Photo by Samantha Davis. Minneota's Sarah Gruenes (6) and Nevaeh Hennen (middle) celebrates at match point in the third set in the sweep over Ely in the Class A state quarterfinals on Thursday night at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

ST. PAUL — In a return back to the Class A state tournament after missing the mark last season, the second-seeded Minneota volleyball team picked up a resilient quarterfinal win over No. 7 Ely in three sets by scores of 25-17, 25-20 and 25-16 through a night of runs at the Xcel Energy Center Thursday evening in St. Paul.

“We’ve just all been kind of anxious to get out there and see what it’s like to play on this big floor,” junior Abigail Rolbiecki said, sitting alongside seniors Nevaeh Hennen and Elivia Faris. “Us three have been here before [on the 2022 state champion team]. We have a lot of young new girls, and it was really fun to take them out there and experience what we’ve been working for this whole year.”

Both teams entered the match with state competition experience and a desire to prove its program’s caliber for different reasons. Minneota came off a 7-game winning streak, with a 24-10 record and is looking to repeat its 2022 championship run.

“When you come here for so many years and you experience it all, it’s like one of the best feelings ever,” Faris said. “So, you drive to work your butt off and get here.”

Ely on the other hand, who came in with a 27-3 record and winning its last 14 straight matches, has been in the tournament for three consecutive seasons and was competing for its first quarterfinal victory.

“I think our defense has come a really long way in the last month and a half. The way that we played tonight was phenomenal,” Ely head coach Megan Wognum said. “There are a few things that we could probably button up a little bit offensively, but I was so impressed.”

The Timberwolves had 51 team digs on the night, compared to the Vikings 48.

Minneota’s offensive effort challenged Ely throughout the match. The Vikings had a .228 hitting percentage on the night with 42 total assists, and limited the Timberwolves to a .096 hitting mark with just 29 assists.

“I think offensively, our setters did a really good job of opening things up for our pinhitters,” Minneota head coach Hayley Fruin said. “We got our middles going. Sarah [Gruenes] and Leah [Coequyt] had a great night blocking, but also swinging. That opened things up for both pin-hitters, or outsides and our right sides.”

Minneota attempted to grab control early capitalizing on Ely errors with a 5-0 start in the first set, behind four Timberwolves attacking errors and a kill from Faris.

Faris led all players with 16 kills, in addition to 22 assists from Libby Sussner followed by Hennen with another 17.

But, Ely was able to clean up its mistakes quickly and halted Minneota from progressing its run further.

Minneota held just a 2-point advantage at 15-13 following three consecutive Ely points, before going on a 4-0 run to extend its lead to 21-14.

Faris served an ace, Coequyt hit a kill and Ely had a pair of attacking errors before Wognum called a timeout.

The Vikings grabbed its final two points from a Gruenes and Faris kill.

Gruenes had eight kills and a team-high three blocks.

The difference maker in the first set was errors. Between receiving, serving and attacking, Ely had 13 total mistakes, compared to Minneota’s four.

“We were hitting into a bigger block. We’re not used to seeing that in our section,” Wognum said. “It was really good for us to be able to manipulate that a little bit more, but it took us a little bit to catch on.”

Ely came out more competitive in the second and jumped to a 7-3 lead, which Minneota responded on a 4-0 run to immediately tie it up with an Eden Meagher ace, Jaylyn Coequyt kill and two Timberwolves attacking errors.

The set continued to be close, each team going point-for-point and maintaining nearly the same hitting percentage.

“I think we lacked a little energy set,” Fruin said. “We came out fired up and ready to go, and Ely regrouped, credit to them. They were digging us defensively, and they were scrappy.”

Minneota was eventually able to break away with another 5-0 run after being tied at 20 to secure set two with a pair of kills from Faris, an Ely attacking error and a kill each from Natalie Ratajczak and Sussner.

“We knew that they were going to come out a little bit more fired up that second set, since we took that first one away from them,” Rolbiecki said. “I think we just needed to put that together ourselves and find a way to really pull through that second set and come together.”

With one set closer to being semifinal bound, Minneota’s offense kept its rhythm to secure the victory.

The Vikings went on a 7-0 run, six of which came from kills alone, in effort to create a 15-10 advantage.

But, Ely responded with a 4-1 run through kills to trail by just a point at 16-15, putting pressure on Minneota.

Rolbiecki led the Vikings with 16 digs, followed by Meagher with eight.

Three kills from Jaylyn and another from Meagher along with a service ace helped put Minneota right back on top with a 21-15 lead.

At match point, Minneota officially punched its ticket to the next round with another kill from Jaylyn, who finished with eight and a game-high .421 hitting percentage.

“I was just very excited to get back and be able to play in this atmosphere,” Faris said. “It is so fun.”

Minneota will next advance to the semifinals and take on No. 6 Fillmore Central on Court 2 at the Xcel Energy Center with a quick turnaround today at 3 p.m. Fillmore Central upset No. 3 New Life of Academy Woodbury Thursday evening in five sets.