For the St. Thomas More Cougars volleyball program, winning state championships has become the norm — and expectation.
On Saturday, the Cougars won their sixth consecutive Division II state championship, sweeping St. Michael the Archangel in straight sets 25-20, 25-16, 25-23 at the Cajundome.
“That was an awesome game,” Cougars coach Jessica Burke said. “It was super well executed. We had talked and watched a lot of film (Saturday morning), had a game plan, and just went up and beyond what I thought we would do.”
The Cougars, who were in the state finals for the seventh consecutive season, have turned sustained excellence into tradition. The program has won 602 matches and 12 volleyball state titles with Burke at the helm.
“No,” Burke said when asked whether she ever envisioned accomplishing so much when she took over the job 17 years ago. “I had no idea what to expect coming from the college game. But I think after we won the first one, I was like, ‘This is fun,’ and I just want to keep doing this over and over again.”
It’s the Cougars’ second victory over the Warriors this season. St. Thomas More also defeated St. Michael on the road in late October in four sets.
Clare Thomson, who was named the most outstanding player of the state tournament, credited the Cougars’ ability to fight as the key to their success against the Warriors.
“We just had a lot of grit,” Thomson said. “Whenever we would lose some points, we always came back. We fought to stay on top. That was a really good momentum shift towards our side.”
After recording 29 assists and 14 digs, Thomson was excited and surprised when named the MVP.
“It’s really amazing,” Thomson said of winning the award. “It could have gone to a lot of people, and I’m really honored that it went to me.”
Other top Cougars’ performers were Morgan Dunn (nine kills, 10 digs), Abby Strother (eight kills) and Virginia Blanchard (10 digs, two aces).
With the mission now complete and another championship in hand, the Cougars (40-5) look forward to appreciating a “special season.”
“It’s not about accumulating things or gathering things. It is about the girls, and each team is a new opportunity for me to let them experience this feeling, which is so amazing,” Burke said. “I love all of my past teams, but I’m so in the present moment and just so eternally grateful for all of this. It’s just super special, and I don’t even know what I’ve done to deserve this honestly.”
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