Eagan is loaded with five seniors who have played major roles in the Wildcats’ success.

But the reigning Class 3A state champions have no juniors on the roster and have had to rely heavily on sophomores and freshman to contribute, including Brie Orr.

Orr hasn’t played like an underclassman this season and the sophomore once again showed off her advanced skills, helping the top-seeded Wildcats advanced to the state tournament with a 25-19, 25-12, 25-11 victory over second-seeded Lakeville South in the Class 3A, Section 3 championship match at Prior Lake High School on Saturday.

Orr finished with 10 kills in the match.

“She is just amazing,” Wildcats’ coach Kathy Gillen said. “Brie is a big reason why we are here.”

Orr is listed as a setter, but the she does much more than run Eagan’s offense. She has the volleyball IQ of an upperclassman and it's not only evident in her understanding of when and where to set a ball, but also when to attack as a hitter or drop a ball into an open area of the court to avoid a block. 

“Brie gets the ball to everyone and can even bury a kill when she needs to,” Wildcats’ senior middle hitter Callie Schapekahm said. “It has been amazing to watch her play and grow this year. She is such a great player and am so happy to be a part of the team with her.”

Orr’s ability to fill so many different roles is a result of her unselfish attitude.

“Anything that I can do to help, I will make sure that I will do it,” she said.

Orr definitely did plenty for Eagan in the section championship match. She set up her teammates -- including Schapekahm, who finished the match with a team-high 11 kills -- and also confused Lakeville South with her play. The Cougars did not seem to know whether Orr as setting or attacking throughout the entire match.

The Wildcats dominated the second set and did not let off the gas in the third, where they scored 12 of the final 13 points to close out the set.

“This was one of our most complete games of the season,” Gillen said. “I was very pleased with how we played and kept the pedal to the metal in the third. It says a lot about how our team grew and learned in just a few days.”

Eagan learned the importance of keeping its intensity to finish off a match while facing Lakeville North in the section semifinals on Tuesday. The Wildcats won the second set 25-7 but eased up in the third and found themselves having to hold off the Panthers.

“Great learning experience for us,” Gillen said. “We played so well in the second on Tuesday and the next thing you know, we are tied 23-23 in the third.”

Saturday’s match was one of Orr’s better performances of the season. Gillen said Orr is young and will have the occasional rough game, but even those aren’t so bad.

“They really are not bad games,” Gillen said. “A bad game from Brie is not a bad game from most players. That tells you how really good she is.”

The section championship match was the third time the South Suburban Conference rival met this season. Eagan beat Lakeville South in the regular-season conference match on Sept. 16. The Wildcats lost to the Cougars in the Eagle Invitational Volleyball Tournament on Sept. 20, which was Eagan’s last defeat of the season.

“It was good to get it back from them,” Orr said.

The Wildcats begin their state title defense on Thursday in the Class 3A tournament at the Xcel Energy Center, and Eagan hopes to bring home another championship to cap an exciting fall for the student body and community. The girls’ soccer team won the Class 2A state tournament on Oct. 30.

“We are very excited to get going,” Schapekahm said. “It has been a lot of fun so far this year and we want to keep it going.”

Top-seeded Eagan defeated second-seeded Lakeville South 25-19, 25-12, 25-11 in the Class 3A, Section 3 championship match at Prior Lake High School on Saturday.

The South Suburban Conference rivals met for the third time this season. They split in the regular season.

The Wildcats advance to the Class 3A state tournament, which begins Nov. 6 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Eagan is the defending state champion and ranked No. 4 in the final Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association Class 3A poll.

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