With only three regulars back from last year's double- digit loss team, the word in volleyball circles was to not expect much from Eden Prairie this season.
The Eagles saw the memo, but elected to crumple it up and pound it away like a perfectly placed kill.
"We're not a team that settles," senior middle blocker Kirsten Peterson said. "We don't let things bother us. One good thing about our team is we don't give up."
They can play some good volleyball, too.
The Eagles (24-6) made it through the tough Class 3A, Section 6 tournament, advancing to state by way of a 3-1 victory over defending state runner-up Wayzata in the championship match. Eden Prairie received the fourth seed for the state tournament, and opens play at 9 a.m. Thursday against unseeded Owatonna (22-8) at Xcel Energy Center.
It's the Eagles' second trip to state in program history, their first since 2004.
That the team made it this far is impressive anyway, but the meter rises when you factor in the lack of returning starters and the run of bad luck with injuries.
Outside hitter Ellen Piechowski and middle Michaela Sir have both missed significant time in the past two years. Piechowski has torn both of her ACLs and partially tore her right ACL again late this season. Sir, a 6-4 force, has worked through a handful of different ailments.
