LAKEVILLE, Minn. -- On senior night, it was an all-hands-on-deck night for Lakeville North.
In the absence of starting outside hitters Maddy Hornyak and Bailey Leeke, a number of players successfully stepped into new roles as the Panthers cruised past Burnsville, 25-14, 25-15, 25-13.
Despite falling behind early in all three sets, including by three points in each of the first two sets, North showed an ability to rally in a match where all nine players made contributions.
Ella Thompson was tasked with moving from middle to outside for the first time and made the transition flawlessly. She recorded 11 kills without an error while finishing with a .611 hitting percentage on the night.
Panther junior co-captain Abby Milner took on an expanded role and recorded four blocks, including three solo blocks, and had 10 kills.
Junior Savannah Polzin, who has primarily played as a front-row hitter, played all six rotations and had 10 digs to go with seven kills and a pair of blocks.
Starting for the third time in four matches, senior co-captain and defensive specialist Hannah Nietfeld had eight digs and served for 15 points in 20 attempts.
Abbey Milner recorded 10 kills and four blocks, three of which were solos, to account for a match-high 13.5 points.
Senior co-captain and libero Halle Wolfe, along with sophomore setter Abby Jandro, both played their usual key roles for North.
Wolfe had 10 digs and successfully passed 23 of the 24 serves she received, handling nearly two-third of the Blaze's serves.
Jandro not only had 30 assists, but she also had four kills, three aces and nine digs in a well-rounded effort.
North returns to action this weekend as they host the 35th annual Todd L. Bachman invitational. The Panthers' first game is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. versus Caledonia. The will follow with a scheduled 8:45 p.m. match up with Section 1AAA foe Rochester Century.
Saturday, North faces Eden Prairie at 10:15 a.m. before moving onto bracket play, where they will play two more matches.
Tag(s): Volleyball
