Monday, October 26, 2026
Rich High Volleyball 1 A Champions
Rich had already come back from the brink once. To win the 1A girls volleyball state championship Saturday, the Rebels would have to do it again.
Down two sets and trailing St. Joseph 18–14 in the third, Rich appeared headed toward a championship loss. Instead, the Rebels scored 11 consecutive points to keep their title hopes alive.
Two sets later, they faced an even more desperate situation. St. Joseph had erased a five-point deficit in the deciding fifth set and held championship point at 14–13.
But Rich refused to surrender, scoring the final three points to complete a stunning 28–30, 20–25, 25–18, 25–21, 16–14 reverse sweep and capture the program’s 19th state volleyball championship.
“I told them to be mad and be determined and not to just lay down,” Rich coach Danelle Wadsen said of her message during the third-set turnaround.
Her players responded with one of the most remarkable scoring runs of the championship.
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After dropping the opening two sets, the Rebels watched another four-point deficit develop late in the third. St. Joseph was seven points away from completing the sweep, but Rich suddenly seized control.
The Rebels scored 11 unanswered points, turning an 18–14 deficit into a 25–18 victory and completely changing the direction of the match.
That momentum carried into the fourth set, where Rich and St. Joseph battled to an 18–18 tie before the Rebels pulled away for a 25–21 win.
For Wadsen, the comeback was about her players recognizing what they could accomplish together.
“Each individual has a lot to offer, and then when they all work together they can do it, and it was just a matter of each of them deciding that they can go do their part,” Wadsen said.
With the championship coming down to one final set, players from both teams stood smiling on the court as their respective fan sections cheered them on.
After four grueling sets, neither team was ready to let the moment slip away.
Rich appeared to take control of the fifth set, building an 11–6 advantage and moving within four points of the championship, but St. Joseph wasn’t finished.
The Jayhawks mounted a furious comeback, scoring seven of the next nine points to tie the set at 13–13. Another point gave St. Joseph a 14–13 lead and an opportunity to claim the championship.
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Rich called two timeouts during the late rally, but the Rebels answered when it mattered most.
They won the next three points, denying St. Joseph’s championship opportunity before securing the final two points needed for a 16–14 victory.
The dramatic finish was a fitting conclusion to a match that had been fiercely contested from the opening set as the Rebels added another championship to a tradition that has made Rich one of Utah’s most decorated volleyball programs.
“I think it’s pretty huge,” Wadsen said. “They wanted to win, and the community kind of expects it, so we’re glad we went and did it.”
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