Wadena-Deer Creek rallies past Park Rapids to reach second round

The No. 6-seeded Wadena-Deer Creek Wolverines held off a late surge from the No. 11-seeded Park Rapids Panthers to win 3-1 on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The match went to a fifth set, where the Wolverines took control to secure their spot in the Section 8-2A second round.

Payton Gravelle led the Wadena-Deer Creek offense with 15 kills and 14 blocks. Karlee Sweere distributed the ball with 39 assists and added four ace serves. Celia Rinio contributed nine kills and eight blocks, while Ava Hall recorded 10 kills and eight blocks of her own.

Park Rapids competed in the third set, winning it 25-23. The Wolverines responded in the fourth set, closing it out 25-11 to end the game. The final score was 25-22, 25-15, 23-25, 25-11.

Wadena-Deer Creek finishes the regular season with an 18-9 record. The team will play at East Grand Forks at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30.

In a separate Section 7-2A quarterfinal, the top-seeded Proctor Rails defeated the No. 4-seeded Crosby-Ironton Rangers 3-1. Veronica Millsop posted 13 kills for the Rangers, who ended their season with a 17-8 record.