Checking In: Lake Conference Teams Among the State's Best

With just a few weeks remaining in the regular season, league standings are shaping up and teams are jockeying for a favorable position in the various postseason section brackets. The Lake conference represents a handful of class AAA teams that may have something to prove given the recent state level success of teams representing other leagues such as the Northwest Suburban, South Suburban, and Metro East. Current Lake member Eden Prairie is the last state champion (2011) among the league’s current schools and Edina was the lone conference school that advanced to the state tournament a year ago, eventually bowing out after two straight losses. Given the league’s success this regular season and the fact that they have a few teams among the top-ranked class AAA schools, one thing is for certain, the Lake conference will be well represented in the postseason and will undoubtedly pose a big threat to be front and centerat the state tournament. The following is an update on the conference’s top teams and athletes as they get set for the final regular season push over the coming weeks. Wayzata Trojans Ranking = #3 Record: League = 4-0/Overall = 17-1 Notes: The Trojans have been one of the most exciting teams to follow this season as they are dynamic in so many ways. With a handful of athletes strewn among the upper echelon of the PrepDig athlete rankings, Wayzata appears to be on a mission following a tough sectional defeat a year ago. The hunger, drive, and positional pieces are in place for the Trojans to make a deep run. Their lone losses are from tournament play, both to another heavy contender to reach the state tournament in Northfield. The Trojans have defeated several ranked class AAA teams thus far with a couple of good challenges remaining on their schedule, including a home contest versus Eden Prairie and a road trip to play at Minnetonka. The Trojans have been led all season by the superior play of senior opposite [player_tooltip player_id="57478" first="Elizabeth" last="Helmich"]. The #3 ranked player in the senior class is committed to James Madison and continues to display her college-ready arm and fire. The lefty jumps as well as anyone and can flat out bring it. Other significant arms in the Trojans’ attack come from senior middle [player_tooltip player_id="30278" first="Lily" last="Emlong"] (Prep Dig #32 | Elon commit), senior outside [player_tooltip player_id="57522" first="Kate" last="Long"] (Prep Dig #87), and junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="58014" first="Sophie" last="Jesewitz"] (Prep Dig #4). This trio of attackers make Wayzata so difficult to defend. The play and floor leadership of senior setter [player_tooltip player_id="71648" first="Olivia" last="Johnson"] (Prep Dig #15) is a key factor to as she has great options and can locate the ball with great confidence that a termination will be the result. Minnetonka Skippers Ranking = #10 Record: League = 4-1/Overall = 16-4 Notes: The Skippers are one of the most complete teams as they get production from a lot of different options in their offense. Whether its from senior outside Skyler Germann and sophomore outside [player_tooltip player_id="31611" first="Abby" last="Stanwood"] (Prep Dig #54) or from their middles in junior [player_tooltip player_id="58029" first="Kali" last="Engeman"] (Prep Dig #27) or senior Cayden Nadolney, Minnetonka maintains an athletic and physical presence in every rotation. Setters [player_tooltip player_id="71957" first="Olivia" last="Koeppen"] and Isabella Milacnek share the distribution duties and have led this offense to a 16-4 overall record and a #10 ranking in the most recent class AAA poll. Beyond the offense is great defense as the Skippers can wear any opponent down at the net and from the back row. The best measure of their postseason readiness comes in their final three matches, which has them facing off against Edina, St. Michael-Albertville, and Wayzata to close our the regular season. Their success over these next three contests could be a big factor towards their postseason plans and effectiveness. St. Michael-Albertville Knights Ranking = Receiving Votes Record: League = 3-1/Overall = 15-5 Notes: The Knights recently claimed the tournament title at the recent Blaine Invitational this past weekend, outlasting some great competition in teams such as Osseo, North St. Paul, Kenyon-Wanamingo, and Waconia. STMA has been in or around the top-ten for the bulk of the season and should be considered a key contender as the postseason emerges. Earlier in September they faced a slew of great teams, which is where the bulk of their losses occurred. This stretch included a tough 3-2 loss to Wayzata in which STMA was leading 2-0 before Wayzata stormed back to claim the win. The Knights have a variety of weapons and are led by the athletic energy of senior outside [player_tooltip player_id="71647" first="Mikala" last="Henderson"] (Prep Dig #14), who pounded 24 kills and collected 15 digs in that loss to Wayzata. The Knights also get great contributions from middle Emma Van Heel and pin attackers in senior [player_tooltip player_id="57567" first="Samantha" last="Palmer"] (Prep Dig #134) and junior Liv Carel. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="57532" first="Sophie" last="Fritz"] is the Knights’ setter and makes additional contributions defensively and with good pressure from the service line. With three matches left on their regular season schedule, the Knights will close it out by hosting Minnetonka, which is a match that many are anticipating at this stage.