Once again, Eagan appears to be the heavy favorite in Section 3.
The No. 1-3A Wildcats have won the past two Class 3A championships and look primed to make another run to the Xcel Energy Center. Eagan (21-1) has lost just one match this season. That came against South Suburban Conference co-champion Lakeville South in five sets.
East Ridge (16-9), the No. 2 seed, will look to supplant the Wildcats. The No. 8-3A Raptors battled Eagan to five sets during the regular season.
Another possible candidate to knock off Eagan is third-seeded Rosemount. The Irish (18-9) enter section play winning six of their past eight matches and are led by junior outside hitter Jenna Grutzmacher, who leads her team with 240 kills.
Eastview (11-13) comes into the postseason as the No. 4 seed in the section.