Bishop McGuinness swept Shawnee 3-0 on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Noble High School to claim its second straight Class 5A state volleyball championship.
The Irish (28-8) did not lose a set across three tournament matches, according to OKC Friday's Jason Jewell. The title is the program's fourth overall and third since 2023.
Ranked No. 1 all season, McGuinness backed up that position by going 9-0 in sets at state. The Irish opened with a 3-0 win over No. 8 Lawton MacArthur, then beat No. 4 Tulsa-Bishop Kelley 3-0 in the semifinals before dispatching No. 7 Shawnee in the final.
Senior Arielle Yapi made the most of the last match of her high school career. She posted a team-best 18 kills and six digs in the championship match.
First-year coach Laurel Church said Yapi has been the team's leader all season and came through in every critical moment. Church won a title in Year 1.
"It was a blast," Church told OKC Friday. "Teams underestimated Shawnee but we were able to play our game and take care of business."
Fellow senior Maggie LoPorto recorded nine kills, three assists and three digs. Senior Merritt Fuller collected 15 assists, 12 digs and four kills. Church said LoPorto was a steady presence in the middle, adding that opponents could not defend her.
Senior Ella Herrin rounded out a four-player senior class that helped McGuinness hold its No. 1 ranking for two full seasons.
The Irish beat two of the other three classification state champions during the regular season. McGuinness defeated 6A champion Edmond Memorial and 3A winner Community Christian in early September. Among fellow state champions, the Irish's only loss came to 4A champion Mount St. Mary in the final match of the regular season.
