The volleyball team continued its tradition of making Eagan proud over the long weekend, earning a well-deserved second place at the state tournament.

On Thursday, many students and staff left school early to watch the girls swiftly defeat Cambridge-Isanti in a three set match. Then, Friday’s fight against Eden Prairie saw Eagan stumble early on, losing 8-25 in the first set. The girls rebounded, though, winning three of the next four sets and claiming another victory at the Xcel.

Finally, in the championship game on Saturday, the Wildcats faced Chaska. Despite their impressive efforts, the girls could not come out on top and lost all three sets.

“I don’t think we played to our full potential,” senior Sarah Jurgens said of the final match. “We still played decently, but to beat Chaska everyone has to play their best and we weren’t quite at that level.”

Brooke Olstad, another senior, stated that in addition to winning at the tournament, “We wanted to come back strong and play for each other and enjoy the opportunity.” She added, “We played well when our block was solid and we had balance in the front row.”

Wildcat volleyball is no stranger to the state tournament. This is Eagan’s second time being state champion runner-ups. The girls have also won five state champion titles, including, most recently, last year’s.

All told, Eagan finished the season with 24 wins. Of the girls’ five losses this year, two were at the hands of Chaska.

And what of the PIT’s support? “I think it was great,” Jurgens remarked. “The PIT is awesome. For me, that’s one of the best parts about being on the volleyball team. I love their cheering!”