Watch the Wildcats play, and one thing is evident -- they’re about as even-keeled as they come.

Eagan won its second straight Class 3A volleyball title 10 months ago, and the Wildcats showed they are the team to beat this season with an impressive and steady performance on Tuesday.

Eagan, which entered the match with 17 victories and ranked No. 1 in the Class 3A coaches’ poll, swept No. 2-3A Lakeville North 25-16, 25-16, 25-16, a home win in which there weren’t many evident highs or lows for the team. Instead, it just rolled through the opponent.

“You play against teams a lot that fly really high when the momentum’s going, but then when it’s not, nothing goes right,” Eagan coach Kathy Gillen said. “We never want to be that high or that low. We’re always going to be a little bit up or down, but you never want to sway that much.”

That kind of almost robotic efficiency is a big reason the program has three of the last four 3A state titles and is eying another this year, which would make three straight.

“Just staying level-headed and just trusting in your other teammates is really key to success,” senior McKenna Melville said. “I think our whole team plays very level-headed, we all trust each other very well, which helps with our success.”

Eagan’s also blessed with balance. Melville led the Wildcats with 14 kills against the Panthers, but Kennedi Orr and Anne Wong each had seven kills. Ally Murphy and Ellie Husemann also contributed on offense, and Orr and Kelley Johnson were both effective setting their hitters. Everyone made plays on defense as well.

The mental side of the game brings all that together and translates to consistent winning. At this point, avoiding extreme highs and lows is part of the program’s DNA. Gillen said the Wildcats, are blessed with lots of great athletes who chose to play volleyball.

“Once you get that in your gym, I think the older kids keep it, the younger kids learn it,” Gillen said. “It’s just a way of life. I don’t do anything special; this is the way we are in drills, this is the way we work. That’s just the way we’re supposed to be, isn’t it? They don’t know any different.”

Eagan moved to 18-1 overall and 6-1 in South Suburban Conference play after handing Lakeville North (17-2, 5-1) its first league loss of the season. The Wildcats did it in part by playing more consistent volleyball and limiting errors. It’s just the way they do things.

“I mean, it has been for however long I’ve been here,” Melville said. “I think it’s Gillen’s mentality. She’s just like, play with confidence, but don’t play with too much confidence, because if we play really up there."