A True Volleyball Analysis of Lakeville North vs. Champlin Park
There was the build up for this matchup as soon as the schedule came out. Two state powerhouses, or should I stand corrected, two teams that could compete against any high school team in the nation. Champlin Park at Lakeville…
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Continue ReadingThere was the build up for this matchup as soon as the schedule came out. Two state powerhouses, or should I stand corrected, two teams that could compete against any high school team in the nation. Champlin Park at Lakeville North definitely brought plenty of highlights throughout the night with Lakeville North winning a five set thriller, 15-10 in the final set. With seven committed division one players on the court between the two teams the talent was deep, but here is what the score sheet didn’t tell you about the Lakeville North vs. Champlin Park match which very well could be the makings of yet another rematch in the future.
Serve and Pass Game – Champlin Park has one of the top setters in the state in Izzy Ashburn, but she was chasing a little bit the first two sets with aggressive serving of Lakeville North. The serve and serve receive game is huge at an elite level. Coaches call zones to where the athletes need to serve, but with that there is a spot in the zone the server is going for much like a pitcher in baseball. Do they want the ball to drop short? Do they want the receiver to play it deep? Are they aiming for their right shoulder? Where is the setter in this rotation? All of those factor in. To a fan with minimal volleyball knowledge the serve and pass game is much MUCH more than getting the ball over the net. For Lakeville North it might not have resulted in aces, but it takes Champlin Park out of system to score and chances are a free ball in return to do some damage.
Juhnke a @SDCoyotesVB recruit finding all different ways to score tonight including set point to lead the Panthers to a 2-0 lead @LNHSVolleyball1 pic.twitter.com/FquhfHLfSI
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) September 19, 2018
The Juhnke Takeover – Elizabeth Juhnke just showed how phenomenal of an athlete she is. She also has the grit and intensity to just takeover a game. Champlin Park was able to slow her down in their set three and four comeback, but she still had a huge presence with her all around game. I was waiting to see if there was a shot she couldn’t hit. The deep cross and sharp angle cross is definitely a go to, but then she just rolls it perfectly over the block. Then a spot on the line opened up and she was able to paint it with authority. A play that is so effective when executed well is a set to the gap where she can just get on top of. When their middle runs a slide to create space and the ball is pushed to the seam watch out.
Juniors Step Up For Champlin Park – Champlin Park has a Senior class full of Division 1 athletes heading to big time programs, but really the play of Jordan Stalpes and Sami Hilley kept the Rebels close early on and propelled them to set three and four victories. Stalpes was ready from the get go with hitting the split in the block, finding the open spot, and was really solid out of middle back. Hilley is a physical middle blocker with such a quick arm swing that she just seems to find an opening. After some of those plays it had me wondering how did she hit it that hard, to that spot? Another observation was once Hilley started getting her swings in and terminating, Lakeville North had some net calls trying to get a touch on her swing.
Clark vs. Wolfe – Lauren Clark was such a spark for the Rebels. Yes, she is one of the best players in the state. Yes, she is going to Penn State, but she came up with some big kills at some key times for the Rebels. That’s what big time players do. Deep middle back and sharp angles were the popular spots for Clark, but that’s not to say she didn’t have libero Halle Wolfe to deal with. Wolfe, a Junior libero for Lakeville North stepped up BIG TIME! From her serve receive to coverage on blocks, and just being able to keep the ball in play and the Panthers in system, she was a star.
Round 3? – There could potentially be another matchup between these two teams. Nothing guaranteed, but to settle the series it would only be fitting. What would have to happen? I really think it would come down to the middle blocker play. The outside hitters are going to get their kills, they will take plenty of swings, but depending on who wins the battle on the net between the middles will be key. Once again, that comes down to the serve and serve receive game that I mentioned earlier. There is still plenty of season and there is more than enough volleyball to happen. I’m just fortunate enough to have seen this matchup twice, and a third would be icing on the cake.
Photo Courtesy of Jerry Holt – Star Tribune