East Grand Forks rolls past Menahga to start playoffs – Grand Forks Herald

EAST GRAND FORKS – In a game that lasted about an hour, East Grand Forks Senior High made quick work of visiting Menahga in the first round of the Minnesota Section 8AA tournament on Wednesday night.

However, the Green Wave expects their next round to be a much bigger fight.

No. 4 seed East Grand Forks defeated No. 13 Menahga 25-15, 25-16, 25-12, setting up a home quarterfinal showdown Friday with No. 5 Barnesville, a team that the Wave defeated in five sets in the regular season.

East Grand Forks hosts Barnesville at the Senior High gym on Friday at 7 p.m.

“We had to get first place,” Senior High coach Paula Devine said.

However, attention now turns to Barnesville.

The Wave has a seven-member senior class. The group reached the section championship as sophomores and the section semifinals as juniors.

“It’s really the experience that helps us a lot,” Green Wave senior hitter Ellie Marcot said. “We know what to expect and cannot underestimate any team. It helps to know what to expect in the tournament. They’re really tough. I think it will be a good game.”

Against Menahga, Marcot was the catalyst with 12 kills and 14 digs. Addison Kujawa added eight kills while McKaylee Fitzpatrick added six. Emma Marcot had three kills and dished out 34 assists.

“I think we played together,” Ellie Marcot said. “Everyone got kills, digs and put everything on the floor. When we play our game, we like to say we can beat anyone.”

An offensive evening led by Ellie Marcot, Kujawa and Fitzpatrick is nothing new for the Wave. The three hitters competed within 10 kills of each other this season.

“We’re pretty evenly matched,” Devine said of the three seniors. “These seniors have played in big games, so we need them to get stronger in the big games to come.”

Menahga was led by six kills from Kiana Skoog, while Grace Bakke and Taija Pinoniemi added five kills each.

Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald