Dover-Eyota defeats Caledonia to win section 1, Class 2a title

A Historic Ascent to the Section Title

When Lauren Peck stepped onto the court as an eighth grader in her first varsity season back in 2022, the Dover-Eyota volleyball team managed just two wins, finishing a grueling 2-21 overall. For Peck, Saturday was the reward for five-plus years of persistence and dedication. Top-seeded Dover-Eyota defeated No. 3 seed Caledonia 26-24, 25-22, 14-25, 25-19 at the Mayo Civic Center to claim the Section 1, Class 2A championship. For the first time in school history, the Eagles are heading to the volleyball state tournament.

“It doesn’t even feel real,” Peck said after the match. “That last point, we hadn’t even scored the point yet, and I was trying to hold it together. And then we scored, and I was crying, and I’m not even an emotional person, but yeah, I was crying. It literally feels unreal.”

Building a Winner Through Gradual Transformation

The transformation was gradual. After the 2-21 campaign in 2022, the Eagles recorded six wins in 2023, 14 victories in 2024, and last season, in 2025, they finished 19-11, ending their year with a loss to Caledonia in the Section 1-2A quarterfinals. Peck, one of the team’s two seniors, tallied 30 assists, 14 digs, 3 kills, and 2 aces in the section final victory.

Tense Sets Against a Familiar Conference Rival

The championship match marked the second meeting between the Three Rivers Conference rivals this season, following a four-set Dover-Eyota victory back on September 3. Saturday’s clash proved equally tense. The opening set saw the teams tied at 23-all before the Eagles edged ahead. Caledonia controlled the early stretch of the second set until a 16-16 tie allowed Dover-Eyota to take command.

Caledonia answered decisively in the third, jumping out to leads of 7-2, 11-8, and 20-13 to dominate the frame and force a fourth set. But the Eagles regrouped, opening the fourth with a 3-0 advantage and holding off a late Warrior push to secure the match.

Cody Janzen Credits Disciplined Defense and Smart Placement

Third-year head coach Cody Janzen pointed to disciplined defense as the deciding factor. “Team effort was fantastic,” Janzen said. “Our blockers knew kind of where they needed to be, which helped us out a ton. That first set, second set, we got a lot of big key blocks, a lot of big key touches up there. Defensively, we were playing extremely scrappy.”

Janzen also noted the strategic shift that fueled their offense. “It wasn’t all about power; it was about our placement.”

Eagles Advance to State Quarterfinals After Solid Performances

Sophomore Anndi Frie led the Eagles with 15 kills alongside 22 digs and 2 blocks, while junior Phoebe Piotrowicz added 9 kills. For Caledonia, Ashlyn Reinhart paced the attack with 18 kills and 17 digs, and Avery Augedahl contributed 45 assists and 13 digs as the Warriors finished their season with a 20-7 record.

The Eagles, now standing at 28-3 overall, advance to the Class 2A state quarterfinals on Thursday, November 12, at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul. Seedings, pairings, and game times will be finalized once all section championship matches across the state conclude.