Even with its best team in over a decade, St. Joseph, the No. 2 seed and co-Region 22 champion alongside the No. 4 Rebels, cleared the field and knew it’d get the best out of its opponent on Saturday at Utah Valley University. Rich, notching its 19th state title this weekend in a 3-2 win.

Rich overrode an 18-14 St. Joseph lead in the third set, then carried its mojo into sets 4 and 5 to secure its first state title since 2022.

St. Joseph (26-6) split its regular-season series with Rich (18-12), answering the Jayhawks’ 3-0 sweep in September with a 3-2 win earlier this month ahead of the playoffs.

“They always end the season strong,” White said of Rich. “We can always count on Rich getting better every season by the end of the year, and we knew that, and we always knew we could beat them. That was probably our worst region game that we played, so we knew they were beatable.”

Saturday marked a big moment for the Jayhawks and 12th-year head coach Cindy White, who dug up the game footage of Ray Franklin’s 2013 team, which knocked off Piute for the program’s last state title 13 years ago inside the very same UCCU Center at UVU.

“They didn’t know what they were going to be walking into with the whole introduction; it’s overwhelming if you’re not used to that. I really think by doing that, showing them that (video), it helped them to relax their nerves.”

St. Joseph’s senior staples Mya Rogers (18 kills, 22 digs, 3 aces), Sophie Yates (26 digs, 5 assists, 1 ace), and Sophia Fischer (29 kills, 7 digs, 6 blocks and 3 aces) put the Jayhawks in positions to win, even after Rich settled in after its 0-2 start to the match.

It was the weight of those let sets, White said, that ultimately swung the momentum away from their end of the floor last weekend.

“Their experience of being there and knowing how to handle that pressure just took over,” White said. “When they took the lead back, our inexperience in being in that pressure situation, in a championship game, I think that their experience overtook ours.”

Of her seniors – St. Joseph waves off six total with this fall’s team – White tipped her cap to one of her most goal-driven classes in recent memory. The Jayhawks compiled 26 wins this season entering the state finals, a milestone since that Franklin team’s 31-win campaign dating back four presidential administrations.

“They set the tone for the season, and they set the tone that we will be in the championship game with their leadership and mentoring,” White said. “… I knew if any team we’ve had since being (at state) last time, this team could do it.”

The 6A, 5A, 4A and 3A state championships continue this week at UVU.

Connect with Standard-Examiner sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.