Coach Tim McHale said his Xavier girls volleyball team wanted to use the weekend to find out where they stood. The answer is simple -- on top.

The Gators swept through the first major invitational of the high school volleyball season, beating Gilbert 25-23, 25-22 Saturday night at Westwood High School in Mesa to take the Tournament of Champions title.

Xavier, the two-time defending 5A-I champion, beat Sunnyslope, the defending 4A-I champion, in the semifinals of the 32-team event. Sunnyslope had been placed ahead of all other Arizona teams in at least two national preseason rankings.

Gilbert led the final well into both sets before Xavier was able to rest control from the Tigers at the end.

Xavier was led by Kat Schultz with 10 kills and Stephanie Preach with 22 assists. Amanda Benson and Jenny Teslevich each had six digs for the Gators

Macey Gardner paced the Tigers with 11 kills and Alyssa Dwyer had six. Sarah Beane had 19 assists.

In the first set, Gilbert took a 13-8 lead after a kill and a block by Gardner.

“When we play a team like Gilbert, even we’re going ‘wow,’ ’’ said McHale, whose team beat the Tigers in five sets in a regular season match. McHale told his players to focus and get back on system.

Xavier was able to regroup, tying the set at 21 after a kill by Preach. Gilbert regained on a kill by Dwyer. Kennedy Wesley’s kill tied it at 22.

Xavier took a 23-22 led when Dwyer hit long, but Gilbert tied it again, scoring on a Dwyer block. The Gators won the last two points. Wesley’s hard serve caped the victory.

In the second set, the Tigers led 15-13 before Xavier won six of the next seven points.

“We’re young,’’ Gilbert coach Joe Hesse said.  “We accomplished everything we wanted to in this tournament.”

All the top teams will improve, McHale said.

“We know Gilbert and Desert Vista and Sunnyslope and the other teams are going to get better,’’ he said. “We have to get better. Now we know what we’re going to need to do and how we have to improve.”

In the semifinals, Xavier took on a familiar opponent in a new role. Xavier and Sunnyslope scrimmage against each other right before each season starts but never meet in a match that counts.

Shulz had eight kills and Preach had 20 assists as the Gators were able to win 25-17, 25-20. The Vikings made a run at the end of the second game behind the front-line play of Madie Kingdon.

Wesley came up big for Xavier down the stretch.

“We were a little tentative there, and she stepped up and took some big swings for us, ’’ McHale said.

In the other semifinal, Gilbert dispatched Desert Vista 25-23, 25-18. Gardner had 18 kills for the Tigers.

Betsi Metter had 10 digs for the Thunder. Kylie Harmon had nine kills and four blocks, and freshman Brooke Honeycutt had four kills and two blocks.

“We learned a lot,’’ Desert Vista coach Molly West said. “We haven’t played anyone who could block like that.”