MURFREESBORO — The word "dynasty" doesn't intimidate the Briarcrest volleyball team.
After winning their second consecutive TSSAA volleyball state championship in Division II-AA, and fifth in seven years, are the Saints building a dynasty?
"I think we have one already," said Briarcrest coach April Jaurequi, following her squad's 3-2 win over CPA in the title match on Oct. 22 at MTSU's Murphy Center. "So, the hard part is sustaining it. But we're incredibly fortunate with the athletes we have at our school, and Briarcrest does a great job supporting us."
Briarcrest has been to the DII-AA state championship match 11 of the past 12 years, winning the title seven
times during that stretch.
This wasn't the easiest of the titles for the Saints (32-7). Briarcrest lost in the opening round to Father Ryan before digging its way out of the losers bracket to reach the finals. And for the second straight season, CPA (29-6) took the Saints to five sets, 25-15, 17-25, 25-19, 15-25, 15-9.
"If you're a good team, you know how to come back stronger every time, every set," said Briacrest junior outside hitter Ashari Jenkins, who was named state finals MVP with 28 kills and 17 digs. "I thought we did a better job in the fifth set, coming out and making sure that we're on top."
The match flip-flopped, with the two teams trading sets until the fifth. The Lions and Saints were tied at 8 in the fifth until back-to-back Jenkins kills gave Briarcrest a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
Camille Northcross had 11 kills and Allison Floyd had 52 assists for Briarcrest.
CPA was led by freshman Sophia Freije with 19 kills while junior Taylor Willeford added 18. The Lions, who have reached the state title match two consecutive seasons (also taking Briarcrest to five sets in 2025), are hoping they are building something special as well.
"The last two years have been great," said CPA coach Carrol Denure, about a CPA program that had reached state only twice prior to 2025. "We've been building the culture and the program, from our middle school all the way up. I don't think we're a one-and-done program at all."
Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at cjoyce@dnj.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Briarcrest adds to TSSAA volleyball dynasty with another DII-AA state championship
