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Spikers Sweep for Title Shot

By Tom Schardin, 10/30/14, 11:00AM CDT

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The Prior Lake volleyball team didn't get much resistance in the Section 2AAA semifinals Oct. 28.

Fifth-seeded Shakopee proved to be no match for the top-seeded Lakers. Led by juniors Ella Francis and Lara Schultz, Prior Lake swept its way into the title match (25-17, 25-15, 25-15).

"I felt like we really controlled the ball well and it allowed us to keep Shakopee off balance for much of the match," said Lakers coach Mike Dean. "I felt like we moved really well and put ourselves in good position to make plays.

"Offensively the girls did a nice job of attacking holes we identified in their defense," added Dean. "I also thought that our blocking was a huge factor in how we played and we did a really nice job getting our hands on balls above the net."

The Lakers (26-2) get second-seeded Chaska in the final at Chanhassen High School Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. The Hawks (27-3) beat third-seeded Delano in four sets in their semifinal match.

Prior Lake and Chaska played twice during the regular season with the Lakers winning both times. The first win was in five sets (28-26, 27-25, 23,25, 23-25, 15-10) back in August. The second one was in two sets in the third-place match at the Apple Valley Invitational in September (25-23, 25-23).

For the Hawks, it is their third straight trip to the section title match. The program will be seeking its 15th state berth. Chaska has won six state titles, including back-to-back crowns in 2005-06.

For Prior Lake, it's the first-ever section finals berth for the program it joined Class 3A 10 years ago.

In the final Class 3A poll, both the Lakers and Hawks were tied for the No. 1 ranking, so the title match has the makings of a thriller. The Lakers go in winning 14 straight matches, while the Hawks are riding 13 straight victories.

Meanwhile, in the sweep of Shakopee, the Lakers were never really threatened in each set. Francis and Schultz both finished with 12 kills, while junior Olivia Spanton had six and ninth-graders CC McGraw and Kayla Bair both had five.

Senior Sammi Pratt and sophomore Ellie Veldman continue to pace the Lakers' offensive finishing with 19 and 16 set assists, respectively. Senior Brittany Luethmers led the defense with 15 digs, followed by McGraw with 10, Pratt with eight and Veldman with six.

In blocks, Bair finished with a team-best four, while Francis had two. Spanton, McGraw and Luethmers each had an ace serve.

During South Suburban Conference play, Prior Lake won at Shakopee in four sets (25-24, 22-25, 25-14, 25-18) en route to a perfect 9-0 season in the SSC.

This year's Class 3A state tournament is set for Nov. 6-8 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Eagan, the No. 1 seed in Section 3AAA, is the defending champion.