Apple Valley rolled into the postseason with the opposite of momentum.

The Eagles lost seven of their final 11 regular-season matches.

“That can definitely set some teams back,” said Apple Valley junior outside hitter Sophia Cowan, “but we know who we are.”

The Eagles still made the state tournament, despite their sputtering finish, and were seeded seventh heading into the Class 4A state tournament. No matter. Coaches agreed Seeds No. 2-7 can all beat one another in this year’s Class 4A tournament.

That came to fruition Wednesday, as the Eagles upset second-seeded East Ridge in a five-set quarterfinal thriller in St. Paul.

The Eagles (19-9) will next face third-seeded Prior Lake in the semis at 11 a.m. Thursday. Apple Valley was swept by Prior Lake on Oct. 9, part of that difficult se

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