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Orem • It had been a long time since San Juan had been to a volleyball final it had lost. In eight previous finals appearances, the Broncos — led by coach Cassy Moon — had won every one.

Richfield didn't show much reverence for the streak, snapping it in a 3-1 win (25-22, 16-25, 26-24, 25-21) that gave the Wildcats their first Class 2A title since 2008. Although the team had to ride out an error-filled second set, hard-hitting Richfield left little doubt that it was the top squad Saturday night at Utah Valley University.

"It was our goal from the beginning, and we've built so much over the season," middle blocker Megan Bean said. "We struggled with our passing, but we talked with our coach about it and got it together."

When the Wildcats' offense was in sync, there was little San Juan could do — particularly against Bean. The 6-foot-1 junior was a force, blocking shots and throwing down 19 kills.

Bean sealed the game with a forceful hit that ricocheted off Bronco blockers and out of bounds on match point. The Wildcats fell atop each other in celebration, relishing their title.

"Defensively, no one can rival her," coach Brett Beagley said of Bean. "We definitely went to her a lot in this game."

The biggest lull for Richfield was in the second set, when it seemed they couldn't stop making errors. Spikes and serves kept bouncing into the net, and defensively San Juan was finding all the right holes. Bronco setter Simone Shumway helped her team keep composure, notching 38 assists in the game, and San Juan's hitter kept pressure on the Wildcats.

Beagley, sensing the set was already lost, tried to blow the pressure off his team.

"We've done this all year, and I don't know why," he said. "I just told them let's get a few points and get some momentum to end this set. Sure enough, we were ready to go after that."

The Broncos remained resilient, tying up the score several times after giving up big deficits in the later sets. But the Wildcats always seemed to have an answer, and with some stellar serving from Bean, Sloane Roundy and Jaleigh Wheeler, they managed to close the book on San Juan.

It's a victory that holds much promise for Richfield: The top three hitters on the team are all juniors. But this season, Bean said the senior class — Wheeler, Katelyn Eyre and Kailyn Harris — were indispensable, particularly in the huddle.

"We honestly wanted to do this for them," Bean said. "They did so much, we wanted to make sure we won it for those girls."

In other games:

Third place,Enterprise 3, Grand 0 • The Wolves rebounded from a tough semifinal loss with a sweep of the Red Devils.

Taylor Phelps directed the offense with 33 assists, and freshman Riley Lyman led with 13 kills for Enterprise.

Fifth place, South Summit 3, Waterford 1 (25-22, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22)• The Wildcats topped region rival Waterford after splitting the previous two contests. Net play was a big factor, as South Summit racked up 18 blocks in the match.

Sixth place, Beaver 3, Emery 1 (16-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-19) • Schyler Jordan and Macail Wood were the standouts for the Beavers, who knocked off Emery after dropping the first set.

kgoon@sltrib.com Twitter: @kylegoon —

Richfield 3, San Juan 1

R Richfield tops San Juan 3-1, the first time the Broncos have lost in nine championship appearances.

• Megan Bean leads the Wildcats with 19 kills on the night.