Olathe Northwest beat Blue Valley North by a single point to win its third consecutive Class 6A girls tennis state championship on Saturday, Oct. 17.
The Ravens finished with 37 points to Blue Valley North's 36 at the Riverside Tennis Complex in Wichita, with the outcome hinging on the final match of the tournament, the Olathe Reporter reported.
One point separated the two teams.
The margin made this the closest of the program's three title runs. Two years ago, the Ravens won the first team tennis state championship in Olathe history in runaway fashion, according to the Olathe Reporter. Last year they repeated with 38 points at the College Boulevard Activity Center, according to Olathe Public Schools. This year, the championship came down to the tournament's final match.
The state title capped a dominant fall for head coach Drew Smith's squad. The Ravens won the Sunflower League championship, which the Sunflower League announced on X on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The Ravens also claimed its fourth straight 6A regional title, sending all six players to the state tournament as qualifiers, according to ONW Ravens Athletics on X. The Kansas State High School Activities Association crowned champions in four classifications at the state tournament.
The three-year arc of the program tells the story. The Ravens' first state title was a blowout. Their second, a comfortable repeat at 38 points. Their third title came down to the tournament’s final match.
After last year's championship, Smith reflected on the program's trajectory. "We had a goal to repeat, and the girls embraced that as a realistic challenge from the very beginning," Smith said in a June recap by Olathe Public Schools. "To see it become a reality is amazing."
Smith also said his confidence grew as results came in during the 2025-26 season and that the players performed beyond his expectations, according to the Olathe Public Schools recap.
The victory gave Olathe Northwest three consecutive Class 6A state championships, beginning with its first title in 2024.
