Lakeville teams 2nd and 3rd at Apple Valley tourney
At the Eagle Invitational volleyball tournament, familiarity breeds respect.
In some sports, regular-season tournaments offer an opportunity for teams to play opponents they wouldn’t ordinarily see. In volleyball, it doesn’t necessarily work that way as highly ranked teams seek to bank as much experience against top-flight competition as they can before the postseason begins.
When Lakeville North faced Champlin Park in the Eagle Invitational championship match Sept. 21 at Apple Valley High School, it was the third time the teams played each other in a month. The third-place match between Lakeville South and Eagan was a do-over between teams that had met in a South Suburban Conference match 10 days earlier.
Champlin Park defeated Lakeville North 25-20, 16-25, 15-10 in the Eagle Invitational final for its first victory over the Panthers in three tries. It also meant the Rebels replaced North at No. 1 in the state coaches association Class 4A rankings.
Lakeville North defeated Eden Prairie, Marshall (ranked second in Class 3A) and Eagan (fifth in Class 4A) in earlier rounds of the two-day tournament. While it would have been nice to win the last one, North coach Jackie Richter said the Panthers are taking the long view.
“This weekend, as it always is, was challenging for us,” said Richter, whose team is 17-1 overall. “There’s top programs in the state here, so we were challenged in a lot of ways, and it was good for our girls to be able to respond in different ways.”
Richter said Panthers come to the Eagle Invitational looking to work on playing faster as opposed to fine-tuning mechanics or strategy.
“For our team, (the goal) is continuing to push the pace of the game and our response time between defense and offense, because it’s just so quick in volleyball,” she said.
Opponents like Champlin Park help the Panthers get there, which is why Richter said they don’t mind playing the Rebels several times in the regular season. They could meet again at Lakeville North’s tournament Oct. 11-12, which Champlin Park, Lakeville South and Eagan have entered.
The Eagle Invitational, in its 47th year, showcases some of the state’s best players. This year was no different as Lakeville North featured the all-around skills of junior Rayna Christianson, a Creighton University commit, and front-row threat Annika Swenson. Champlin Park’s top hitter, senior Carly Gilk, is headed to the University of Minnesota next season. Eagan senior Keira Schmidt, another force at the net, is headed to Marquette University. Lakeville South has up-and-comers such as outside hitter Romi Chlebecek and setter Kaelyn Bjorklund, both sophomores, along with veteran experience provided by libero Josie Tingelhoff, outside hitter Rowan Carr and setter Olivia Wagner, all seniors.
No. 3-ranked Lakeville South is 14-2 overall. The two losses were to Champlin Park – both in tournaments, both dogfights. Champlin Park defeated South 23-25, 25-21, 15-13 in the Eagle Invitational semifinals before South downed Eagan 25-20, 25-21 for third place.
“The Champlin match – we had it, we lost it, and that’s definitely a learning opportunity,” Tingelhoff said. “We wanted to beat Eagan again (the Cougars defeated the Wildcats in a South Suburban Conference match Sept. 11) and get third place.
“We came in here wanting to finish top three. It was a battle.”
Lakeville South defeated Eden Prairie and went three sets with Marshall before prevailing 26-24, 20-25, 15-11 to reach the second-day championship bracket at the Eagle Invitational.
South coach Steve Willingham has coached at one of Lakeville’s high schools – the original Lakeville, plus North and South – for 36 years but has not been with a team that won the Eagle Invitational. The two times Lakeville North won it (2006 and 2012) he wasn’t coaching there. He’d like to win an Eagle Invitational someday, but Willingham added the Cougars played well and the experience was valuable.
“We feel like we’re in a good place at this point of the season,” Willingham said. “We were just hoping the outcome would have been a little better. Finishing in the top three (at Apple Valley), like we did this year and like we have other years, sets the table for us to hopefully get a good performance at Lakeville North’s tournament, and beyond that when we go to the section playoffs.”
Eagan (12-4), won the Shakopee Invitational earlier in the season. At the Eagle Invitational, the Wildcats swept Chaska (25-17, 25-17) and Apple Valley (25-9, 25-20) in the first two rounds before losing a tense struggle against Lakeville North (24-26, 25-17, 16-14) in the semifinals.
Host team Apple Valley (7-7) finished eighth for its best showing in the Eagle Invitational in nearly a decade. The Eagles defeated four-time defending state Class 4A champion Wayzata 25-15, 21-25, 15-5 in the first round before falling to Eagan, Marshall and Northfield in their next three matches. Wayzata entered last weekend’s tournament ranked eighth in Class 4A and finished 13th of 16 teams at Apple Valley.
Volleyball notes
– The Eagle Invitational typically is a good predictor of postseason success. Twenty-four of the previous 46 champions went on to win state championships in the same year, including Wayzata two of the last three seasons.
– While the Eagle Invitational is one of the highest-profile regular-season volleyball tournaments in Minnesota, it’s just one of three held at Apple Valley High School. The Aerie Challenge took place in early September, and the October Classic will be Oct. 11-12. Farmington and Apple Valley will be the two South Suburban Conference teams in the Aerie Challenge.
– Lakeville North swept Apple Valley in three sets Tuesday and Lakeville South defeated Farmington in four sets in South Suburban Conference matches Tuesday night. Both Lakeville schools are 4-0 in conference matches and first place likely will be at stake when they play Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Lakeville South.
Mike Shaughnessy can be reached at mike.shaughnessy@apgecm.com.
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