SALINA – She didn’t totally commandeer it, but for quite a while Saturday afternoon at Tony’s Pizza Events Center, if you wanted a picture with the Class 6A volleyball championship trophy, Kaitlyn Burke was your gal.
 
The Mill Valley senior wove her way through Jaguar players and fans with a firm grip on the coveted prize, occasionally stopping for a Kodak moment with a teammate or group of friends.
 
Burke, an outside hitter, also didn’t hog all the highlights on the court during Mill Valley’s title match against Blue Valley North. But she provided plenty of big plays and served up match point as the Jaguars swept the Mustangs 25-23, 25-19 to win the program’s first state championship.

 
Mill Valley defeated Blue Valley North for the third time in four matches this season to put the finishing touch on a 37-5 season. The Jaguars won the title one year after falling to Blue Valley North in the 6A third-place match.
 
“It’s amazing,” said Burke, a Loyola Chicago commit. “We beat our school history that we made last year. It’s the best feeling. Being able to put that trophy in our school is very rewarding.”
 
Mill Valley outlasted a familiar cast of teams that comprised an all-Kansas City area final four on Saturday. The Jaguars defeated Blue Valley West, a squad that spoiled their season opener in August, 25-23, 25-20 in their penultimate match, while Blue Valley North grinded out a 25-22, 17-25, 25-21 victory over Olathe Northwest in the other semifinal.
 
That subtle difference in court time prior to the championship may have played a factor, Burke said.
 
“They played three sets to basically 25 each time and we beat Blue Valley West in two, so I think coming in we had fresher legs and we ultimately had more energy than they did,” she said.
 
The Jaguars also had difference-makers like freshman outside hitter Riley Riggs.
 
Facing a team bidding for its second 6A title in three seasons, Riggs helped offset Blue Valley North’s talented offense led by setter Janelle Green and hitters Logan Parks and Jenna McClure with her powerful and timely swings. Her cross-court kill and service ace helped the Jaguars build an 18-9 lead in the opening set.
 
“She is, in my opinion, the best freshman in the state or even in the country,” Mill Valley coach Kylie Corneliusen said. “If you don’t know what age she is, you’re never going to guess that she’s a freshman.

“She lives for intense matches. That is when she’s playing her best. I, as a coach, am just selfishly excited to have her for three more years because she will make an impact in this program.”
 
Riggs made strides along with her teammates during the season, a fact reflected in Mill Valley’s battles against Blue Valley North. The teams first met Sept. 9 at the Olathe South tournament, and the Mustangs blistered Mill Valley 25-18, 25-14 on their way to a 25-0 start to the season.
 
“We lost the serve-receive game that day, and we just honestly got killed,” Burke said. “Our coach said we had to step up our block because obviously there’s some pretty big girls on the other side of the net.
 
“We worked on serve-receive and playing together, and ultimately I think that’s what won us this game.”
 
Mill Valley’s focus on those initial weaknesses allowed it to turn the tables on Blue Valley North on Sept. 30 at Shawnee Mission Northwest’s Van Gorp tournament. The Jaguars won a three-set match, handing the Mustangs their first loss with a 29-27 victory in the final set.
 
Mill Valley also defeated the Mustangs on its home court in mid-October amid an atmosphere Burke said Jaguar fans re-created on Saturday. The Jaguars won a pair of two-point sets that day, and by then had firmly established their identity.
 
“At the beginning of the year, we had to work out some kinks, figure out what was our best lineup,” Corneliusen said. “From that point forward, they never stopped fighting. They came into every single game knowing we’re the team to beat and we have to own it and be confident.
 
“I think that’s what they did for the rest of the season, and when playing (Blue Valley North).”
 
Blue Valley North eventually settled into Saturday’s championship match, whittling the nine-point, opening-set deficit to one on two occasions. But Mill Valley junior Ashlyn Blazer answered with a kill from the middle that brought the Jaguars a pair of set points. They cashed the second for the 25-23 win when Green’s serve sailed long.
 
“We had a crazy semifinal match and then we literally had 20 minutes to get ready for the next one,” Blue Valley North coach Matt Allin said. “That’s not an excuse, but we expended a lot of energy and emotion, and we just had a hard time getting back into it for the finals and just regrouping.
 
“Mill Valley was super offensive and we couldn’t match their offense, to be honest. They came and they brought it.”
 
With Parks delivering a couple early kills, the Mustangs built a 6-1 lead in the second set. But Mill Valley soon chipped away. The Jaguars’ defense gave them their first lead at 12-11 when they denied Blue Valley North’s Natalie Herrington at the net.
 
Mill Valley never surrendered it.
 
Riggs served during a five-point run for the Jaguars that extended their lead to 20-14. As the Jaguars drew closer, Burke delivered a kill that gave her the chance to serve at match point. Mill Valley got it – and its first state title – when sophomore Ella Florez smothered McClure’s tip attempt from the left side.
 
In the end, the confidence the Jaguars gained during the season and their attention to detail landed them the ultimate prize – one that Burke clung to as she posed for photos during Mill Valley’s post-match celebration.
 
“They’re a really good team and they’ve got some big hitters,” Corneliusen said. “I’ve always said you have to win the serve-pass game and we won the serve-pass game. Even when they got a kill, we were still up there saying, ‘Hey, next point.’
 
“That’s what gave us the edge. We never let up. The gas was always on.”
 

CLASS 6A
 
AT TONY’S PIZZA EVENTS CENTER, SALINA
 
SEMIFINALS
 
Blue Valley North def. Olathe Northwest 25-22, 17-25, 25-21; Mill Valley def. Blue Valley West 25-23, 25-20.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP
 
Mill Valley def. Blue Valley North 25-23, 25-19.
 
THIRD PLACE
 
Olathe Northwest def. Blue Valley West 25-17, 25-17.