Recaps: Denver Repeats in 2A, Saint Ansgar 1A Champs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code: howe30 in the coupon code area</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://ighsau.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/25statevolleyball/2a7.pdf">BOX SCORE </a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Denver <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/11/2a-recap-reaction-denver-has-right-mindset-in-victory/">told us on Tuesday</a> that it benefitted from listening to a motivational speaker before arriving at this week's state tournament. The Cyclones felt it helped with staying focused on the task of winning a second consecutive championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"They help us get our mental side right before we play these big games," senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='389012' first='Channing' last='Johnson'] said. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Denver's minds needed to be in the right place to conquer the 2A 2025 state tournament field. That was the case all the way up to needing five sets to defeat an excellent Hinton team in Thursday's state championship match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It works for us," senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='389017' first='Bailey' last='Mullihan'] said of focusing inward as a team on their goals. "We're very much dependent on each other. We're in it together. We find that we stay in the moment with each other."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To be sure, there were moments of adversity for the Cyclones on Thursday. Together, they rose to the occasion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first wakeup call came when Hinton went up 2-1. The Blackhawks, led by Creighton commitment [player_tooltip player_id='389079' first='Bailey' last='Boeve'], showed that they play some pretty good volleyball up in far Northwest Iowa. They traveled almost five hours to do it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Denver responded with a 25-18 win in Set 4, sending the teams to the pressurized and decisive fifth set for the title. It was tied 6-6 early on. Following a couple of Blackhawk miscues, sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='755663' first='Adeana' last='Murch'] delivered three kills in a row - one through the block, one off the side of it and the final one off the top of it, to put the defending champs up, 11-6.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hinton closed to within 13-10 of the Cyclones, but a [player_tooltip player_id='827473' first='Mylee' last='Thurm'] kill set up triple-match point. The Blackhawks fought off the first on a Boeve kill, but Mullihan rose up at the outside pin, received a pinpoint pass from Johnson and slammed the ball down the line, igniting the celebration.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson was named the captain of the all-tournament team. She was joined on it by Mullihan, Thurm, Boeve, Hinton's [player_tooltip player_id='769009' first='Ellie' last='Friessen'], Dike-New Hartford's [player_tooltip player_id='389014' first='Abby' last='Jensen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='818213' first='Ryanne' last='Brubaker'] of Grundy Center. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SAINT ANSGAR CAPTURES FIRST CROWN </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://ighsau.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/25statevolleyball/1a7.pdf">BOX SCORE</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saint Ansgar found itself in the position it faced in Thursday's state championship match already this season. The Saints were tied 1-1 with Janesville on Sept. 25. Then, they needed to win one more set to claim victory. This time, two more were required for a title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They did it again, taking Sets 3 and 4, 25-19 and 25-20. Saint Ansgar had the school's first-ever championship trophy in its seventh trip to state, three of them happening in the last four years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Saints entered the tournament as the top seed. They swept their first two opponents, allowing them to reach 20 points only once in the six sets. Janesville reached that mark twice in four sets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's a dominant performance for a team that finished with a 31-4 record. It won 22 matches in a row, the previous loss coming against 3A state finalist Humboldt. There were two losses against 2A champion Denver and one to 5A regional finalist Cedar Falls. That's it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saint Ansgar's [player_tooltip player_id='455737' first='Sofia' last='Parrott'] was named captain of the 1A all-tournament team for her play at state. She was joined on it by teammates [player_tooltip player_id='814108' first='Jacey' last='Johnston'] and [player_tooltip player_id='552892' first='Lindsay' last='Kruse'] along with Janesville's [player_tooltip player_id='887022' first='Quinn' last='Sweeney'], [player_tooltip player_id='518035' first='Hayden' last='Anderson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='493972' first='Tayah' last='Pollock'], and Dunkerton's Taylor Kipp. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->