Go Lakers!!!!!

Surprised the team last night!  Start sections this week!  Go Lakers!!!!!

http://youtu.be/5iDhLSnBicE

Ended #2 in the conference.....now sections to advance to state championship

Ella Francis rose to the top of the all-time kills list for the Prior Lake volleyball program Oct. 22, but in a loss.

The No. 1-ranked Lakers dropped a five-setter at home to No. 5 Rosemount in South Suburban Conference play (25-21, 23-25, 21-25, 25-15, 17-15), ending the regular season with a 24-4 mark.

The loss also snapped the Lakers' 17-match winning streak, but it didn't prevent them from earning the No. 1 seed in Section 2AAA. The brackets came out Oct. 23 with third-ranked Eden Prairie (22-6) getting the No. 2 seed and sixth-ranked Chaska (17-6) earned the No. 3 spot. Hutchinson (25-3) is seeded No. 4.

The top-four seeds get byes in the first round, which is Oct. 28.

The Lakers will get the winner of eighth-seeded Waconia (10-18) and ninth-seeded New Prague (11-16) in the quarterfinals at home Oct. 30 at 5 p.m.

Eden Prairie faces the winner of seventh-seeded Shakopee (17-10) and 10th-seeded Chanhassen (12-16) in the quarterfinals, while Chaska gets the winner of sixth-seeded Minnetonka (18-11) and 11th-seeded Mankato West (12-11) and Hutchinson takes on the winner of fifth-seeded fifth-seeded Marshall (22-6) and 12th-seeded Mankato East (14-12).

The semifinals are Nov. 5 at the site of the higher seed. The title match is Nov. 7 at site to be determined at 6 p.m. For complete brackets, go to www.mshsl.org.

Last year, the Lakers lost to Chaska in three sets in the title match. The Hawks went on to win the Class 3A state crown.

Meanwhile, against Rosemount, Francis needed six kills to pass Lauren Viren (2000-2003) for No. 1 on the Lakers' all-time kills list and she got those after the first set, finishing with 21.

Viren finished her career with 894 kills. Francis went into the season No. 6 with 522 career kills, adding 388 in the regular season. Viren also holds the single-season record with 422 kills, so Francis is also closing in on that mark with 35 more to go.

In the loss to Rosemount, Prior Lake also had a streak of 15 straight wins by sweep snapped. The Lakers ended up 7-2 in the SSC, tied with Rosemount and fourth-ranked Lakeville South for second behind second-ranked Eagan (9-0).

Junior Ellie Veldman had 44 set assists in the loss. She needs 33 more to break the single-season record of 791 set by Kathryn Gaydos in 2009.

Sophomore CC McGraw had 26 digs, giving her 461 season. The single-season mark is 511 set by Brittany Leuthmers in 2014.

Junior Anna Martin had 11 kills against the Irish, while sophomore Maddy Bremer had eight. Sophomore Hannah Reis led at the service line with four ace serves, chipping in 11 digs. Senior Danielle Sorensen had nine digs, while Veldman had eight.

Bremer led in blocks with five, while junior Lauren Kiewiet had four and sophomore Kayla Bair had three.

To see more photos of the Lakers' match with Rosemount, go to Scoreboard's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1109748332383849.1073742542.197190936972931&type=3.

More information

Class 3A State Poll

1. Prior Lake, 2. Eagan, 3. Eden Prairie, 4. Lakeville South, 5. Rosemount, 6. Chaska, 7. Champlin Park, 8. Wayzata, 9. Moorhead, 10. Roseville

Another win for the lakers!!!

LAKER MASCOTS (AKA Michael and Buster)

Just another sweep for the top-ranked Prior Lake volleyball team.

The Lakers dominated No. 3 Lakeville South in a South Suburban Conference home match Oct. 13, winning 25-23, 25-17, 25-17 to earn its 16th straight victory.

Prior Lake (23-3 overall, 6-1 in the SSC) has won 14 of the those 16 matches by sweep, including its last 12.

The Lakers have just two matches left before they can start to focus on the Section 2AAA tournament. The Lakers are at Farmington Oct. 20 and home to No. 5 Rosemount Oct. 22. Both SSC competitions start at 7 p.m.

The Lakers trail No. 2 Eagan in the SSC standings by one game, while Rosemount is also 6-1.

Eagan beat the Lakers in four sets (25-22, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22) back on Sept. 15. Prior Lake hasn't lost since.

Prior Lake also avenged an earlier loss to Lakeville South. The Cougars beat the Lakers in title match at the Southwest Minnesota Challenge Sept. 12 in three sets (15-25, 25-23, 16-14).

In the rematch, senior Ella Francis led the way for the Lakers with 14 kills, giving her a team-best 350 on the season. She also added 10 digs.

Sophomore Kayla Bair added 10 kills and three blocks, while junior Anna Martin chipped in seven kills and sophomore Maddy Bremer had five.

Junior Ellie Veldman paced the offense with 34 setting assists, adding two blocks. Senior Danielle Sorensen had two of the Lakers' four ace serves, while adding 11 digs.

Sophomore CC McGraw led in digs with 26, while sophomore Hannah Reis added 10.

The Section 2AAA tournament starts Oct. 28 with the first round. The Lakers are lock for a bye in the first round and almost certain to be the No. 1 overall seed. Quarterfinal play starts Oct. 30.

Fourth-ranked Eden Prairie and No. 6 Chaska are also in the field and look to be the next two seeds. Prior Lake has swept both teams so far this season.

The Lakers are 5-0 against section foes, also sweeping Marshall, Shakopee and Chanhassen.

Last year, Chaska beat the Lakers by sweep in the section title match. The Lakers finished with a program-best 27 wins, a mark they can eclipse this fall by winning the Section 2AAA crown.

Lakers are staying STRONG!!!

Posted: Sunday, September 27, 2015 2:30 pm By Tom Schardin, tschardin@swpub.com

 Talent combined with depth can be a beautiful thing.

 The No. 2-ranked Prior Lake volleyball team has both and it showed at the Eagle Invitational Sept. 25-26. The Eagles went 4-0 to win the crown, sweeping No. 1 Eagan in the title match (25-16, 27-25).

 Prior Lake earned a sweep of Apple Valley in the semifinals (25-21, 25-14) and went 2-0 in pool play Sept. 25 with three-set win over No. 4 Roseville (25-22, 21-25, 15-7) and a sweep over Hopkins (25-16, 25-14).

 The Lakers (13-3 overall) were able to avenge a four-set loss to Eagan in South Suburban Conference play Sept. 15. In the rematch, Prior Lake played without senior Lara Schultz, while senior Olivia Spanton got hurt in the first set.

Schultz, the Lakers' leader in kills last year, didn't play the entire invite, nursing an injury. Spanton hurt her knee midway through the first set in the title match.

 The Lakers finished off Eagan in the first set after Spanton went down and then held off the Wildcats in the second set without her for the sweep. Senior Ella Francis led the way with 11 kills.

 Francis has 222 kills in 16 matches to lead the Lakers. She's averaging more than five kills per set. She's playing as good as any hitter in the state right now. She has 13 matches with double-digit kills and three with 20-plus.

 “It’s really hard seeing anyone go down, but (Olivia) pulled us over and kind of told us that we need to keep playing for her," Francis told the Minnesota Volleyball Hub. "She’s going to be fine, just go out there and win like we know we can.

 "We really wanted to play for her and pull out a win definitely because she went down," added Francis.

 Here's a fun fact. The last 10 winners of the Eagle Invitational have gone on to win the Class 3A state title. Eagan did it 2013, as did Lakeville North in 2012. Shakopee did it three straight years (2007-09).

In the last nine years, the Eagle invite winner has at least qualified for state. Apple Valley won its own invite in 2005, but lost in section play that year.

 Prior Lake has never qualified for state. The Lakers lost in the Section 2AAA title match last year to Chaska in three sets. The Hawks went on to win the state crown, while Prior Lake ended with a program-best 27-3 mark.

In the Eagle invite title match, junior Anna Martin chipped in three kills and two blocks for the Lakers. Junior Ellie Veldman led in set assists with 14, while sophomore CC McGraw finished with a team-best 15 digs, while Veldman had 11.

Senior Danielle Sorensen had two ace serves for the Lakers.

Against Apple Valley, Francis had 10 kills to lead the way, followed by Martin with six, sophomore Kayla Bair with five, Spanton with four and sophomore Maddy Bremer with three.

 Veldman had 22 set assists to pace the offense.

 In beating Roseville, Francis led with 11 kills, while Martin had six. Veldman had 23 assists and eight digs. McGraw led in digs with 16, while Spanton had nine and sophomore Hannah Reis had eight.

Bair had five blocks, while Francis, Bremer and Veldman both had three. Bremer and Spanton both had two ace serves.

Against Hopkins, Francis had nine kills, while Spanton had seven. Veldman had 19 assists, while senior Mara Fossum had six. Bremer and Spanton both had two ace serves. McGraw led in digs with 17.

Prior Lake went into the invite sweeping Lakeville North Sept. 24 in a South Suburban Conference match (25-11, 25-22, 25-14). The Lakers are 2-1 in league play.

 Francis led in kills with 11, while Spanton had eight and Bremer had seven. Veldman had 18 assists, followed by Fossum with nine. Veldman, Fossum and Spanton each had two ace serves.

McGraw finished with 15 digs, while Spanton had 10. Bremer led in blocks with four.

 Prior Lake is back in SSC action Sept. 29 at home versus Shakopee at 7 p.m.

Go Hawkeyes!!

Had a GREAT time at the Hawkeye vs Pittsburgh football game last night!!  

Newspaper article from last nights game

The Prior Lake volleyball team returned to winning form Sept. 17 on the South Suburban Conference road.

The No. 3-ranked Lakers avoided a three-match losing streak with a four-set win over Apple Valley (25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-16). Prior Lake hasn't lost three in row since the middle of the 2012 season.

The Lakers went into the match, falling in four sets at No. 6 Eagan Sept. 15 in SSC play and losing to No. 1 Lakeville South in the title match of the Southwest Minnesota Challenge Sept. 12 in Marshall.

Meanwhile, senior Ella Francis continues to dominate on offense for the Lakers. She finished with 20 kills against Apple Valley, adding seven digs.

Francis has a team-best 170 kills in the Lakers' 8-3 start (1-1 in the SSC).

Prior Lake faced Apple Valley without senior Lara Schultz (59 kills in 10 matches), so junior Ellie Veldman was in a dual role. Not only did she have 21 set assists, but added three kills and 11 digs.

Senior Mara Fossum rotated the setting duties with Veldman and led in assists with 22, adding 12 digs. Senior Danielle Sorensen picked up the slack for Schultz at the service line with five ace serves, while senior Olivia Spanton had three aces, along with 18 digs and five kills.

Sophomore Maddy Bremer finished with nine kills and two blocks, while junior Anna Martin had eight kills. Sophomore Kayla Bair had six kills and five blocks.

Sophomore CC McGraw led the defense with 27 digs, giving her a team-high 190 on the season.

Prior Lake is back on the SSC court Sept. 24 at home versus Lakeville North at 7 p.m.

The Lakers are playing in the prestigious Eagle Invitational Sept. 25-26 in Apple Valley. The field is loaded with top teams, including Lakeville South, Eagan, No. 2 Eden Prairie, No. 4 Roseville, No. 8 Chaska and No. 10 Marshall.

Other top Class 3A programs in the field are Hopkins, Waconia, Shakopee, Moorhead and Blaine, along with Bethlehem Academy, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A.

The Lakers follow the tourney at home versus Shakopee Sept. 29 in league play at 7 p.m.

Homecoming date!

Maddy came home from her winning volleyball match to find a room full of balloons and a date for the dance.  

Article about PL volleyball!!!!

LAKERS READY TO BEGIN TITLE QUEST

08/24/2015, 3:30pm CDT

By Tom Schardin

The Prior Lake volleyball team is not about to let its preseason No. 1 ranking in Class 3A  go to its head.

Championships are not won in August and that's what the Lakers are seeking this fall — the Section 2AAA title and the program's first-ever trip to state.

The Lakers will also be defending their South Suburban Conference title. They went 9-0 in the highly competitive league last year en route to a program-best 27 wins (27-3). Prior Lake fell to Chaska in three sets in the Section 2AAA title game last year.

"It's obviously nice to be recognized as a team that plays at a high level," said Lakers coach Mike Dean. "But we have a lot of work to do. I know the girls appreciate the No. 1 ranking, but we haven't served a ball yet in game.

"We are going to worry about what we control and just play the best volleyball we can," added Dean.

The Lakers return a ton of talent from last year, starting with the front line. Seniors Lara Schultz and Ella Francis are back to power the offense, along with junior Anna Martin and sophomore Kayla Bair.

Senior Olivia Spanton was also a strong offense player last year, along with sophomore CC McGraw. But one those two looks to be playing libero this fall.

Junior Ellie Veldman is back at setter and will be joined by senior Mara Fossum. Sophomore Maddie Bremer will also one to watch on the Lakers' front line.

"We have some competition in some spots," said Dean. "But we have a lot of experience back and a lot of talent."

Last March, the Minnesota State High School League reclassified all the sections for all the sports. And Section 2AAA for volleyball went from strong to downright, insanely powerful.

Not only was Eden Prairie and Minnetonka added to the field, but so was perennial power Marshall, last year's Class 2A state runner-up. Marshall has won four Class 2A titles the last six years, but the dominant program from the southwest corner of the state is now in Class 3A.

Ninth-ranked Shakopee is also in the 2AAA field with defending state champion Chaska. Chanhassen and Waconia are two more strong programs. The rest of the field includes Hutchinson, New Prague, Mankato West and Mankato East.

"The section went from really, really hard to really, really, really hard," said Dean. "If you make it out of this section, you will have earned it. The girls are excited for the challenge."

The Lakers will play in the Southwest Minnesota Challenge in Marshall Sept. 11-12. Prior Lake is also in the prestigious Eagle Invitational in Apple Valley Sept. 25-26 and the Bachman Invitational at Lakeville North Oct. 9-10.

Marshall is also in those three invites, so the Lakers could see the Tigers a few times before section play.

The Lakers play a very strong strong schedule. They're in the Side Out Classic in Hopkins Aug. 29 versus No. 8 Champlin Park at 7 p.m. Prior Lake is home to Chaska Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.

Prior Lake opens the SSC season Sept. 9 at No. 2 Eagan at 7 p.m.

The Lakers begin the season Aug. 27 at home versus Owatonna at 7 p.m.

"If we want to get to a higher level, we have to play against the best competition," said Dean. "We do that in our conference season and in our section."

The SSC has five ranked teams in the preseason Class 3A poll including No. 4 Lakeville North and No. 6 Rosemount.

Last fall, the Lakers' SSC title was their first. It was also the first time the program made it to the section final.

Schultz set the program's single-season record for ace serves, finishing with 73, which was 12 more than the previous mark. She also led the Lakers in kills with 339 and in blocks (31).

Francis was second in kills, finishing with 321, followed by Spanton (171), McGraw (141) and Martin (112). In blocks, Francis had 28, followed by Martin (25) and Bair (21).

Veldman was second on the team in set assists last year (432).

The Lakers will have to replace Brittany Leuthmers at libero, who was a five-year letterwinner. She left as not only the team's all-time digs leader but the MSHSL all-time leader. She finished with 2,016 career digs, which is more than 200 better than the previous record holder, Brittany Chambers of Jordan (1,802).

"Losing Brittany is a big; she was a great player for us," said Dean. "We could count on her every night. Either Spanton or McGraw will play there. Both are very talented and can play that spot at a high level."

I love Butterflies!!!

Way to go PL LAKER volleyball!!

Breakdown champs!!!