The 4A volleyball schedule includes seven matches that will play a major role in determining league championships across the state. Many of those same matches will also factor into RPI standings to decide which teams will host regional tournaments. We look at each conference race, the best matches and the top 36 teams in RPI.
CONFERENCE RUNDOWN
- CS Metro: Woodland Park (5-0) and Mesa Ridge (3-0) have the conference lead with Canon City (4-1) and Classical Academy (3-1) both one game back in the loss column. Woodland Park has already beaten Canon City and Classical Academy so the Panthers are in great shape for the league crown. They meet Mesa Ridge on the 31st and that match could determine first and second provided the Grizzlies also beat Canon City this Tuesday and Classical Academy on the 29th. Losses in both make their final match with Woodland Park most likely meaningless to the league title.
- Jeffco: D’Evelyn (9-0) has a nice two-game cushion over Evergreen (7-2). Golden (5-3) sits alone in third. D’Evelyn plays Golden on Tuesday and Green Mountain on Thursday and wins in both give them the championship. A loss in either makes the regular season finale with Evergreen on the 30th extremely important. The two leaders have met once this season with D’Evelyn winning in five.
- South Central: Pueblo County (8-0) is one game up on Pueblo West (6-1) thanks to a win in the first meeting of the two. Game two is set for Thursday. County is the outright champion with a win while West creates a tie for the top spot if they avenge the earlier loss. All other league teams have at least five league losses so the Hornets and Cyclones have already wrapped up the top two spots.
- Tri Valley: Windsor (7-0) has clinched the championship and the Wizards moved into the 5A Top 10 this week. They’ll again bump to that division for the post-season and seek a second consecutive state tournament bid. Erie and Mead (both 5-2) share second place. Erie has the advantage as they beat the Mavericks 3-1 in the league contest. That means the Tigers are second if they beat Holy Family on the road on Tuesday. Mead will settle for third unless the Tigers drop that match. If that happens, they jump to second by beating Frederick on the same night.
- Western Slope: Glenwood Springs (10-1) and Palisade (9-1) are co-leaders but that tie will be broken when they meet for the second time this Thursday. The Demons won the first matchup and will host the rematch. It’s their conference finale so they clinch the crown with a win. Palisade also has a trip to Eagle Valley on Saturday and must win both to secure the outright championship.
- Colorado 7: Englewood (10-0) leads Skyview (9-1) by one game and has a win over the Wolverines. They meet again on October 31st and that game will determine if the Pirates win the outright title or if the two will share the top trophy. Weld Central (7-3) is third.
- Pikes Peak: Two more important matches on tap this week will help finalize the top three or four spots. lewis Palmer (5-0) leads Cheyenne Mountain and Palmer Ridge (both 3-1) by one game but play both this week. First up is a trip to Palmer Ridge on Tuesday and then the annual battle with Cheyenne Mountain is two nights later. With such a close race, there are several scenarios left but the Rangers of course land another title with wins in both. Palmer Ridge and Cheyenne Mountain also meet next week so the race will stretch into the final week.
- Northern: Silver Creek (12-0) and Thompson Valley (11-1) sit one-two and their rematch on Thursday will crown either the Raptors as outright champion or a two-way tie for the top spot. Game one went to Silver Creek in four sets. Niwot and Longmont meet on the same day and that outcome will decide third and fourth. Both enter the week at 8-4. Longmont won the first meeting in five sets.
- Southwestern: Durango and Montrose share the lead (5-1) with Fruita Monument (4-2) still very much alive. Of the two leaders, Durango has the more difficult schedule as they meet both Fruita Monument (Friday) and Montrose (Saturday) on the road this week. Montrose has a second remaining league match but they’re favored against Grand Junction Central on Tuesday. Fruita Monument also battles Grand Junction before season’s end.
TOP MATCHES OF THE WEEK
- Tuesday – Mesa Ridge at Canon City: Woodland Park is heavily favored to land the conference crown but the two teams involved in this one should battle for second along with Classical Academy. The Tigers (10-6) have the second most wins behind Woodland Park while Mesa Ridge checks in at 8-6.
- Tuesday – Lewis Palmer at Palmer Ridge: It’s been an inconsistent season for Lewis Palmer but the three-team reigning state champs are back atop the Pikes Peak conference. They lead the Bears and Cheyenne Mountain by one game and play both this week. Wins in both give them another conference crown. Palmer Ridge suffered an upset loss to Air Academy and must win this one to stay in the championship discussion. The Ranges are third in RPI and Palmer Ridge 9th so both should be at home for the regional round.
- Thursday: Cheyenne Mountain at Lewis Palmer: All these two schools have done is combine for the last 11 state championships in Class 4A. So it’s no surprise that this game on the top matches list for the week. As mentioned, they’re separated by just one game in the conference standings. The Rangers are in great shape to be at home for regionals but Cheyenne Mountain (14th) could use a few wins down the stretch to climb back into the top 12.
- Thursday – Pueblo County at Pueblo West: The Hornets go for back-to-back conference championships by beating the Cyclones for a second time this season. County won the first matchup 3-1 back on October 8th and neither has lost since. The Hornets also top the RPI standings this week so they’re in line for the number one overall playoff seed. West is sixth in RPI and will also be at home for the regional bracket.
- Thursday – Palisade at Glenwood Springs: The Demons beat the Bulldogs in the first league meeting and was alone in first until last week’s loss to third place Battle Mountain. That loss means Glenwood must beat Palisade a second time to capture the league title outright. A loss drops them to second unless Palisade is upset by Eagle Valley on Saturday. The Demons are also 12th in RPI and in a tight battle with the likes of Woodland Park, Erie and Thomas Jefferson for one of the last teams to earn a regional tournament at home. Palisade is 18th and probably can’t climb into the top 12 even with a conference crown.
- Thursday – Silver Creek at Thompson Valley: Another rematch that will determine if one teams win a title or if two will share it. The Raptors took game one 3-1 and that’s the only loss for either team in the Northern conference. Another win keeps Silver Creek atop the standings while the Eagles need a victory to earn a piece of the top prize.
- Saturday – Durango at Montrose: Entering the week, the two teams share the Southwestern lead but that scenario could change pending the Demons match with Fruita Monument the night before. Fruita is third at 4-2 and a win there leaves Montrose alone in first. If Durango wins on Friday, then the winner between the Demons and Montrose the next night will earn the championship. Win or lose, Montrose has a very high seed for regionals as they’re 2nd in RPI. Durango is 20th and will be on the road for the post-season.
RPI STANDINGS (Top 36)
When the regular season ends, the top 36 teams in RPI will earn a berth in the regional tournament with the top 12 also serving as host for the bracket.
- Pueblo County
- Montrose
- Lewis Palmer
- Coronado (comes in from 5A CS Metro)
- Discovery Canyon
- Pueblo West
- Mead
- Battle Mountain
- Palmer Ridge
- Woodland Park
- Erie
- Glenwood Springs
- Thomas Jefferson
- Cheyenne Mountain
- Evergreen
- D’Evelyn
- Skyview
- Palisade
- Silver Creek
- Durango
- Golden
- Air Academy
- Thompson Valley
- Eagle Valley
- Lincoln
- Green Mountain
- Standley Lake
- Skyline
- Mullen
- George Washington
- Denver North
- Ponderosa
- Holy Family
- Frederick
- Classical Academy
- Canon City
