Prep report: Wolverines win AA state tennis title again

Rock Ridge did it again on Wednesday, successfully repeating as Class AA team girls tennis state champions.

The Wolverines dominated Mahtomedi 6-1 in the championship match at Life Time Bloomington South after brushing aside Minneapolis Southwest and Northfield by the same score in the previous two rounds.

The Wolverines won the top three singles flights with relative ease led by senior No. 1 singles Mayme Scott, who rolled to a 6-0, 6-2 win over the Zephyrs’ Abby Manger. Freshman Ellie Dimberio was a 6-1, 6-0 winner at No. 2 and sophomore Alice Johnson prevailed 6-1, 6-4 at No. 3.

Rock Ridge swept the doubles flights, though both Emmi Peterson-Nina Paulsen at No. 1 and Kiri Milos-Erin Troutwine at No. 2 were pushed to a super tiebreaker after their Mahtomedi opposition won the second set.

Of the 10 players in Rock Ridge’s lineup, more than half were returnees from the 2025 title team, which won the state title as the No. 4 seed. This time, the Wolverines were the favorites.

Rock Ridge has the maximum four entries (two singles, two doubles) in the state individual tournament, which begins on Thursday.

Senior setter Ella Anderson reached the quadruple-digit club in career assists on Wednesday night, posting the 1,000th of her prep career on the last point of the first set of the Lumberjacks’ 25-20, 25-12, 25-15 sweep of Hermantown on Wednesday night, Oct. 28 in Cloquet.

Anderson finished with 24 assists for the match and stands at 1,017. Ava Maslowski and Skye Pender put up 10 kills apiece for fourth-seeded Cloquet, which will travel to Princeton for a semifinal match on Friday night after the Tigers cruised past Duluth Denfeld on Wednesday. Grand Rapids and North Branch will contest the other semi after sweeping Rock Ridge and Hibbing, respectively.

Maslowski was Cloquet’s dig leader with 16. Five others had at least seven.

Reagan Rodberg had a day for the books on Wednesday as the Rails swept Crosby-Ironton 25-18, 25-17, 26-24 in a Section 7AA quarterfinal, notching a 1,000th career kill, one of 17 on the night for the senior.

Rodberg is the second member of her family to reach the feat, as older sister Payton did so in 2021.

Savanna Verhel led Proctor with 12 digs to go with Reagan Rodberg’s 11, while Alexis Vogel added 13 kills.

Proctor advances to meet Rush City in the later of two 7AA semifinals on Friday in Hermantown, with Esko and Mesabi East contesting the early match at 5:15 p.m. They swept Moose Lake/Willow River and Two Harbors, respectively.

The Bombers closed out the Raptors on the second attempt in a Section 7A semifinal on Wednesday night, getting 17 kills and 10 digs from Hazle Rosenau.

Olivia Bigelow’s 22 digs led the Barnum defense, while setters Alaina Soukala and DeAhnna Nordstrom finished with 22 and 20 assists, respectively.

Barnum will face Ely in Friday’s 7A semifinals at Rock Ridge High School. The Timberwolves swept Mountain Iron-Buhl on Wednesday.

The other semifinal pits Chisholm, a 3-0 winner over North Woods on Wednesday, and Cromwell-Wright, which dismissed Floodwood in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

Rock Ridge 6, Minneapolis Southwest 1

Rock Ridge 6, Mahtomedi 1

Duluth East def. Cambridge-Isanti 3-2 (25-15, 22-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-8) (Mon.)

Princeton def. Duluth Denfeld 3-0 (25-5, 25-4, 25-14)

Cloquet def. Hermantown 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-15)

North Branch def. Rock Ridge 3-0 (25-11, 25-13, 25-12)

Grand Rapids def. Hibbing 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-16)

Mesabi East def. Two Harbors 3-0 (25-11, 25-8, 25-20)

Esko def. Moose Lake/Willow River 3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-11)

Proctor def. Crosby-Ironton 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 26-24)

Cromwell-Wright def. Floodwood 3-0 (27-25, 25-14, 25-19)

Ely def. Mountain Iron-Buhl 3-0 (25-8, 25-16, 25-9)

Chisholm def. North Woods 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-7)

Barnum def. Carlton-Wrenshall 3-1 (25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 25-18)

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