It’s a quick turnaround for high school volleyball teams in Colorado as practice for the fall season starts less than three months from the end of last year.  State champions for the delayed 2020 season were crowned in Colorado Springs on May 13th and those clubs and all others can get back on the practice this Monday, May 9th.

As it stands right now, the volleyball season is slated for a return to normal as the state tournament field will again expand back to 12 teams instead of the eight that qualified during the COVID-shortened spring season.

Official games can start on Thursday August 19th and the regular season for all five classes will end on Saturday October 30th.  Each program can play up to 23 games during the regular season.

Regional seeding will be determined on Monday November 1st with the state tournament returning to a three-day event from November 11-13th.  For the second straight year, the state tournament will need to find a new home as the Denver Coliseum is being used as a homeless shelter through the end of the year and is not available.  Last spring, the tournament was held at World Arena in Colorado Springs but no official word on a location has been announced at this point.

PLAYOFFS

No district tournaments will be played this year as all qualifiers head straight into the regional round.  League champions earn automatic bids to the playoffs with the remaining teams selected based on RPI points at the end of the regular season.  There are several mixed-class leagues across the state in each division and only the overall champion will be guaranteed their spot in the regional tournament.  For example, the San Juan conference (1A-2A) will crown just one outright champion in regards to the post-season.  There will not be both a 1A and 2A automatic qualifier; just the overall champion.

Class 1A will conduct eight three-team regional tournaments with the winner of each advancing to the state tournament.  The top eight seeds overall will host those events.  Once they are complete, RPI will be used to determine four at-large qualifiers to the state tournament.

Classes 2A through 5A will conduct 12 three-team regional tournaments with the winner of each moving on to the state tournament.  No wildcards will be selected.  The top 12 seeds in the bracket will host regionals.

As mentioned, RPI will be used to determine regional qualifiers but once the field is determined, MaxPreps rankings and the CHSAA coaches’ poll will also be used to place teams in the regional bracket.  Teams can be moved up or down one spot to avoid having two league rivals among the top two seeds in a regional pairing.  Geography may also be used to move a number three seed.

The state tournament field will be announced on MONDAY November 8th.  Those qualifiers will compete in a three-day double elimination event leading up to the semifinals.  Once the semifinalists are determined, the tournament becomes single-elimination.

PLAYOFF QUALIFYING BREAKDOWN

There are 18 mixed leagues across the state in which only the outright champion will be awarded with an automatic playoff berth.  They are listed below.

MIXED LEAGUES

  1. CS Metro South (4A-5A)
  2. Pikes Peak (4A-5A)
  3. Southwestern (4A-5A)
  4. Denver Prep (4A-5A)
  5. South Central (4A-5A)
  6. Centennial (4A-5A)
  7. NCAA (4A-5A)
  8. Longs Peak (3A-4A)
  9. Colorado (3A-4A)
  10. Mile High (1A-2A-3A)
  11. Confluence (2A-3A)
  12. Union Pacific (1A-2A)
  13. Lower Platte (1A-2A)
  14. West Central (1A-2A)
  15. Intermountain (2A-3A)
  16. Western Slope (1A-2A)
  17. San Juan (1A-2A)
  18. Frontier (2A-3A)

The long list above leaves just 21 conferences that have teams from just one classification.  Winners of these races will also earn an automatic bid to the regional tournament.

CLASS 1A LEAGUES

  1. YWKC
  2. High Plains
  3. Southern Peaks
  4. Fisher’s Peak
  5. Ark Valley
  6. Black Forest
  7. North Central
  8. 5280

CLASS 2A LEAGUES

  1. Southern Peaks
  2. Santa Fe
  3. Black Forest

CLASS 3A LEAGUES

  1. Patriot
  2. Tri Peaks
  3. Metro

CLASS 4A LEAGUES

  1. Jeffco
  2. CS Metro North
  3. Western Slope

CLASS 5A LEAGUES

  1. Front Range
  2. Continental
  3. Jeffco
  4. East Metro

There are also four teams that do not compete for a conference championship and are considered independent.  All four clubs are placed in Class 2A and can only make the post-season through RPI standings.

INDEPENDENT TEAMS

  1. Atlas Preps (2A)
  2. Campion Academy (2A)
  3. Golden View Classical (2A)
  4. Poudre Community Academy (2A)

 

COLORADO PREPS COVERAGE

Colorado Preps will again provide in-depth coverage of the volleyball season with weekly updates on each classification and schedules involving top 10 clubs and other important matchups within conference races.  New this year will be more interviews as Colorado Preps will focus on interviewing coaches through the week who post important wins.