St. Thomas Aquinas, Bishop Miege, Heritage Christian win state volleyball championships

Here are the championship results for all classifications on the final day of the 2022 Kansas high school volleyball tournaments, where the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints, Bishop Miege Stags and Heritage Christian Academy Chargers were all crowned state champs.

Class 6A championship: Rural beats BVHS

Washburn Rural beat Blue Valley 25-21, 26-24 in a hard-fought final match for the 6A championship at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina on Saturday.

Blue Valley reached the ultimate match with a 25-22, 25-20 victory over Blue Valley North in the semifinals Saturday morning. Washburn Rural advanced with a 25-9, 25-18 win against Mill Valley.

Blue Valley North went on to beat Mill Valley 25-16, 25-18 in the consolation final for third place — BV North finishing third in the state, Mill Valley fourth, with that outcome.

Friday’s Pool I results: Blue Valley 2, Liberal 0; Washburn Rural 2, Blue Valley West 0; Blue Valley West 2, Liberal 0; Washburn Rural 2, Blue Valley 0; Blue Valley 2, Blue Valley West 1; Washburn Rural 2, Liberal 0.

Friday’s Pool II results: Blue Valley North 2, Mill Valley 0; Lawrene Free State 2, Wichita Northwest 0; Mill Valley 2, Lawrence Free State 0; Blue Valley North 2, Wichita Northwest 0; Blue Valley North 2, Lawrence Free State 0; Mill Valley 2, Wichita Northwest 1.

Class 5A championship: gritty Saints win

Perhaps it was fitting that Saturday’s 5A championship match between St. Thomas Aquinas and St. James Academy went to a third and deciding set.

In the final showdown between the Thunder and Saints, it was tied 1-1 after two sets — Aquinas won the first 25-22, SJA the second 25-22.

The third was just as close before the Saints (40-3) prevailed 25-23 to win the 2022 5A title. St. James was runner-up for the second straight postseason.

Earlier, in a pair of three-set semifinals, Aquinas beat Topeka Seaman 25-15, 19-25, 25-9 and St. James beat Hutchinson 24-26, 25-23, 25-19.

Friday’s Pool I results: Hutchinson 2, Andover Central 1; St. Thomas Aquinas 2, Bishop Carroll 0; Andover Central 2, Bishop Carroll 0; St. Thomas Aquinas 2, Hutchinson 0; Hutchinson 2, Bishop Carroll 0; St. Thomas Aquinas 2, Andover Central 0.

Friday’s Pool II results: Topeka Seaman 2, Maize South 1; St. James Academy 2, Lansing 1; Lansing 2, Maize South 0; St. James Academy 2, Topeka Seaman 0; Topeka Seaman 2, Lansing 1; St. James Academy 2, Maize South 0.

Class 4A championship: Miege tops unbeaten Andale

Bishop Miege beat Andale for the Kansas Class 4A volleyball championship Saturday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kan. The final match to earn the No. 1 hardware was a battle for the Stags, but Miege got past Andale 25-22, 32-30.

It was defending champion and No. 1-seeded Andale’s first loss of the 2022 season. And the first state championship at Miege for Stags coach Lindsay Zych, who last season coached Lansing to the Kansas Class 5A title and played college volleyball at UMKC.

Earlier Saturday morning, Miege beat Louisburg 25-14, 25-21 in the 4A semifinals while Andale topped Circle 25-12, 25-19. In the consolation final, Circle beat Louisburg for the third-place trophy, 25-12, 26-24.

Here’s a look back at Friday’s results for Class 4A, in which Miege went 3-0 to reach the Saturday semis:

Friday’s Pool I results: Rock Creek 2, Paola 0; Bishop Miege 2, Andale 0; Bishop Miege 2, Paola 0; Andale 2, Rock Creek 0; Bishop Miege 2, Rock Creek 0; Andale 2, Paola 0.

Friday’s Pool II results: Tonganoxie 2, Clay Center 0; Circle 2, Louisburg 0; Louisburg 2, Clay Center 0; Circle 2, Tonganoxie 0; Louisburg 2, Tonganoxie 0; Circle 2, Clay Center 0.

Class 3A championship: HCA three-peat

Heritage Christian of Overland Park beat Cheney in the Saturday semifinals at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

And then HCA beat Nemaha Central for the championship.

The Chargers of Heritage Christian finished the season 36-7 and ended with an 18-game winning streak. It’s Heritage Christian’s third consecutive Kansas state championship.

Earlier Saturday, in the other semifinal, Nemaha Central advanced to the championship match with a win against Riverton, 25-9, 25-20.

Friday’s Pool I results: Cheney 2, Beloit 0; Nemaha Central 2, Smoky Valley 0; Cheney 2, Smoky Valley 0; Nemaha Central 2, Beloit 0; Beloit 2, Smoky Valley 1; Nemaha Central 2, Cheney 0.

Friday’s Pool II results: Goodland 2, Eureka 0; Heritage Christian 2, Riverton 0; Heritage Christian 2, Goodland 0 Riverton 2, Eureka 0; Heritage Christian 2, Eureka 0; Riverton 2, Goodland 0.