Eden Prairie boys volleyball earns top playoff seed after dominant regular season

After a standout 21-2 regular season that included a Lake Conference championship and a run of 12 straight victories, the Eden Prairie High School boys volleyball team enters the postseason as the top seed in the Section 2A tournament.

The Eagles wrapped up their schedule with back-to-back five-set wins over Wayzata and Eastview, then defeated Hopkins to clinch the conference title. Their lone loss in the final stretch – and just their second all season – came in straight sets to St. Michael-Albertville (STMA) on Thursday, May 22.

“That was a tough match for us and we just struggled all night,” head coach Steph Chapek said. “Definitely having the late loss was tough for us emotionally. This is an amazing group of seniors and juniors and they are ready for playoffs and left the loss behind us.”

Eden Prairie will face the winner of Tuesday night’s play-in match between Burnsville and Southwest Christian/Holy Family on Wednesday, May 28. A win would send the Eagles to the section semifinal on Friday against either Prior Lake or Mound Westonka. Shakopee and Jefferson – both of whom Eden Prairie beat earlier this season – are top contenders on the other side of the bracket.

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Chapek said the team’s adaptability has been a key strength throughout the year, noting that lineup changes and injuries forced the Eagles to evolve.

“We are a different team,” she said, “but also will need to really use our strengths of ball control and teamwork to win our section.”

Setter Deion Lange, a senior captain, said the team is focused heading into the playoffs.

“Last Thursday’s match against STMA we had an off night and they played well,” Lange said. “We talked after as a team and are ready to bounce back heading into sections.”

Lange said the team’s chemistry has developed over several seasons together – both on and off the court.

“I love this team, they are some of my best friends,” he said. “You can often find us grabbing food together after a match and playing sand volleyball on days we don’t have practice.”

Lange also reflected on the broader significance of the 2025 season, the first sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League.

“When I was 12 years old in 2019, I spoke at the Region 6AA board meeting in front of a number of athletic directors,” he said. “I spoke about what volleyball meant to me and why I thought it should be sanctioned. In 2022, several of my teammates and I attended the regional assembly meeting for the official vote. We were heartbroken when it was one vote short from passing. Finally, in 2023, they announced that the vote had passed … just in time for my senior year.”

Chapek credited a skilled and deep roster for the team’s success. Outside hitters Avi Kommalapati and Gabe Hernandez have provided steady play in both the front and back rows. Lange has led the offense at setter, with Ghauthamansankar Padmanaban anchoring the defense. Key contributions have also come off the bench from Daniel Jiang and Om Narendra.

“As far as maturity, we are a very emotional team,” Chapek said. “Learning to channel that emotion and energy back into the team for the benefit of each other has been a big focus.”