HAYFIELD – By early afternoon, the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva volleyball team was already guaranteed a top-four finish in the Hayfield Invitational.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

HAYFIELD – By early afternoon, the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva volleyball team was already guaranteed a top-four finish in the Hayfield Invitational.

But the Panthers weren’t about to stop there.

&uot;The girls were determined to come out on top,&uot; said coach Jackie Schultz.

And they did.

The Panthers went on to complete an undefeated performance in Saturday’s tournament, taking home the championship.

The toughest match for the Panthers was the first, in which they fell 15-4 to Lewiston-Altura before winning 15-6.

&uot;After a little break, the girls gained their composure and really played some good volleyball the rest of the day,&uot; said Schultz.

After defeating Lyle/Austin Pacelli 15-10, 15-9, the Panthers captured first in their pool by downing the host team 15-10, 15-11.

That put the Panthers in the semifinals against Rochester Lourdes, the second-place team in the other pool. NRHEG won 15-8, 15-12.

The championship match was a rematch with Hayfield, and this time the Panthers came from behind to win 13-15, 15-10, 15-12.

The Panthers’ statistical leaders for the day: Erin Anderson, 86 set assists, 63-for-67 serving, seven aces, 41 service points, 14 blocks, 10 tip kills; Kelli Schlaak, 20 kills, 46-for-51 serving, three aces, 25 points, 29 digs; Elizabeth Schultz, 20 kills, 11 tip kills, 29 blocks, 44-for-49 serving, six aces, 26 points, 46 digs; Ellen Johnson, 11 kills, 46-for-47 serving, six aces, 27 points, 33 digs; Megan Routh, 25 kills; Rachel Andree, 16 kills, six blocks; Lindsey Hendrickson, 26-for-29 serving, 21 digs; Lacey Peterson, 30-for-34 serving, three aces, 16 points, 18 digs.

The Panthers are at Faribault tonight to meet defending Gopher Conference champion Bethlehem Academy.