The annual tournament featured 48 teams, with Burlingame the only Peninsula Athletic League team on the roster. And after beating Hill-San Jose, Homestead-Cupertino and Branham-San Jose early in the game at Milpitas High, the Panthers won a trip to Independence High School where they beat Los Gatos in the semifinals before fending off Lowell- San Francisco for a 25-21, 14-25, 15-13 victory in the Championship game.

“Phew!” Burlingame freshman head coach Nick Monroe said. “It was a relief. It was something… we were dead tired by then, but we found energy in the last five points.

Burlingame’s two outside hitters, senior Emma Madden and rookie Ella Duong, started the day slow. But each warmed up at the right time, leading the Panthers in scoring in the Championship game.

Madden had 28 kills in five games and posted his best total, a record nine kills, for Lowell’s showdown. Duong totaled eight kills with a 0.304 hit percentage in the final.

Sophomore Megan Toomey also got reps on the outside hitter, switching from her usual role as a center blocker to give the Panthers some extra firepower. In Game 3 of the day, a 25-22, 25-15 sweep from Branham, Toomey swung to a .550 clip while totaling 11 kills and a career nest of 5.5 kills per set.

“I saw she had a little bit more in her today as an extra hitter… and she was just solid to put the balls away,” said Monroe.

In the championship game, Burlingame’s grip seemed to drift away against a Lowell side who came into play on a 10-game winning streak.

After losing the second set, the Panthers found themselves trailed by 2 halfway through the race at 15 in the deciding third game. But that changed when senior libero Kristi Lee entered the service line and ran away. Lee totaled an ace in the game and added 10 digs, a high for the team.

“It was until the very end… and then some crazy bustle games at the end that kept us in it,” Monroe said.

Junior midfielder Eliza Sharp finished with four kills and a block, while the rotation saw senior Keegan Boyse finish the game in the middle. Boyse totaled three kills and two blocks, and scored the championship point in a rambling final rally.

Leading 14-13, Burlingame had poor communication on a loose ball and wasted the opportunity but dug up Lowell’s ensuing attack. The pass went badly, forcing Boyse to attempt a shot over the net on the second touch. The Lowell Block met Boyce, but the Burlingame senior won the game and the point fell for the Panthers to win it.

“We ran on the field, we cheered,” said Monroe. “It was really a relief.”

Another roster change that fueled Burlingame’s championship race was the promotion of rookie Abigail Aufhauser from the junior-varsity squad. She totaled two kills and one block in the championship game. The middle blocker will remain on the varsity roster going forward, Monroe said.

“She did her job,” Monroe said. “She is very coachable and everything I gave her she applied. And that’s what you need as a college player… to take what the coach gives you, apply it and execute it.

Burlingame have their biggest test of the season ahead on Tuesday with a share of the first-place Peninsula Athletic League’s Bay Division in play. The Panthers, second, travel to Hillsdale, first, with a game between the two. in the ranking.