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In a scheduling quirk, North Branch and Hermantown volleyball teams didn’t face each other in the regular season this year, but with their gaudy records and strong play throughout, it was only fitting that the two squads matched up in the Section 7AAA championship game on Thursday, October 31. 

Unfortunately for the Vikings, their opponents went home with the treats and North Branch was on the receiving end of the trick on Halloween night in Cloquet.

Hermantown opened with a close win in set one, and that’s probably what set the tone for the night. It went to extra points, but the Hawks won 26-24. They followed up with a dominating win in the second set, going up 2-0 after a 25-14 victory.

In the third set, North Branch came out on top of another razor thin game, winning 26-24 to get some momentum going for what they hoped would be a massive comeback.

But, in the fourth set, Hermantown finished the Vikings’ off, winning 25-19 and advancing to their first state tournament since 2016.

The Vikings fell just short of state again, ending their season with a 23-6 record.

The Hawks, who finished the year 24-5, were seeded eighth — the MSHSL recently changed their procedures to seed all eight teams at the state tournament instead of the top five and random draw the bottom three — and will take on undefeated top seed Delano in the first round of state.

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