Safford, Thatcher dominated in the ‘70s, ‘80s
Northwest Christian among recent powers
Girls volleyball’s 10 greatest dynasties
2. Thatcher
1974, 1976, 1980-81, 1986-87, 1991-92, 2002, 2008, 2014-15
Arguably the most decorated team on this list, Thatcher’s supremacy spans five decades and is tied with Northwest Christian at 13 state titles, the second-highest total behind Safford. The Eagles began its winning legacy shortly after the 2A conference started in 1972. They also has a record 25 championship match appearances including eight consecutive between 1985 and 1992.
3. Phoenix Northwest Christian
1991-95, 2003-04, 2007, 2010-11, 2013, 2018-19
The reigning two-time 3A state champion Crusaders have ruled in every conference and division that they’ve been realigned during the past three decades. They have the second-most state titles ever at 13. Northwest Christian began its dynasty in 1991, winning five consecutive 1A titles.
It has five undefeated seasons in its program history: went 89-0 from 1991 to 1993, led by former head coach Cheryl Lombardo; produced records of 20-0 in 2003 under Jamie Bair and 21-0 in 2010 with Beth Lemke in 2A. The Crusaders won two additional titles during Lemke’s tenure in 2011 and 2013 in Division IV, and she was replaced by Jenna Hope for NWC’s recent back-to-back titles.
4. Phoenix Xavier Prep
1996-98, 2002, 2005, 2007-10, 2013, 2017-18
It’s not surprising that Xavier Prep is on another list for greatest high school girls sports dynasties in Arizona history series (check our all-time best team polls for cross-country, soccer, badminton, golf, tennis, swimming). Before the Gators won their recent back-toback 6A championships in 2017 and 2018, they began their dynasty in 1996 and produced a three-peat 5A title run thereafter. They’ve earned 12 total titles since then, which ranks third all-time.
5. Chandler Valley Christian
1993-2000, 2009
The Trojan force was unstoppable, rivaling only Thatcher’s superiority in 2A during the 1990s through 2000. Valley Christian holds the conference-record eight consecutive state titles between 1993 to 2000. Former head coach Deanna Anglin led the Trojans, and won their last state championship under Molly Stark’s guidance in 2009.
6. Kayenta Monument Valley
1993, 1995, 1999-2000, 2008-10, 2014 Monument Valley was known for producing one of Arizona’s most dominant girls cross-country teams from the late 1970s through the early 1990s. Lucinda
Nash continued the school’s winning legacy in girls volleyball, picking up where its legendary runners left off after their final state team title in 1993. She coached the Mustangs eight 3A girls volleyball championships, which trails Safford’s Norma Bellamy for the second-most by a single coach in state history. Nash set her own marks as well. She has the record for the most single-season wins when Monument Valley went 47-0 in 2000.
7. Phoenix Sunnyslope
2006, 2008-2011, 2013, 2017, 2019
The 5A defending champion Vikings rival Xavier Prep and Northwest Christian as the state’s winningest girls volleyball programs over the past 15 years. Amber LeTarte started Sunnyslope’s championship dynasty in 2006, coaching it to a flawless record of 41-0 in the 4A conference’s former Division II subgroup. Sunnyslope won seven more state titles including four consecutive from 2008 to 2011 in the AIA’s brief Division I and before taking three more championships within the following six seasons.
8. Joseph City
1979, 1987, 1999-2002, 2004, 2006 Joseph City sporadically won state titles in the 1A conference in 1979 and 1987 under coach Dale Miller. At the dawn of the new millennium, Darrel Mosier led their long 1A reign in winning an impressive six state titles in eight seasons.
9. Chandler Seton Catholic
2003, 2005-06, 2008-11
Seton Catholic is another team that bounced around to multiple AIA conferences and divisions while accumulating seven titles to its 2000s dynasty. The Sentinels won their first three state championship in 2003, 2005 and 2006 in the 3A conference. They moved up to 4A and notched three more from 2008 through 2010 before getting its last one in 2011 in Division II.
10. Phoenix Camelback
1980, 1986-87, 1989-90
Tucson Sahuaro was 5A’s earliest team to beat in the late 1970s, going 55-0 in between 1974 and 1976 and won two more titles in 1981 and 1982. When their state title run ended, Camelback replaced them as the best 5A team in the 1980s. Nadine Sass mirrored Sahuaro’s success by leading Camelback to all five of its championship wins.