Rarely are aggression and relaxation associated with each other when describing a team’s play.

But for Lakeville North’s volleyball team, the two proved to be the winning combination Tuesday night against Burnsville.

“The mindset was more aggressive coming in tonight,” North head coach Jackie Richter said. “The team was much more relaxed and more focused on what they’re doing with each other on the court than anything else.”

For the first time in 2014, the Panthers volleyball team came out of the match victorious. Lakeville North defeated the Burnsville Blaze in three sets, which the Panthers won by scores of 25-14, 25-12, and 25-11. North moved to 1-6 on the season with the win over the Blaze. 

While 1-6 isn’t where the Panthers hoped to be heading into the season, Coach Richter showed excitement just to get her first win as head coach of the Lakeville North program.

“I’m excited and still motivated to keep the team inspired and to keep them focused and on the right track,” Richter said.

It became clear from the start of the match the Panthers were on the right track. North led 3-0 over the Blaze in the first set before the Blaze got on the board. But, the Panthers never gave up their lead in the first set. Coach Richter credited the team’s focus for maintaining the lead.

“The girls seemed to have more focus with each contact they had,” She said. “We served more aggressive today. We were much cleaner at the net as far as our blocking was concerned.”

In the second set, the Blaze came out strong. Early on, the Blaze led 3-2 at one point, and the two teams alternated who had possession of the lead. The Burnsville defense kept them in the set with the Panthers, but eventually Lakeville North took control, ending with the 25-12 win of the set.

North continued to control almost all facets of the match in the third set, but the play of junior setter Madelyn Wolff gave the Panthers the extra push they needed to win the match 3-0.

Wolff had two long serving runs Tuesday night, and by late in the third set, Wolff also served five aces. To Richter, Wolff’s jump serve surprised the Blaze.

“It was nice to see her pull out her jump serve today,” Richter said. “It’s kind of the first night she has done that in a match. (Her jump serve) definitely threw our opponent out of their system and made things easier on our side.”

Since wins haven’t been abundant this season for North, Richter ultimately hopes the team now has the sense of what it takes to win following their 3-0 victory over Burnsville.

“(The biggest thing) was having a relaxed focus,” Richter said. “Not building any matchup too big, having the enjoyment and passion come out and the recognition that what we do is not just good, it’s good enough to beat our opponents.”