LAKEVILLE, Minn. -- Lakeville North dropped just one set in winning all five of its matches to claim the title of the Panthers' Bachman Invitational.
They capped their second tournament title of the season with by defeating Lakeville South for the third time in 2017, and the second time in a title match, having defeated the Cougars for the Southwest Minnesota Challenge, Sept. 10.
Second-ranked North has now won seven matches in a row as it heads into the final week of the regular season.
#2AAA Lakeville North def. #8AA Hill-Murray, 25-20, 25-17
North had just about everything going in knocking off Hill-Murray, hitting .352, setting at a .451 clip, serving .959 and receiving serve at .941.
Still, the Panthers had a tough time shaking the Pioneers but still came away with a two-set win.
Elizabeth Juhnke had 11 kills and nine digs while Kennedy Brady also had 11 kills to account for 22 of North's 33 kills.
Amanda Burger, who had seven digs, and Amelia Wherland each had 14 assists.
In the back row, four players had at least seven digs with Macy Winter adding nine digs and Halle Wolfe chipped in with eight.
Elizabeth Juhnke had match highs with 11 kills and nine digs.
Amelia Wherland recorded 15 assists and set .625 for the match.
#2AAA Lakeville North def. Cretin-Derham Hall, 25-11, 25-14
Lakeville North trailed just once, falling behind 2-0 in the second set, en route to a 38-minute, two-set win over Cretin-Derham Hall.
The Panthers took a quick 4-0 lead in the opening set, helped by back-to-back service aces by Amanda Burger and the Raiders would never get closer than three points the rest of the way.
North's setting numbers were spectacular as Amelia Wherland had 15 of her 24 set attempts put away for kills and, with Amanda Burger adding 13 assists, the team had a .526 setting percentage.
Five players recorded at least four digs with Macy Winter's nine leading the way, while Amanda Burger and Elizabeth Juhnke each contributing five.
Juhnke led the team with 10 kills and hit .438 while Tori Thompson hit .545 with seven kills.
#2AAA Lakeville North def. Eden Prairie, 25-16, 25-10
Macy Winter was nearly perfect hitting, converting 11 of 16 attempts for kills with an error, and Lakeville North needed just 35 minutes to cruise past Eden Prairie in two sets.
The Panthers hit .396 in the match due in large part to Winters' efforts. Elizabeth Juhnke added nine kills and hit .438 in a match in which the hosts never trailed and were tied just once.
North was tough up front defensively as well, record seven total blocks with Kennedy Brady leading the way with five while Arianna Barrett added four.
Both Panther setters were over .500 as Amanda Burger had 15 of 29 set attempts result in kills with Amelia Wherland going 7-for-12.
Macy Winter hit a career best .688 with 11 kills in 16 attempts.
Halle Wolfe received 15 serves without and error, had 13 digs, an ace and three assists.
#2AAA Lakeville North def. #2AA Marshall, 25-17, 25-16
Lakeville North won its sixth consecutive match, including four in the Bachman Invitational, in straight sets by making quick work of Marshall in a 38-minute match.
The opening set saw the teams tied on seven occasions while trading the lead four times but, after a seven-point turned a 9-8 first-set deficit turn into a 15-9 lead and the Panthers never trailed again.
Halle Wolfe anchored an outstanding effort by North's defense as she had 13 digs and received 15 serves without an error. She also chipped in with three assists and an ace.
The Panthers had six total blocks with Kennedy Brady recording three block assists while Arianna Barrett had a solo block and two assists.
Up front, it was Elizabeth Juhnke who, for the fourth time in five matches, top the .400 mark in hitting as she had 11 kills and a .474 hitting percentage. She also added nine digs, two aces and a block assist.
Macy Winter chipped in with nine kills and a .375 hitting percentage.
#2AAA Lakeville North def. #3AAA Lakeville South, 25-19, 21-25, 15-11
Arianna Barrett had one of her best matches of the season as she had 11 kills and five block assists to help lead Lakeville North past Lakeville South.
All three sets saw the Panthers trailing early before mounting comebacks.
The Panthers overcame a 14-12 deficit in the opening set with a five-point run to lead 17-14 and, after calling a timeout when the Cougars made it 23-19, Tori Thompson record a kill and team with Barrett for a block on the final two points of the set.
The second set saw South take a 4-0 lead which they would extend to an eight-point lead at 9-1 before North put its game back together. However, it was too little too late as they could not get an closer than three points.
The third and deciding set looked favorable for the Cougars early, as they took a 5-1.
The Panthers got a kill from Tori Thompson and, behind her serve, managed to tie the score at 8-8 but South would regain a two-point lead, at 11-9, but it was all North from that point.
Kennedy Brady record a kill to regain serve for the Panthers, trailing 11-10, and Elizabeth Juhnke served out the match, ending it with a service ace.
Juhnke had 10 kills, six digs and two blocks to help lead the way for North, which raised its record to 24-2 with the victory.
The Panthers finished with nine blocks, six of which came in the opening set. Brad led the way with two solo blocks and four block assists.
Arianna Barrett had 11 kills and five block assists to pace North in the championship match.
