At least four and sometimes five and even six teams from the Patriot league are often included in the Class 3A volleyball rankings each week and the conference has won the last eight state championships. Four teams are still unbeaten in league play this year and the two favorites collide on Thursday in what could end up as the championship contest.
Those two teams of course are #2 University and #3 Eaton. They finished 1-2 last year in the standings last year and both reached the state quarterfinals with the Reds going on to win a fifth consecutive championship. Eaton opened the season ranked #1 again this year but a few losses to 5A and 4A opponents have dropped them to third in the two most recent polls.
Despite the fall to third, many volleyball fans may still consider the Reds as the team to beat. They’ve not lost a match to a 3A opponent since September 7th 2013 (Manitou Springs) and included in that run are ten straight wins over University. Only one of those ten matches went to a full five-sets and six have been three-game sweeps. Eaton won both regular season matches a year 3-0.
University has just one loss this season and that came against top ranked Lutheran in five sets last month. They return more of their roster from last year’s semifinal team than Eaton but the Bulldogs, like all other clubs in the Patriot, must also deal with the mental hurdles in beating the five-time state champions. They’ve not done so since sweeping the Reds in 2012.
Seniors Abby Schaefer (158) and Madelyn Malm (140) have combined for 298 kills for University this year and both have extensive state tournament experience. Another veteran starter is senior Alexsei Vierya who leads the team with 471 assists.   Freshman Logan Conlin is third in kills (77) but this will be her first taste of the intense rivalry with Eaton. The Bulldogs have 104 aces through 12 matches and the talent is evenly spread as six players are already in double figures for the season.
Defensively, Schaefer again leads the team with 247 diggs. Malm has 197 and Kylie Williams has chipped in 193. Conlin (155) and Vierya (113) are also in triple figures.
Eaton counters with senior hitters Mackenzie Harris and Quinci Johnson who are 1-2 in hitting with 185 and 96 kills respectively. Harris combined for 44 kills in the two wins over University last year including 27 in the first meeting. The Reds have produced 113 aces with Harris (23) and Johnson (22) again leading the way.
Freshman Megan St Jean (224 assists) and junior Andie Anderson (175) share setting duties. Sophomore Makynna Gentry tops the Reds in diggs with 185 followed by Harris (109) and Johnson (101).
League wise, the Reds (4-0) and Bulldogs (3-0) enter the week tied with Platte Valley and Sterling (both 3-0) atop the standings. Thursday’s match opens a crucial stretch for University as they play the other two league leaders next week. The Bulldogs scored an important win over Valley last week (3-1). Eaton also goes to Liberty Common this Tuesday and University entertains Estes Park.
Platte Valley has two matches and will be favored in both. The 5th ranked Broncos are Brush Tuesday and host Liberty Common on Thursday. Sterling plays the same two nights against Strasburg and Brush respectively. Valley is ranked 9th this week and sits a game off the pace in fifth because of last week’s loss to University.
The Western Slope is also home to a battle of league unbeatens this week as Aspen meets Coal Ridge on Tuesday. Both clubs are 4-0 and tied with #10 Cedaredge (6-0) for the conference lead. The Bruins have three matches this week but all are non-league games with Paonia, DeBeque and Rangely so they will maintain at least a share of the lead to next week. For Aspen, the Coal Ridge test is their only match of the week while the Titans have a second conference game at Gunnison on Saturday.
Aspen has played just one conference match since September and that resulted in a 3-1 win at Delta last week. They had early league sweeps of Roaring Fork, Basalt and Olathe. They enter the Tuesday clash off a hard-fought five set loss to 2A #9 Vail Mountain. That match was part of the Battle Mountain tournament and the Skiers also fell to the host Huskies in four sets.
Coal Ridge has also played Vail Mountain this year and lost to the Gore Rangers in four sets on September 18th. They’ve won two straight since and six of seven overall. The Titans have just one loss against a 3A opponent in their season opener against Middle Park. Senior Kara Morgan tops the team with 128 kills followed by Taylor Wiescamp with 97.
6th ranked Colorado Springs Christian gained control of the Tri Peaks chase with a 3-1 win over #8 Manitou Springs last week.  Both teams entered the contest without a league loss but the Lions now stand alone at the top. Jubilee Diamond knocked down 14 kills and Christa Vogt 12 in leading the Lions offense. Abby Miller chipped in 10 and added four aces. Kiersten Brock handed out 51 assists against just two errors. Avery Stein led the defensive effort with 20 diggs. Megan Engesser added 16.
The Lions this week have conference matches with St Mary’s on Tuesday and at Salida on Thursday. Those two clubs are part of a four-way tie for third place. They have two league losses and share the spot with Lamar and Buena Vista.  CSCS also has a big date with Valley on Saturday that will impact RPI standings and regional tournament seeding.
Two other key matches inside the Tri Peaks that will help sort out spots two through six are on Thursday as Lamar entertains La Junta and Manitou Springs entertains Buena Vista. The Mustangs need a win to stay alone in second. If they are victorious and CS Christian also gets Salida and St Mary’s as expected, then the winner between Lamar and La Junta will be alone in third.
The Metro league has settled in as expected. #1 Lutheran and #7 Faith Christian share the lead at 5-0 and are working to their October 9th showdown that will likely determines the top two spots and seeds for their league tournament. Prospect Ridge, which lost to Lutheran last week, is alone in third at 3-1 and could get back into the mix by upsetting Faith Christian on Thursday. Lutheran is home to host Stargate on Tuesday and St Mary’s Academy on Thursday.
With 4th ranked Alamosa still unbeaten on the season and with a two-game lead on all conference challengers, the more exciting race in the Intermountain is who will finish second. Hard to tell at this point. Centauri (3-2) has the spot right now but Montezuma Cortez, Pagosa Springs and Bayfield are all just one game with three league losses apiece. Centauri plays two of those challengers on Saturday as they meet Bayfield and Montezuma Cortez. Pagosa Springs also has a date with Alamosa that day so the race could look completely different come Sunday.
Alamosa remains the favorite to win the league crown going away. As mentioned, the Pirates have a two-game edge on all other clubs and their remaining four conference games are all at home. The Moose also earned a trophy over the weekend beating all competitors to land the Battle Mountain tournament title.
Middle Park (5-0) is the upper division leader in the Frontier and KIPP Collegiate (6-0) has the top spot in the lower division. The two rivals do not play each other during the regular season but they could meet up in the league tournament later this month. Middle Park’s main challenge for the top division crown remains Bennett and they face the Tigers on October 11th. This week the Panthers host Lake County on Tuesday. Bennett also has an interesting non-league match with nearby rival Byers on Thursday.
Eagle Ridge Academy is not included in the top 10 this week but the remain favored to land the Confluence championship. They meet one of their chief rivals on Wednesday when they host DSST-Green Valley. The teams are a combined 17-5. DSST College View is a third league member with an overall winning record (7-2) and all three clubs enter the week unbeaten inside the conference.
