Class 3A For the first time since 1999, Alexandria is a state volleyball champion. The fifth-seeded Cardinals completed their “Cinderella” run through the state tournament with a third-straight seeded upset Saturday, topping second-seeded Marshall 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 25-22 to claim the program’s third title. Marshall entered the match as the three-time defending state champion. The Tigers swept Alexandria back on Oct. 10. The Cardinals (24-10) dropped three sets on that day, then only two more the remainder of the season en route to the championship. Hadley Thull led Alexandria with 23 kills, while Addison Rossum added 15. All four sets were competitive Saturday. In the opener, Alexandria led 24-20, only to have Marshall reel off three-straight points before Thull finally closed the deal with a kill. The Cardinals led the second set 21-20 before winning four of the final six points of the set. Marshall won the final four games of the third set after it was tied 21-21. And the Tigers actually led the fourth set 22-20, only to have Alexandria seal the championship with a 5-0 run, which was capped by one final Thull Kill. Reese Drake had 20 kills for Marshall (27-7), while Brooke Gillingham finished with six aces. Class 2A Hawley 3, Southwest Christian 1: In just its second state tournament appearance in program history, Hawley has its first state title. The Nuggets toppled fourth-seeded Southwest Christian 25-22, 20-25, 26-24, 25-22 in Saturday’s final at Xcel Energy Center. Katarina Vetter had 16 kills to lead third-seeded Hawley, while Annaka Johnson added 11 of her own. Claire Lemkuil and Avery Beckering each had 18 kills for Southwest Christian (22-12), who got to the final by ousting top-seeded Albany on Friday. Saturday’s title match was tightly contested. What else was new for Hawley? The third-seeded Nuggets (28-5) went five sets with St. Croix Lutheran in the quarterfinals, then again went the distance against Chatfield in the semis. In the final, the third set was tied at 24-24. At 25-24, Hawley finally put the set away with an ace from Emma Sannes to nab a 2-1 lead in the match. Hawley’s lead in the fourth set was just 23-22 before Vetter and Johnson secured the title with consecutive kills. Class A Mayer Lutheran 3, Minneota 0: After consecutive runner-up finishes each of the last two seasons, Mayer Lutheran is back atop the Class A volleyball world after its 25-14, 27-25, 25-17 victory over Minneota. It’s the Crusaders’ fourth title, all of which have come since 2016. Mayer Lutheran (30-5) surrendered no aces while committing no serve-receive errors in a cleanly played match. Meanwhile, second-seeded Minneota (24-11) committed 35 total errors. Jaylyn Coequyt paced the Vikings with 16 kills. Six different Crusaders players logged three-plus kills, led by 10 each from Marley Martin and Courtney Tuttle. The lone drama came in Set 2, when top-seeded Mayer Lutheran led 23-16, but Minneota clawed back with seven-straight points to tie the set at 23-all. But, with the set tied at 25-all, Mari Buhr and Martin put away consecutive points to win the set for the Crusaders. Related Articles High School Sports | State volleyball: Lakeville South wins first state title in dramatic fashion High School Sports | High school football: Owatonna edges Cretin-Derham Hall in overtime in Class 5A quarterfinal High School Sports | High school football: Chanhassen eliminates St. Thomas Academy in Class 5A quarterfinals High School Sports | High school football: Shakopee runs past Mounds View in 6A quarterfinal High School Sports | High school football: Anoka slips past Lakeville North in 6A quarterfinal