Golden Eagles claim another district crown, draw Mid-Buchanan next

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The Bishop LeBlond volleyball team has a storied history of district titles and state tournament appearances.

On Saturday, a new group of upperclassmen and leaders guided the Golden Eagles to another district championship.

Bishop LeBlond defeated St. Joseph Christian 3-0 to win the Class 2 District 16 title on Saturday, Oct. 24.

“We’ve been working really hard in practice and over time, we’ve really come and grown as a team,” senior Ella Arens said.

“This was their first, like, big moment where they had to own it and be the leaders,” LeBlond head coach Kim Huss said. “It’s awesome to see this.”

For the juniors and seniors on this year’s team, district titles are familiar. The seniors were part of back-to-back district championships and state appearances in 2023 and 2024, with the juniors sharing that success in 2024.

“The important thing for me is that this is the first time we’ve won with this group of kids, and so it’s the first time they’ve achieved it with their group,” Huss said.

Bishop LeBlond will face Mid-Buchanan (36-1) in the Class 2 state sectional this week. The Golden Eagles know it will be a tough matchup, but they have dreams of a return to state.

“We’ve been waiting for a while to get our chance, so we didn’t want to, I guess, mess it up,” junior Ava Libel said. “We just wanted to give our best.”

Bishop LeBlond takes on Mid-Buchanan in the Class 2 state sectional at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. MSHSAA has not announced the host site.