Author: Ace Sauerwein

Eden Prairie volleyball (15-12) closed out the regular season at home on Thursday evening with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-19) loss against the eighth-ranked Eagan Wildcats (13-9). Eagan was lights out at the service line in the first set. The Wildcats recorded six aces and gave the Eagles fits all evening. Junior Ava Bertsch tallied half the aces in the first set with three. Sets two and three were tighter compared to the first. EP struck first in each of the last two sets but failed to scratch a tally into the win column. Freshman Ellie Friedrichs led the way…

Minnetonka (8-6) breezed past the Eden Prairie Eagles volleyball team (11-6) Thursday night with a commanding 3-0 win (25-21, 25-17, 25-23). The Eagles jumped out to a 7-3 lead to begin the match, but that was all the Eagles had to cheer about. Minnetonka stormed back with eight in a row and used an 18-6 run to cultivate a double-digit lead. Despite a 10-point lead, Eden Prairie clawed their way back and trailed 24-21 before an error cost the Eagles the first set. Errors haunted the Eagles most of the night. Skippers’ sophomore outside hitter Hannah Jackson tallied six kills…

Eden Prairie volleyball (11-5) followed up a .500 weekend performance in Apple Valley at the Eagle Invitational with a 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-23) win over Chanhassen (9-8) Tuesday night. The Chanhassen Storm came into Tuesday’s matchup winners of six matches in a row and hadn’t dropped a set during the winning streak. Twelve sets won in a row turned into 13 after the Storm took a pendulum-like first set 25-23. Chanhassen used a pair of 6-1 runs while Eden Prairie scored seven consecutive in a high-octane opening set that belonged to the Storm. It was all Eden Prairie after…

The Eden Prairie volleyball team kept their momentum rolling Wednesday night with a straight-set victory over the Edina Hornets, 25-19, 25-15, 25-20. Wednesday marked the fourth consecutive sweep. Prior to Edina, EP swept Waconia, Caledonia and Apple Valley during the past week. Lillian Ekness and Cameron Berger spurred on the win over Edina. Ekness recorded a team-high 10 kills, while Berger was a force at the net, recording five blocks and three kills while leading the team in assists. Edina’s leading attacker was Tessa Dubbe, with 11 kills, a match-high. EP travels to Minneapolis Southwest on Thursday. The first serve…

Eden Prairie defeated Lakeville South, handing the Cougars their first defeat in nearly three years with a 21-6 victory Friday night at Aerie Stadium. The Eagles, ranked 2nd in the Star Tribune Metro poll, improve their record to 3-0, while top-ranked Lakeville South slips to 2-1. The Eagles’ defense set the tone early, stopping the Cougars’ opening drive on a fourth down in Eden Prairie territory. In the following defensive series, Eagles’ senior cornerback Devin Jordan intercepted a pass, returning it to the Cougars’ four-yard line. The Eagles’ offense wasted no time converting on the takeaway. Junior running back Dominic Heim’s touchdown…

After a successful weekend, the Eden Prairie volleyball team (6-3) defeated Waconia (2-4) Tuesday evening in straight sets (25-16, 25-17, 26-24). Winners of three in a row and five of their last six, EP kept it rolling Tuesday, winning the first pair of sets with ease. Senior Lillian Ekness made her impact felt as she tallied a match-high 14 kills. Fellow senior Evelyn Skattum followed Ekness with nine kills and an ace. The third set proved tricky for the Eagles. Waconia cultivated a 23-19 lead and it appeared the match was destined for four sets. Not so fast. Eden Prairie…

The Eden Prairie High School football team (2-0) opened their home schedule in dominating fashion by dismantling Farmington, 51-7, on Friday at Aerie Stadium. It was a celebratory night for the Eagles even prior to kickoff. The home crowd celebrated coach Mike Grant’s 30th year at the helm of Eden Prairie Football by welcoming the 1992 Eagles team, Grant’s first year, on the field. The celebration spilled over into the game as EP controlled the game from the beginning. Offensively, the Eagles strung together a balanced, methodical first half performance by scoring on five consecutive drives to begin the game.…