender called a “hard loss” against Mesabi East on home court. She added that the team is still proud of how the girls chose to work together. “Mesabi East is a very smart team, and our girls were able to get tough hits and down balls up to make smart plays and put it back in their side of the court,” she said.
The stats were still impressive. Harper Powell had 15 digs and 5 blocks. Rachel Bopp served 2 aces, had 16 digs, 2 kills, and 3 blocks. Delaney Nelson had 4 blocks and 9 digs and Kendal Radle, a senior, had 2 blocks and 11 digs.
The Agates took second place at the 2023 Hilltop Tournament early this month, beating out Silver Bay and Cook County to play Duluth-Marshall for the championship.
Good luck in the games ahead to both the Agates and the Mariners!
Feel free to contact me at sarahwritesnsj@yahoo.com with any news we should news about!
