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BURLINGTON - Hazen seniors Jenna Maas and Stefanie Bohrer might not get as much attention as fellow senior and all-stater Allison Opp, but both are equally as important to the Bison's success.

Maas, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, and Bohrer, a 5-9 utility, both play key roles in complementing the powerful hitting and blocking of Opp, a middle.

Combined, Maas, Bohrer and Opp make up one of the most intimidating and impressive senior trios in all of Class B volleyball.

"It's is so much fun to play with these girls," Bohrer said. "We've been together since grade school and have had so much competition over the years with girls that were older than us. We wanted to beat them and be just as good as them or even better. This season is our turn to go out and show them what we are made of."

So far, Bohrer and the rest of the Bison are showing they are made of something special.

Hazen (26-3) has yet to lose to a Class B team this season and won both their matches during Friday's play in Pool A of the Laker Invitational in Burlington.

The Bison opened with a 25-15, 25-15 win over Central Cass and followed it with a 25-15, 25-16 win over Griggs County Central, giving them six of a possible six points in the first of two days of pool play.

Maas said her job is made easier with players like Bohrer and Opp on the court.

"You never feel like you have to do it all and you know that the other girls are going to have your back," Maas said. "If one of us isn't playing well, someone else usually is and that helps pick everyone back up."

Maas plays middle and outside and is the team's best passer and server in terms of percentage. She is third on the team in blocks and her kill efficiency is second only to Opp, who leads the team in blocks and kills.

Bohrer is known as the team's "defensive wall" for her ability to put up a tremendous block. She started as a right side utility player, but was moved to the middle to free up Opp and Maas on the outside.

"They are a super competitive group. They are all three-sport athletes - golf, track, basketball, so they've had a lot of experience playing pretty tight competitions," Hazen head coach Linette Irwin said. "As far as athleticism you probably couldn't ask for a better group of athletes. They are very good leaders, they're very competitive and they put a lot of time into the sport. They will be a hard group to replace next year that's for sure."

Hazen and Langdon lead Pool A with six points each, Griggs County Central is third with three points and Central Cass and Bishop Ryan are tied for fourth with no points.

Langdon beat Central Cass 27-25, 25-17 and Bishop Ryan 25-16, 25-13. GCC topped Bishop Ryan 25-11, 25-19.

Pool play continues this morning with Pools A and D at Bishop Ryan and Pools B and C at Burlington.

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Lakers lead Pool B

Des Lacs-Burlington is in a good position to make the championship bracket after winning five of six possible points in Friday's play in Pool B.

The Lakers opened with a 25-17, 25-18 win over Velva - good for three points - and backed it up with a 25-22, 23-25 split against Ray. DL-B earned two points against Ray because the Lakers outscored Ray 48-47 in the match.

"I felt we needed to come out and prove that we can still win and pick ourselves up after a big loss," said DL-B senior Brittany Holte, referring to the team's loss Thursday at Our Redeemer's. "We were really focused and came out and played well."

The Lakers hold a 5-4 lead over Ray in pool play points after day one will finish pool play against Cavalier and Center-Stanton this morning in Burlington.

Center-Stanton has three points and sits in a two-way tie for third with Velva, while Cavalier has no points after being swept by Velva and C-S.

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Ray rallies for important point

Ray dropped its opening game against Des Lacs-Burlington 25-22, but fought back from 22-18 down in the second game to defeat DL-B 25-23 during their match in Pool B.

The win earned Ray a split with DL-B and one of a possible three points. That single point turned out to be important as it put Ray in second place after the first day of pool play.

"Every point counts, especially in a tournament like this because I've seen a lot of crazy things happen over the years," Dolan said. "It really makes a difference to at least get a split.

Ray defeated Center-Stanton 25-11, 25-15 later in the day to earn three points. Ray has four points, while Velva and Center-Stanton each have three points and Cavalier zero. The top two teams from each pool qualify for the championship bracket.

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Velva hanging around

Velva kept its hopes of making the championship bracket alive with a 25-13, 25-18 match win over Cavalier in Pool B.

The win put Velva in a two-way tie for third and came after the Aggies were swept by Des Lacs-Burlington in the day's opening match.

"We were more focused (against Cavalier) and we didn't have any mental breakdowns like we did against DL-B," Velva head coach Diane Thingstad said. "We played a more complete game and our blocking was much better. We have to block well, that is a key for us."

Velva finishes up pool play today against Ray and Center-Stanton.