Anoka volleyball downs Eagan in 5 sets in Class 4A quarterfinal

The Tornadoes fought off an Eagan comeback in the state tournament

The No. 5-seed Anoka Tornadoes (26-3) defeated the No. 4-seed Eagan Wildcats (22-9) 29-27, 28-26, 26-28, 26-28, 15-4 in the Class 4A MSHSL volleyball tournament quarterfinal on Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center.

“This team thrives on pressure,” Anoka head coach Chris Fenwick said.

The Tornadoes went down 18-22, the largest first-set lead for either team, before finishing on an 11-6 run to win the first set 29-27.

Anoka continued the momentum early in the second set. The Tornadoes led 15-8, but the Wildcats rallied to tie the set at 25. Anoka pulled out the set with regardless and entered the third set with a 2-0 lead. 

Again the Tornadoes took a lead in the third and fourth set, but Eagan completed the comebacks to send the game to a fifth set.

“Fighting from behind is exhausting,” Eagan head coach Mckenna Melville said. “The whole time you’re trying to push and you’re trying to fight. [Eagan] was a really good defensive team.”

The Tornadoes did not allow Eagan’s momentum to carry into the fifth set. The shorter set was perfect given how each set had gone, and Anoka dominated on its way to a 15-4 victory.

“I told them you guys were first to fifteen on three of those sets,” Fenwick said. “So just do the same. They looked at me and said, ‘Ok.’”

Anoka will play defending champion and No. 1-seed Wayzata in the semifinal.

“This team definitely thrives on being the underdogs,” sophomore Hayden Reeder said. “We have confidence.”

BOX SCORE

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