The St. Thomas Aquinas girls’ volleyball endured a tense championship match against a fellow Johnson County private school to take home the Kansas Class 5A state title over the weekend.

What happened: The championship match came down to a third and deciding set between Aquinas and St. James Academy in Lenexa, with Aquinas narrowly beating the Thunder in the final set 25-23.

• Prior to the final game, the two schools were tied 1-1, with Aquinas winning the first set 25-22, and St. James taking the second 25-22.
• “It was a nice feeling to get that one game underneath our belt, but then dropping the second set it was like ‘Okay, its’s time to battle for that third set,'” coach Sarah Cretors said.
• St. James’ loss made the school the runner-up for the second straight season.

Key quote: “The talent on our team was tremendous this year, but it always takes a little bit more than just talent,” Cretors said. “I think being such a tight-knit group gave them the edge. There just never was any issues on the team. They just connected really quickly as a group and pushed each other to get better.”

What else: Cretors said it was junior Kelsey Schenck and the other team captains who helped lead the squad to the title.

• “[Schenck] had a couple of dumps in the front row that are highlights for me,” she said. “They just stand out to me as a turning point of her taking control there as a leader.”
• Junior Tatum Grimes led the Saints with 84 total blocks this season, ranking her third statewide in Class 5A.

St. Thomas Aquinas’ past state championship wins

This year’s championship marked Aquinas’ 10th consecutive appearance in the state playoffs.

• The school lost in the semifinals to St. James last year.
• In total, Aquinas has made 29 state appearances and won seven state championship dating back to 1965.
• The program’s most recent title before this year came in 2020, when Aquinas defeated Lansing High School for the state title.