McNeil sisters lead Eagan to Class 3A volleyball title

After a career filled with highs and lows, controversy and disappointment, Taylr McNeil's final high school volleyball match was something to be savored.

Eagan's tremendous outside hitter had a tournament-high 36 kills and 20 digs to lead the Wildcats to a 25-13, 27-29, 26-24, 21-25, 15-12 victory over Delano in a whopper of a Class 3A championship match.

McNeil's high school career has seen more drama than one would expect from a player with her calm, friendly demeanor and wonderful skill set. As a freshman, she and older sister Kellie played on Lakeville North's 2010 3A champion. The McNeil family moved to Eagan that year to be close to Taylr's grandfather, who died last summer after a long bout with Alzheimer's disease.

She also had a scholarship offer from the University of Minnesota withdrawn and the added weight of the success of her old team, which won the state championship again in 2012.

"The move was really hard. A lot of people don't know the real reason for it," McNeil said. "For us, family is the biggest thing. When I was asked if I wanted to make the move for my grandpa, it was hands-down yes. For my family, I'd do anything."

Taylr wasn't the only McNeil to play a large role in the Wildcats' championship run. Younger sister Maddie is a junior setter who contributed seven kills, 22 set assists and 12 digs, along with a lot of support to her older sister.

"I'm proud to say I played with her," Maddie said. "I know how much it meant to her to do this."

The championship match itself was closer than anyone expected. As the No. 1 seed, Eagan was favored. Delano, the smallest school in Class 3A, had come out of rugged Section 2. Its victory over Chaska in the section finals came with plenty of volleyball cred, but the Tigers were clearly cast as underdogs.

They played like anything but. Rebounding from a sloppy first set, Delano hung tough behind 26 kills from Shelby Seurer and 18 from Alex Winninger, sending the match to a fifth and deciding set before falling.

"That was just a great volleyball match," Delano coach Rebecca Rue said. "I thought at the start of the season we could do it, but to really get that close to our goal was kind of surreal."

Eagan coach Kathy Gillen-Melville credited her team's even-keel approach for the victory.

"The mentality that our girls have adopted about staying level was huge," she said. "They showed great composure today. They were in the spotlight and made some mistakes, but they came back with some pretty good plays. It was nice."