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Lakeville North notches big victory at South Suburban rival Prior Lake

By Dominic Davis, SportsEngine, 09/14/17, 10:30PM CDT

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Elizabeth Juhnke's nine kills paced the Panthers, who remained undefeated after sinking the Lakers.


Lakeville North junior Tori Thompson tips the ball over two Prior Lake defenders Thursday night in Prior Lake. The Panthers defeated the Lakers 3-1. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

Lakeville North volleyball defended its unbeaten record with a 25-16, 24-26, 25-15, 25-14 win at Prior Lake on Thursday.

The Panthers, ranked No. 2 in the Class 3A coaches' poll, were led by Elizabeth Juhnke’s nine kills and two blocks.

Lakeville North coach Jackie Richter said Juhnke is a big part in pushing the team forward on its impressive run of 11 consecutive match victories.

“She’s committing to our game plan, she’s hitting with range, and she’s just trying to be very purposeful with everything she’s doing,” Richter said.

She had 122 kills in her first 10 matches this year, which is tied for the sixth most in the state.

Richter said the Panthers have good players who are showing growth in their respective games, and many helped run the show against the No. 5-3A Lakers.

Amelia Wherland provided nine assists and Amanda Burger had eight in the match.

Lakeville North was dominant in three of the four sets, including the third and fourth where the Panthers took 9-2 leads en route to double-digit wins.

The squad showed up on the defensive end as well. It didn’t allow Prior Lake (7-4) to get any easy points despite dropping the second set in a tight battle.

The Lakers appeared to turn things around after losing the first set, taking the contest to 24-24 before Prior Lake won the final three points on blocks by Kayla Bair and Emma Brostrom.

Richter said her team needed a reminder of its identity to get back on track after losing the second set. So she showed her team its stats and talked about how players' decisions led to the loss, giving the girls a clear sense of what they need to do to get back to winning.

“We just went back to emphasizing how Lakeville North plays,” Richter said.

It worked, as the Panthers won the next two games 25-15 and 25-14 while Prior Lake struggled to Lakeville North's rhythm.

“I thought (the Panthers) passed really, really well, so they handled a lot of our serves,” Prior Lake coach Mike Dean said. “We were trying to make sure we were setting our block up well.”

They found success at the end of the second set, but couldn't carry it over into the following sets, Dean said.

A bright spot for Prior Lake was CC McGraw, who is working her way back from an injury. She produced 13 assists for the Lakers.

“We had her setting for the first three [games], it’s a position that she’s still learning,” Dean said. “The improvement that she made from our previous game to this game was really, really good.”


Lakeville North junior Elizabeth Juhnke goes for the kill against Prior Lake on Thursday night. The Panthers defeated the Lakers 3-1 at Prior Lake High School. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

First Report

Elizabeth Juhnke led Lakeville North to a 25-16, 24-26, 25-15, 25-14 victory at South Suburban Conference rival Prior Lake on Thursday night in a match between teams ranked in the Class 3A coaches' poll.

The No. 2-ranked Panthers kept their undefeated record intact with the 3-1 win, one in which Juhnke stepped up to give her side the advantage.

The junior outside hitter finished with nine kills and two blocks to help Lakeville North control the match and keep the No. 5 Lakers (7-4) from getting back in it after dropping the second set.

Prior Lake made three blocks the last three rallies to take Set 2, but the Lakers couldn't maintain the momentum.

The Panthers started Set 3 strong, staking a 9-2 lead before closing out the victory 25-15. They dominated in the fourth set, winning 25-14 to improve to 10-0 on the season.

CC McGraw, who is back on the floor after being sidelined by an ankle injury, had 13 assists for Prior Lake.


Prior Lake senior CC McGraw sets the ball for an assist against Lakeville North Thursday night in Prior Lake. The Lakers fell to the Panthers in four sets. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

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