Eagan defeated East Ridge in three sets in the Class 3A, Section 3 final Saturday. Read more below. Photos by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine
Eagan earned its seventh consecutive trip to the state tournament with a three set win over East Ridge 26-24, 25-17, 25-23 in the Class 3A, Section 3 championship at Hastings High School on Saturday night.
Eagan raced to an early first-set lead until East Ridge rallied to force a back-and-forth exchange of points, finally closing it out when Kendal Kemp dropped the ball in between a group of Raptors for a 26-24 Wildcat win. Eagan took control of the second set, with an eight-point run early and didn’t look back.
Eagan has lost just six sets this season, dropping its last set on Oct. 1 in a five-set win over Lakeville North. The Raptors seemed on the verge of breaking the Wildcats' streak when they held a lead through the middle of the third set, but Eagan dug in and rallied to a 25-23 win to take the match.