Prep Volleyball: Raiders Advance to State Tournament, Rails Fall in Section Final

Both Greenway and North Branch won in straight sets to advance to the state tournament.

CLOQUET, Minn. – Cloquet Middle School was home to the section 7A and 7AA volleyball finals on Saturday, where Greenway and North Branch picked up sweeps to advance to state.

For Greenway, it was their first time back in section 7A in over a decade, and they made quick work of the defending section champions Carlton, 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-19) to get back to the Class A state tournament for the first time 2001. Claire Vekich finished with 27 kills while Bri Miller was next for the Raiders with nine. For Carlton, Brynne Mickle had 33 assists, while Abby Mickle had 10 kills and Taylor Nelson had nine.

In section 7AA, North Branch continued its dominate run, as the defending Class AA state champions and 2017 runner-ups swept Proctor 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-23).

Cianna Selbitschka led the way with 16 kills for the Vikings, while Sam Pogatchnik had 12 kills and Payton Rodberg had 10 for the Rails.