Out & About: Lakeville North/Eagan

#5 posting 11.3.2007
your daily dose of girls volleyball news & information

3AAA CHAMPIONSHIP
LAKEVILLE NORTH panthers 3, EAGAN wildcats 1
(25-17, 25-22, 15-25, 25-21)

#1 Lakeville North rallied in game four to close out a 3-1 win over Eagan. The Wildcats led 21-19 in the fourth when a tip kill by Brooke Lewko gave the side out back to LN. Taylor Fieldsted served out the game with Kelsey Brandl delivering four kills and one block for the final five points. Brandl had 21 kills on the night with 7 blocks. Amy Braun led LN with 24 kills.

Lakeville North established their domination early in game one with points off each of their first four servers. LN had three runs of three plus and lead 13-3. Eagan had to use a time out at 11-3. Braun had six kills in the run. LN also had their first ball side out game working with six straight fbso. LN delivered 10 of 13 fbso in game one. Brandl had the first three fbso with kills. Braun had three in this game too. Eagan missed four serves in this game, including point 25.

Again LN jumped out to a 4-0 and 12-4 lead in game two. It is hard to comeback when in a hole that deep, but Eagan kept chipping away. They soon got their own fbso game going in a major way with six straight fbso. Eagan went on a 14-6 run to tie it at 18. After the tie, Eagan's fbso disappeared. There were no major runs, but one point each server adds up. LN led 22-21 and had the serve, but a kill by Brooke Lewko gave the ball back to LN. Brandl put down a block to put LN on the verge. After an Eagan time out Katie Hofstad had a kill. Brandl ended a tight game two with a kill.

Eagan came out in game three and played lights out fbso ball. They were 13/14 for game three and had 11 straight to open the game. The biggest margin Eagan enjoyed was 21-11. LN took time outs at 9-5 and 17-10, but little slowed down the Eagan machine. It was the Eagan middles that stepped it up with Laurel Sanford putting up three blocks and putting down three kills. Kelsey Sparks had five kills and one block. With the win, momentum seemed to have shifted to the Wildcats.

Eagan rode the emotion to a 7-3 lead early in game four. However on Kelsey Brandl's serve LN tied it up with three more points. Eagan kept scrapping and LN never had the lead. A net hugging ace by Andrea Willems put the Wildcats up 14-10. A LN time out again shifted momentum. A side out plus three points off Lindsey Weaver's serve tied it up again at 14. Brandl had two blocks at points 13 and 14. Eagan led 18-15 with a 5-1 run. Sanford had two kills in the burst. Eagan maintained the lead all the way to 21-19. Then Lewko had the side out kill that never gave the ball back. Brandl put five straight points on the board and LN was off to the State tournament.

It is too bad that great teams have to clash in high school gyms and not under the lights of the Xcel Center. It is time for the best to play the best. Tonight two of the top four teams will be ousted in AAA. The state needs to figure out a way to seed the entire state. Sure there will be teams that may feel they didn't get the seed they deserve, of course there will be an occasional upset. But the best will be playing the best. You will drive up interest and the state will see classic matches.

photos: #1 Amy Braun, LN, going up in the back row for an attack; #2 Kelsey Brandl meets Laurel Sanford at the net. #3 The reaction of the kill by Brandl from the rest of the LN team. photos by kja

LAKEVILLE NORTH
1. Taylor Fieldstad, L 1-0-0-----1
1fr Brooke Lewko, MH 0-2.5-7----9.5
2 Lindsey Weaver, DS 0-0-0-----0
2 Christina Hanf, RH 0-0-0------0
3 Kayla Kirby, DS 0-0-0---0
3fr Kirsten Zeise, OH 0-0-2----2
4 Kelsey Brandl, MH 0-7-21----28
5 Leah Johnson, S 1-0.5-5----6.5
6 Amy Braun, OH 0-0-24----24
totals: 2-10-60----72 points, 18 points on Eagan errors

EAGAN
1 Kelsey Sparks, MH 0-2.5-10---12.5
1 Andrea Willems, Serve 1-0-0----1
2 Kristin Ammerman, S 0-0-2----2
3 Taylor Bohannon, DS 1-0-0-----1
3fr Katie Hofstad, OH 0-0-11----11
4 Leah Ehret, L 1-0-0----1
4fr Laurel Sanford, MH 0-7-11----18
5 Malia Paleafei, RS 0-0.5-3----3.5
6 Kelsey Ammerman, DS 0-0-0----0
6fr Taylor Gerr, OH 0-0-6----6
totals: 2-11-43----56 points, 28 points on LN errors

TRENCH PLAYER
Kelsey Brandl, 5 straight at the end puts her over the top

BY THE NUMBERS
team, fbso/att; fbso%; points; %earned; %allowed
Lakeville North 28/52; .538; 90; .800; .333
Eagan 33/52; .635; 84; .667; .200
3+runs: LN 10, Eagan 8
missed serves: Eagan 8, LN 4
Ace/error: LN .500; Eagan .250

ROTATIONS
LAKEVILLE NORTH
1. Taylor Fieldstad 22-17 .564
2. Lindsey Weaver 17-16 .515
3. Kayla Kirby 13-13 .500
4. Kelsey Brandl 14-12 .538
5. Leah Johnson 12-10 .545
6. Amy Braun 11-16 .407
totals: 90-84 .517
If you notice in Braun's rotation the #s drop. The one-two punch is not in the front row that rotation. Braun is the back row option in 6 and Brandl is on the bench.

EAGAN
1. Kelsey Sparks/Andrea Willems 17-20 .459
2. Kristin Ammerman 17-14 .548
3. Ehret/Kelsey Ammerman/Bohannon 12-14 .462
4. Bohannon/Ehret 12-12 .500
5. Malia Paleafei 10-11 .476
6. Kelsey Ammerman/Bohannon 17-19 .472
totals 84-90 .483
Eagan used the same kids, but had different lineups:
in 1: Sparks; Kristin Ammermann; Ehret; Bohannon; Paleafei; Kelsey Ammermann
in 2: Ehret and Bohannon switched Libero roles. Sparks; Kristin Ammermann; Kelsey Ammermann; Ehret; Paleafei; Bohannon
in 3: Sparks; Kristin Ammermann; Bohannon; Ehret; Palefei; Kelsey Ammermann
in 4: Willems (for Sparks); Kristin Ammermann; Bohannon; Ehret; Palefei; Kelsey Ammermann.

Next up: tomorrow morning