Two weeks remain in the Class 3A volleyball regular season but much of the conference activity wraps up this week and there’s a huge battle in the Patriot that will draw much of the focus. Platte Valley plays host to Eaton that night and the winner takes over the outright lead. Neither team can clinch because they have a just one game edge on Sterling and neither team has faced the Tigers in league play yet.
Even though the two rivals have a combined seven losses, we still believe the Reds and Broncos should be ranked 1-2 in Class 3A. That’s because both teams are unbeaten against 3A teams this season and Alamosa is the only other team in the top 10 that can match that mark.
Platte Valley has lost to 5A Windsor and 4A Pueblo West and has posted quality wins over University, Valley, Faith Christian, Montrose, Middle Park and Weld Central. Eaton has dropped matches to 5A opponents Denver East and Mountain Vista and 4A rivals Lewis Palmer, Cheyenne Mountain and Palmer Ridge. The Reds have wins over Lamar, Faith Christian, Pine Creek, Resurrection Christian, University and Valley.
Instead of rolling through season stats for both clubs, we instead will look at how they’ve fared against league rivals University and Valley. Platte Valley and Eaton have each beaten both clubs over the past 10 days. Both teams beat University in four sets and Valley in three.
Platte Valley had four hitters post solid efforts in both games. Claire Smith powered down 16 kills against University and seven against Valley. Annika Zenk totaled nine kills in both games while Brianna Ley combined for 16 including a season best 11 vs University. Faith Fetzer recorded nine vs University and four against Valley.
Eaton featured the same type of depth in their two wins. Makenzie Harris was tops in both matches with 22 against University and 24 against Valley. Quinci Johnson reached double figures with 11 against Valley. Abbey Hays combined for 16 kills and Sydney Leffler 15.
Defensively, the Reds were led again led by Harris with 39 combined diggs. Michaela Hill had 29. Mckynna Gentry added 17 and Megan St Jean 14 in the win over Valley. Platte Valley picked up a combined 23 diggs from Kassi Shoemaker.
Maddie Uyemura has directed the Platte Valley offense the entire year and has 455 assists overall. She had 29 in the win over Valley and finished with 50 against University. That total was still three short of her season high 53 against Middle Park. Eaton splits their setting duties between Andi Anderson and St Jean. St Jean combined for 47 assists in their two wins and Anderson 35.
Sterling sits alone in third at 6-1 and they have a tough test with Valley on Tuesday. The Tigers, as mentioned, still have dates with the two teams ahead of them so they need to keep winning to stay within range. The Tigers also host a tournament on Saturday.
University is fourth in the conference and opens the week against Resurrection Christian on Tuesday and then finishes at Frontier Academy on Thursday.
Platte Valley tops the entire RPI list this week so regardless of how they finish, the Broncos should host a regional in two weeks. University is 4th and Eaton 8th this week. Resurrection Christian (16th), Sterling (20th) and Valley (24th) are also safely in the bracket. Frontier Academy (36th) and Liberty Common (37th) are squarely on the bubble.
The Metro league appears headed to a three-way tie for the championship. Lutheran, Faith Christian and Prospect Ridge all enter the final two weeks with one loss apiece and all will be favored in every remaining conference contest. Lutheran and Prospect Ridge have the most difficult assignments on tap Tuesday as they face Skyview Academy and Machebeuf respectively. They share fourth place but are two games off the pace.
Skyview Academy has had a nice season (10-4) and are getting good play at the net from sisters Eliana (116) and Emily Katzer (111) who have combined for 227 kills.
Faith Christian of course created the three-way tie with their upset of Lutheran last week (3-1). Allure Padilla and Ryanne Ferro each finished with 12 kills and Sophia Keister added 10. That trio offset the 23 kills register by Lions standout Payton Brgoch.
Lutheran is solid as a regional host as the Lions are 3rd in RPI. Faith Christian is 10th and may also get that opportunity. Machebeuf and Skyview Academy (17-18th) are both ahead of Prospect Ridge in RPI as the Miners check in at #21. Colorado Academy (30th) is hoping to be the sixth league team in the bracket.
Coal Ridge scored a major win over Cedaredge (3-0) last Saturday as the Titans won the battle of Western Slope league unbeatens. The Titans have just one league game remaining (at Delta Tuesday) so they clinched the title with that win. Cedaredge and Aspen are now tied for second with one loss apiece and they collide on the 23rd to probably decide that position.
Cedaredge can’t win the championship but the Bruins are still in great shape to be at home for a regional tournament. They begin the week 6th in the standings. Coal Ridge is outside the top 12 (#15) and still has work to do before they can host. Delta is 19th and Aspen 23rd this week. Roaring Fork is 40th and still in contention.
Saturday was also a championship day for Middle Park as they clinched another Frontier crown with a four-set win over Bennett. The two teams could meet again this Saturday as part of the league tournament. It begins on Thursday and wraps up two days later.
Four Panthers reached double figures in kills including Sammy Phillips (14) and Katie Trail (13). Morgan Shaw and Dominyka Reventaite each finished with 11. They outhit the Tigers 56-22. Jordan Emery handed out 52 assists and Erica Weimer provided 18 diggs. Phillips chipped in 14.
The championship has pushed Middle Park to 11th in RPI with Bennett a step behind at #12. Both teams have a good chance at hosting regional tournaments. Then there’s a large gap before the next league team appears as KIPP College is #33.
Alamosa (Intermountain) and Colorado Springs Christian (Tri Peaks) have already clinched their league championships. The Pirates are 22-0 overall and can finish off a perfect regular season by beating Monte Vista on Thursday. Then they will have over two weeks off before hosting a regional tournament the first weekend of November. The Pirates are 2nd in RPI. Centauri is the next highest ranked IML team (26th). Montezuma Cortez (#32) and Bayfield (#41) are on the bubble.
Colorado Springs Christian hosts Lamar on Tuesday. The Savages are third (9-2) and can only move higher with a win and two losses by Manitou Springs. The Mustangs go to Vanguard and can wrap up second place there. They also visit La Junta next week.
Despite sitting in second place, Manitou Springs tops the league in RPI. The Mustangs are #5 this week with Colorado Springs Christian #7. Both should be at home in the regional round and Lamar (#13) is hoping to join them. La Junta (#25), St Mary’s (#27), and Salida (#29) should get into the playoffs. James Irwin (#34), Buena Vista (#35) and Florence (#38) could also qualify.
DSST-Green Valley (6-0) leads the Confluence league race and they have a win over Eagle Ridge Academy on their resume. Eagle Ridge is one of three teams one game back as they’re tied for second with DSST-College View and Strive Prep. Key matches this week include Eagle Ridge at DSST-College View and Strive Prep at DSST-Green Valley. Both matches are on Wednesday.
Eagle Ridge Academy has spent much of the season in the RPI top 10 but recently they’ve fallen to #14. They’re still a solid pick to get into the regional tournament and still have a chance to serve as one of the host sites. DSST-Green Valley is next at #22 with DSST-Stapleton #28. DSST-College View is #32 and could be the fourth league team in the bracket.
One other team to keep an eye on is Englewood. The Pirates compete in the 4A Colorado 7 during the regular season but drop into the 3A bracket for the playoffs. Englewood shares the conference lead with Weld Central and that solid play has them 9th in the 3A RPI. They’re 13-2 overall and have four league matches remaining including two this week; Alameda and Arvada.
