LAKEVILLE – The Austin Packers played their best in their last match of the season, but fell short to the No.

Sunday, October 31, 1999

LAKEVILLE – The Austin Packers played their best in their last match of the season, but fell short to the No. 6 team in the state. The Lakeville Panthers (21-6) defeated the Packers 15-2, 15-10, 15-13 in a Section 1AAA quarterfinal.

The Panthers have made it to the Section 1 big school final eight times in the decade. The last three years they have lost to two-time defending state champion Eagan.

The game one score was a little deceiving.

"We got the side outs, but we weren’t able to score points in game one," Austin coach Andrea Becker said. "Our defense wasn’t quite there. Their attacks beat our blocks and we weren’t doing a good job of digging."

"We had trouble in the first game," Packer middle hitter Brooke Gentzler said. "We didn’t know where they were going. They had a really quick setter. She had some soft hands."

The Austin defense finally got the hang of the Lakeville attack and played on equal footing in the second two games.

"After falling for their fakes in the first game, we caught on to where they were going with the attack," Becker said. "We told them, ‘They’ll hit here,’ and we started digging up their balls."

Lakeville went on top 7-3 in the second game. Austin then game back to tie it at 7-7 on a kill by Erin Coleman. Austin tied it again at 10-10 on a Gentzler block. The Panthers then took over the game with a couple of big ace blocks by Kelsey Stover.

Before game three, "I told the team it was do or die," Gentzler said. "We played our hearts out."

Austin fell behind 7-2 before Lauren Feller turned things around with a point-scoring kill. The game was then tied at 10-10 with two straight points scored by Austin freshman Theresa Hirsch on an ace block and a tip to the open court. Austin then went up 13-11 scoring a point on a monster block by Gina Golberg and a Gentzler kill.

All the momentum was on Austin’s side, but it quickly disappeared when an Abby Stellburg kill gave the Panthers a side out. The Panthers then scored three straight points on Jane Gibbs serve. Two of the points were Kelly Skaro kills. Skaro led the Panthers with 11 kills in the match, and hit an ace serve to get the Panthers to match point. The Panthers then took the game with a service point by Jenny Tischer.

"I couldn’t ask for a better match besides winning," Gentzler said. "We played our hardest."

"The key to the win for us," Lakeville coach Milan Mader said, "is that we have a number of good hitters who are good jumpers and can go way above the net and they had only one hitter who could do that."

That person was Gentzler. She ended her volleyball career with 14 kills, nine digs and two ace blocks. Fellow senior co-captain Coleman finished it off with 10 digs and five blocks. Feller had seven digs and five kills. Senior setters Kellie Grimley and Golberg each had 12 set assists.

The Packers finish the season with a 15-12-2 record. Austin volleyball looks like it will be in good hands in the coming years with Becker at the helm. Though Becker does lose five senior starters – Gentzler, Golberg, Coleman, Feller, and Grimley – and one top reserve, Jenny Krebsbach.

Section 1A,

West Sub-Section

ROCHESTER – The Gopher Conference got the better of the Southeast Conference in the semifinals of the Section 1A East Sub-Section at the Mayo Civic Center Arena Saturday. No. 1 seed Bethlehem Academy Cardinals defeated the No. 4 seed Southland Rebels 15-12, 15-9, 15-13 in the first match of the day. Then the Alden-Conger Knights beat Lyle/Pacelli 15-2, 15-11, 15-6.

The Rebels, who finished with a 7-19 mark, led in every game of the match but the Cardinals were able to get the big points when they had to.

"We played pretty good," Southland coach Barry Brobeck said. "I think serving was our downfall."

Southland had the best chance to pick up a game in the last game. They went up 13-8 behind a couple of kills and a block by Andrea O’Connell. The Rebels scored their last point of the match on a Betsy Matheis service ace, one of three in the match.

The Rebels were then done in by ace serves from Carrie Gillen and Kate Walsh.

Amber Ihrke, Jill Landherr, and Matheis each had 12 digs. O’Connell had six kills and Ihrke four.

In the second match the Knights were the better team on this day.

"Alden played very well," L/P co-coach Carl Ellis said. "We were a little flat. We had some Rochester jitters."

"They were the better team on the day," L/P’s other co-coach Norm Blaser said. "They were tough on serve and did a good job of tipping. They found the holes."

L/P looked like they would get back in the match with a win in game two. The game was tied at 7-7 when Joan Sheedy made an ace block to give the Lions a side out. She then scored a point on another block. L/P scored two more points to take a 10-7 lead. Niebuhr and Brummer then stepped up their games to give the Knights a 2-0 lead. In game three it was close at the start with the Knights up 7-6 but L/P had trouble with three straight Alden servers, Shelly Zeller, Niebuhr and Steph Newman.

L/P finishes the year with a 20-8 mark. They will have four returning starters coming back.

Those underclassmen were Saturday’s statistical leaders. Sophomore Laura Nelson had five kills and 16 digs. Junior Kassie Baldner had four kills and nine digs and junior Joan Sheedy had three kills and seven ace blocks.

The Sub-Section finals are Wednesday. Bethlehem Academy (20-5) has beaten the Knights twice, once in four games and the other in five.

"We’re counting on the third time being the charm." Hanson said.