State tournament: Lakeville South, Eagan advance to the Class 4A state championship

State tournament: Lakeville South, Eagan advance to the Class 4A state championship Strib Varsity The top-seeded Cougars will play for a third straight title. Eagan relied on junior star Mesa Jameson to advance. Comment Gift Share By Marcus Fuller The Minnesota Star Tribune November 12, 2026 at 2:07 PM Lakeville South coach Steve Willingham didn’t want to compare his previous teams that reached the Class 4A girls volleyball state championship, but this year’s squad has a chance to join a select group. After defeating Apple Valley 25-20, 25-20, 25-15 in Thursday’s state tournament semifinals, the top-seeded Cougars (29-3) can be the first program to win three consecutive big-class titles since Wayzata’s four-peat from 2019 through 2023. “This year we don’t talk about the other two teams too much,” Willingham said. “This is our team. And it’s a different history and we’re writing a different story. And I love the story so far. We’ve had our ups and downs and our setbacks. And we’ve managed to rally and we’re peaking at a really great time.” Standing in the way of Lakeville South’s historic run is a familiar foe: No. 2 seed Eagan. The Wildcats got 37 kills from star junior outside hitter Mesa Jameson to defeat Champlin Park in four sets — 25-20, 23-25, 25-17 and 25-19 — in the other 4A semifinal. Saturday’s Class 4A state final matchup will be the third meeting this season between Lakeville South and Eagan, who split during the regular season. 1/14 The Wildcats (28-3) lost to Lakeville South in the Eagle Invitational championship on Sept. 26, but three days later, gave the Cougars their first home loss since 2024 in a five-set win behind Jameson’s career-high 39 kills. “I’m not worried at all,” Jameson said about playing the two-time defending 4A champions again. “I’m very confident of this game. It’s going to be very close. I hope it goes to five or four [sets]. I like these type of games.” The South Suburban Conference will have teams in the 4A final for the sixth straight year. Apple Valley (23-7), which also belongs to the conference, was making its third straight state tournament appearance after breaking a 23-year drought in 2024. ADVERTISEMENT advertisement The Eagles finished fifth in the conference this year and sixth the previous two years. “It’s a special thing to be a part of ... and the standard of this program is completely different,” Apple Valley senior outside hitter Sophia Cowan said. “It’s kind of nice to see other people respect us a little more.” Against Lakeville South, Apple Valley pulled within 21-20 in the second set after a 4-0 rally. Lakeville South had eight attack errors and zero aces at that point, but the Cougars responded with four straight points, including Bjorklund’s ace and kill to end the set, 25-20. Related Coverage State quarterfinals: Champlin Park in Class 4A, Stewartville in 3A advance to semifinals after five-set thrillers Girls Volleyball Seniors Elleora Utecht and Bjorklund led Lakeville South with 15 and 11 kills, respectively. Eagan and Champlin Park were in a thrilling duel between two of the state’s top hitters, Jameson and Rylee Inman. Inman led the Rebels with 24 kills. Champlin Park won the second set 25-23 to tie the match, but the Rebels couldn’t slow down Jameson. The 6-3 five-star prospect and Pittsburgh recruit had 11 kills in the fourth set, including four of the first five points. Jameson’s 37 kills are believed to be the most in the state tournament since Jordan’s Brittany Chambers finished with 45 in 2007. advertisement Eagan last played for a state title in 2019. The Wildcats, who last won state titles in 2015 and 2016, fell to East Ridge in the section finals as a No. 1 seed last year. Jameson missed the section final match to join the U.S. junior national team. This season, Jameson’s presence fueled a five-set win in the section championship and two state tournament matches to advance to Saturday’s final. “I think we do a good job under pressure,” Eagan coach McKenna Melville said. “We’ve been preparing them for games like this the whole season.” Share Comment About the Author Marcus Fuller Reporter Marcus Fuller is Strib Varsity's Insider reporter, providing high school beat coverage, features, analysis and recruiting updates. He's a former longtime Gophers and college sports writer for the Minnesota Star Tribune. See More advertisement advertisement More From Girls Volleyball State quarterfinals: Champlin Park in Class 4A, Stewartville in 3A advance to semifinals after five-set thrillers Girls Volleyball advertisement advertisement