On Thursday the Ely volleyball team saw their state championship aspirations come to an end in the Class A quarterfinals falling 3-0 to Mayer Lutheran at the Xcel Energy Center.

The Timberwolves were making their program’s second straight, and second-ever, state tournament appearance.

The first set was close as Ely fell 25-23. They dropped set two 25-13, then set three 25-16.

Next Ely (23-6) will face Badger/Greenbush-Middle River in the consolation semifinals Friday at 3 p.m. back in St. Paul. For the full bracket, Click Here.

Click the video box below to hear from Ely head coach Megan Wognum and senior Hannah Penke prior to their match Thursday.

“We have a lot of young girls too, so that’s fun to bring them. We have quite a few girls that haven’t been here before, but we also have half of our starters who have all been here. So it’s fun for us to come back and kind of know what to expect,” Penke said, an outside hitter for Ely.

“We are ready. We are just here to make a mark. Last year was kind of one of those situations where everyone’s going, ‘Oh, where’s Ely? Where is that? Why are they here?’ And now it’s finally fun to say, we’re back. We’re here to compete,” Wognum said.