APPLE VALLEY, Minn. -- Top-ranked Lakeville North cruised to three wins to get to the championship match of the Apple Valley Eagle Invitational.
It was in that championship match where the Panthers' 15-match winning streak came to an end as they finished second, following a 31-29, 25-19 loss to second-ranked Eagan.
North opened tournament play Friday with a pair of wins, downing No. 8 Hopkins, 25-22, 25-10, before turning away Chaska, 25-15, 25-16.
The Panthers then opened play, Saturday, with a 25-15, 25-18 win over Moorhead before falling in the title game.
#1AAA Lakeville North def. #8AAA Hopkins, 25-22, 25-10
The opening set saw eight lead changes and 12 tie scores but the final set saw North dominate from start to finish in downing Hopkins in straight sets.
The biggest lead of the opening set was when Hopkins too a 12-9 lead before the Panthers tied the score, with Tori Thompson recording back-to-back kills for points 11 and 12.
The Royals' final lead came at 22-21 before a Macy Winter kill, blocks by Thompson and Arianna Barrett, and Winter and Thompson, brought the frame to set point, where a Halle Wolfe service ace finished the job.
The second set saw North jump out to a 3-0 lead and the Panthers never looked back, using five- and six-point runs to open up the score before cruising to the 15-point win.
Elizabeth Juhnke had 12 kills to lead an attack which hit .323 on the night.
Wolfe had 15 digs to lead a Panther defense which recorded 37 total digs and a .964 serve reception percentage with just one error in 28 receptions attempts.
Halle Wolfe had 15 digs to lead North's defensive effort.
Amelia Wherland had two blocks and nine assists in North's win over Chaska.
#1AAA Lakeville North def. Chaska, 25-15, 25-16
North limited Chaska to just an .014 hitting percentage, using six blocks and 35 digs to defend against the Hawks.
Amelia Wherland, who had nine assists, and Tori Thompson, who had six kills in 12 attempts without an error, both had a solo block and a block assist to lead the Panthers.
The opening set saw a pair of lead changes early but Thompson's two blocks came in a three-point span and Arianna Barrett's kill gave North a 7-6 lead which it would not relinquish, using a seven-point run behind Halle Wolfe's serve to finish the set on an 11-3 run.
The second set sat Chaska either ahead or tied until back-to-back kills by Elizabeth Juhnke turned a 9-8 deficit into a 10-9 Panther lead, setting off a five-point run and, with the Hawks remaining close, North went on a 5-0 run to take a 22-14 lead.
#1AAA Lakeville North def. Moorhead, 25-15, 25-18
North advanced to the Eagle Invitational's championship match with an impressive win over Moorhead, in which a number of players made contributions.
The Panthers trailed just once in the entire match, taking their first lead a 3-2 in the opening set in the middle of a 5-0 run, after which they would not trail.
Arianna Barrett hit .467 with nine kills to lead North's attack. Elizabeth Juhnke also had nine kills while also contributing eight digs and an ace.
Setters Amanda Burger, with 14 assists, and Amelia Wherland, with 10, set at a .436 clip and, in the back row, Halle Wolfe had nine digs and she and Juhnke combined for 26 serve receptions in with just one error.
Arianna Barrett had nine kills and hit .467 to help lead North to the title game.
Elizabeth Juhnke had a match-high 14 kills while adding two assists.
#2AAA Eagan def. #1AAA Lakeville North, 31-29, 25-19
It took seven set points before Eagan finally finished the opening frame but the Wildcats took off from their to claim the Eagle Invitational title.
North had two set points in the first set but were thwarted in both attempts to get off to a 1-0 start.
Elizabeth Johnke had eight kills and Macy Winter seven in the opening frame.
The second set saw just three lead changes but, tied at 17-17, Eagan finished the match on an 8-2 run to claim the title.
Juhnke finished with 14 kills and a .393 hitting percentage to go with a pair of assists and five digs. Eagan also served at Juhnke on 30 of 54 serves and she passed 28 of those 30 serves successfully.
The second-place finish was the second tournament championship appearance for North, which claimed the title of the Southwest Minnesota Challenge earlier this month.
Next up for the Panthers is a return to South Suburban Conference play at sixth ranked Shakopee, Tuesday, at 7 p.m., before returning home, Thursday, to face third-ranked Lakeville South.
