The luxury of having a deep and talented lineup is not lost on Lakeville North coach Walt Weaver, considered a legend in volleyball coaching circles. In the wake of the Panthers’ convincing 25-16, 25-22, 25-14 victory over Anoka in the Class 3A quarterfinals, Weaver rejected the notion that the Panthers’ biggest worry can be complacency.

“No,” he said succinctly when asked if he ever worried about his 30-1 team getting too comfortable.

Then he backtracked a bit. “That’s the way these girls play. I’m not worried about them. They might not have been as polished on some things as they could have been, but that’s just the way they are. They have a composure about them.”

The Panthers’ past successes, said senior middle hitter Haley Walker, contribute to their current mindset. They know what’s needed, it’s simply a matter of execution.

“We have so many good players,” she said. “Walt doesn’t really need talk to us about what we do wrong. It’s just about taking things point-by-point. All he tells us is to worry about the next point. We know what we have to do.”

JIM PAULSEN