Lakeville South coach Steve Willingham had been to the state tournament nearly a dozen times before his program won its first girls volleyball state title last season.

He knows how hard it is to win one.

Winning back-to-back state championships turned out to be something Willingham and his players could appreciate just as much as the first.

The top-seeded Cougars were the last champion crowned Saturday, when they swept No. 3 seed Prior Lake 25-17, 25-15, 25-19 in the Class 4A final at Grand Casino Arena.

Lakeville South (31-3) joined Class 1A’s Mayer Lutheran and Class 2A’s Hawley in successfully defending state titles.

Not much was predictable in the big class this year.

Three teams that were in the top four of the final coaches poll in Class 4A, No. 1 Maple Grove, No. 2 Eagan and No. 4 Chanhassen, all failed to make the state tournament.

“There were quite a few schools who had been in the mix all year and there were a couple upsets,” Willingham said. “I think that speaks to the level of volleyball that we have here. So many teams are competitive and can win on a particular night.”

The Cougars lost only to Class 3A champ Marshall, Lakeville North and Eagan all season. The first two losses came in September. They won 26 of their last 27 matches, including eight straight.

“We lost a bunch of big players from our team last year, but we knew we could fill it,” senior Ashtyn Wolf said. “We knew we could get back here if we worked hard.”

Juniors Kaelyn Bjorklund and Elle Utecht returned after making the all-tournament team last season, when Lakeville South defeated Champlin Park in a five-setter in the final.

Bjorklund (39 assists) and Utecht (16 kills and 11 digs) rose to the occasion again on the big stage Saturday. Senior Romi Chlebecek joined them with a team-high 17 kills.

A 90-minute delay caused by a long consolation match had both teams trying to stay ready. Lakeville South players said they danced to hype music to pass the time. The fun carried over to the match.

The Cougars used a 12-2 run to pull away in the first set, led by big swings from Chlebecek and Utecht. After controlling the second set nearly from start to finish, Lakeville South needed an 11-1 run to seal the match in the third, sparked by freshman Kate Utecht’s three straight aces.

Prior Lake coach Mike Dean acknowledged that slowing Lakeville South’s loaded scoring attack was a tough task. The Lakers (23-11) were still a major turnaround story. They overcame star libero Sidney Burley’s early injury and bounced back from losing three straight matches twice this season to finish as state runner-up.

“Hats off to Lakeville South,” Dean said. “They’re a fantastic team with a lot of weapons that put a lot of stress on teams they play. But I’m really proud of the way my team conducted itself out there, really trying to keep fighting throughout.”

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Marshall wins Class 3A for 10th title

Marshall built on its own history and the state’s Saturday night under the Grand Casino Arena lights. The school took home its 10th girls volleyball state title, winning a four-set Class 3A final against Benilde-St. Margaret’s.

Marshall already held the record for state championships. Four teams are tied for second with seven. Marshall won its 10th title in its 34th trip to state.

In a 25-17 fourth set, senior middle blocker and setter Avery Fahl launched the ball that gave her team the state title it was unable to win last season, when it lost the final to Alexandria. Fahl had 21 assists and 21 kills in the final; she’s beyond 1,000 assists and 300 kills in her career.

Outside hitter and opposite Avery Minor led Benilde-St. Margaret’s with 19 kills and 18 digs.

The victory seemed inevitable after Marshall won the first set 25-10 and the second 25-15, but the real match seemed to begin halfway into the third set.

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Once the score hit 12-11, neither team would give an inch. Benilde-St. Margaret’s took the third set 29-27.

Marshall hit back in the fourth set, winning 25-17. Even with all those trophies in hand, last year’s state final loss fueled the team.

“I think ever since we took that loss to Alexandria, our kids have just had a tremendous amount of resolve and said, ‘Nothing is going to get in our way this year,’ ” head coach Dan Westby said.

Even before the match began, the importance of the state tournament was on display. “Set, spike, state,” the Red Knights’ warmup jerseys read. It was their second trip to state.

How will Marshall celebrate? Not by resting, Westby suggested. That’s not the style of his competitive group and it wasn’t all season.

“Every practice was a war,” Westby said. “Steel sharpens steel, and that’s how you get better.”