Regional tournaments are next on the schedule for teams that qualified for the Class 5A post-season. Those events are set for this Friday and Saturday with the 12 winners moving to the state tournament November 10th and 11th in Denver. We take a look at each bracket.
REGION #1 – MOUNTAIN VISTA HIGH SCHOOL
Mountain Vista (19-4) did not win the Continental conference title but the overall resume for the Golden Eagles puts them in the number one spot for the regional round. Two of their four losses came in league play against Castle View and Chaparral who are also hosting regional tournaments this weekend. Other losses are against Denver East in the finals of the Dakota Ridge tournament and to four-time 3A state champion Eaton.
Balance is the key for Mountain Vista offensively as four players registered at least 100 kills this season. Amanda Keller leads the list with 187. Setting duties were shared by Nicole Lazzell (320 assists) and Bella Brown (257).
Both Liberty (11-10) and Boulder (11-12) hovered around the 500 mark most of the season. The Lancers ended tied for third in the Colorado Springs Metro with Pine Creek and Palmer. Boulder won just four games in the rugged Front Range league and finished 9th. Jordan Valentine paces Liberty with 185 kills and Hannah Bagley is Boulder’s top hitter with 202.
REGION #2 – FOSSIL RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL
Defending state champion Fossil Ridge (19-4) enters the post-season red hot; winning 12 of their last 13 matches. The lone loss in that stretch came last Saturday to 4A power Lewis Palmer in the semifinals of the Cheyenne Mountain tournament. The Sabercats also topped Longmont, Windsor and Valor Christian so they’ve played high level competition late in the season.
Their top four hitters are all juniors. Riley Zuhn (204 kills) and Catie Semadeni (199) share the number one option but Mataya Megson (169) and Emily Wind (105) also get their chances. Semadeni leads the team in aces with 55 and Courtney Dix has 54. Dix is the team leader with 399 assists but Tyler Lindgreen (374) also sees plenty of court time.
Eaglecrest (13-10) ended up third in the Centennial but enters regionals coming off a 1-3 visit to the Rangeview tournament. They topped the host Rangers but lost to Fruita Monument, Fairview and Thomas Jefferson. Lorrin Poulter tops the Raptors with 219 kills, Maya Waddington has 180 and Audrey Black 168. All are underclassmen.
Brighton (13-10) placed second to Rangeview in the East Metro but were just 4-9 outside the conference. Lily Pierce (157 kills) and Makenzie Bufus (142) lead the Bulldogs offense. Shelby Hernandez served up 62 aces during the season.
REGION #3 – CASTLE VIEW HIGH SCHOOL
After starting the season outside the rankings, Castle View (19-4) spent a good share of the campaign ranked number one and enters the bracket as the third overall seed. A loss to Fruita Monument in the finals of the Rangeview Tournament on Saturday may have prevented the Sabercats from getting the top seed. The loss to Fruita was their third five-set loss of the season. They had won nine of ten going into the contest.
Kate Menz, with 273 kills, leads a talented Castle View offense. She’s joined by Ashely Echols (203) and Holly Schmidt (189) up front. Two others are nearing 150 kills so there is plenty of depth at the net. Lauren Lowry decides who gets the ball and she needs just 96 assists in the post-season to reach 1,000 for the season.
Lakewood (11-12) fell below five hundred with a 1-3 showing at the rugged Cheyenne Mountain Invitational. They opened by beating Mesa Ridge but then lost to Lewis Palmer, Windsor and Rampart. Kristen Rugh has 135 kills and Avery Hughes 111. They helped the Tigers finish in a three-way tie for second behind Chatfield in the Jeffco.
Broomfield (9-14) recorded six of their wins in league play but still finished seventh in the Front Range. Sophomore Vicki Fankell tops the team with 206 kills and Nicole Gonzalez is next with 162.
REGION #4 – CHAPARRAL HIGH SCHOOL
This bracket is only one of 12 that has more than one conference champion in the bracket. Chaparral captured the rugged Continental title and Rangeview swept through the East Metro without a loss (10-0).
Because of the depth and quality of the conference, Chaparral (18-5) is heavily favored to advance from this region and eventually challenge for the state championship. They’ve won 10 of their last 11 with the lone loss suffered to Eaton in the Cheyenne Mountain Tournament. The Wolverines opened the season just 1-3 but have won 17 of 19 since.
Six players have at least 100 kills for the Wolverines and a seventh has 94. Grace Haberland leads the list with 175 kills and Julianna Dalton has 167. Haley Roberts paces the team in aces (68) and assists (462).
Rangeview (15-8) won just five games outside their conference.  Lexi Hurtado is the top hitter (250 kills) and Leslie Garcia the top setter (338 assists).
Loveland (17-6) quietly had a very good season and enters the regional tournament maybe playing their best volleyball overall. They lost to Berthoud in the finals of the Golden Tournament on Saturday to end a long 13-match winning streak. Five players have between 125-166 kills; a group led by Jaxi Melby (166), Ava Jacobsen (161) and Kayleight Hillyard (159).
REGION #5 – FRUITA MONUMENT HIGH SCHOOL
Fruita Monument (22-1) has the best overall record and plenty of momentum entering the post-season. The Wildcats have won 20 straight matches and their latest came over top ranked Castle View in the finals of the Rangeview Tournament.
Riley Snyder paced the team with 24 kills against Castle View; giving her 322 for the season. Dana Thomson added 20 kills on Saturday pushing her to 287 for the season. Truth Hafey leads the Wildcats with 689 assists; an average of 9.7 per set.
The Wildcats also faced Fairview during the tournament beating the Knights in two quick sets. The Knights (9-14) finished 8th in the Front Range league but compiled a 2-7 record outside the conference.
Douglas County (10-13) placed eighth in the Continental but was above five hundred outside it (7-6). They’ve won four of six matches with quality losses to Chatfield and Cherokee Trail down the stretch. Paityn Hardison tops the offense with 275 kills; Brena Weld has 117 and Christen Ellis 113. Laura Bauer directs the attack and enters the regional tournament with 400 assists.
REGION #6 – CORONADO HIGH SCHOOL
This is the one of only two brackets where all three teams are at least five games over five hundred. Coronado (20-3) is the favorite but Dakota Ridge (15-8) and Denver South (14-9) could both challenge.
The Cougars lost to Palmer Ridge in mid-season and then reeled off 14 straight wins before falling to the Bears again in tournament play on Saturday. Jaelyn Hersherger, with 191 kills, is the first option at net but Mara Abernathy (164) also gets plenty of swings. Delaney St. Pierre feeds the duo and has 577 assists for the season.
Dakota Ridge lost their final two matches of the regular season to Fort Collins and Mountain Vista. They beat Denver South (2-1) to start the Dakota Ridge tournament and also beat them in three earlier in their season so their meeting this week will be the third of the season. Taylor Hicken has 287 kills and Emily Nielsen 404 asissts.
Denver South opened 12-2 but has dropped six of eight. The Rebels have not provided stats to MaxPreps.
REGION #7 – CHATFIELD HIGH SCHOOL
All three teams have at least 16 wins and have a combined record of 52-17 so it could be one of the more competitive regional tournaments. Chatfield (20-3) has the most tradition and will be playing at home so they remain favored.
The Chargers (20-3) are red hot. On Saturday, they won four matches to win the Ponderosa tournament and three of the wins were high level; beating Niwot, Ponderosa and Rock Canyon. The fourth came against Douglas County and the Huskies are also in the tournament field.
Hope Theander (118 kills) is the top hitter.
Palmer (16-7) won the Mitchell tournament to close the season and extend their winning streak to seven. The Terrors ended the CS Metro chase tied for third with Liberty and Pine Creek.
Jordyn Hasbrouck (140 kills) and Isabella Vasquez (134) are the top two options up front. Hasbrouck is also a threat at the service line with 55 aces. Sara Schloesser is next in aces (50) and first in assists (469).
Horizon (16-7) placed sixth in the Front Range. Camden Strain (281) and Lauren Strain (211) have combined for nearly 500 kills and Alyssa Desplinter (586) has all but 20 of the team’s assists.
REGION #8 – ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL
The Lobos (21-2) are one of three Front Range teams hosting regional tournaments this week joining Fossil Ridge and Fort Collins at home. Those three shared the conference championship with identical 11-1 records.
The Lobos have won 12 of 13 falling to Highlands Ranch at the Legend tournament over the weekend. Their only other loss came against Fort Collins in conference action.
AnnaMarie Dodson (204 kills) and Alie McEndaffer (171) are the top offensive threats. Carley Bowles (330 assists) and Myles Hilbert (301) both see extensive minutes at setter.
Ralston Valley (11-12) went 5-2 and tied for second in the Jeffco. They dropped their final two matches of the regular season to Coronado and Mullen and also have a mid-season setback to Rocky Mountain. Madaline Fitchett (154 kills), Tashi Eberle (152) and Ashley Drye (151) are a nice offensive trio.
Arapahoe (12-11) started the season just 2-5 but finished 10-6 including a strong 3-1 showing at last week’s Rangeview Tournament. They lost to Castle View but also scored a good win over 4A Pueblo West. Gwynne Haskins (192 kills), Carly Killorin (626 assists) helped the Warriors finish third in the Centennial.
REGION #9 – FORT COLLINS HIGH SCHOOL
The Lambkins (19-4) played a tough closing stretch and suffered late losses to Fossil Ridge and Chatfield. A third late loss came against Denver East in the Dakota Ridge Tournament.
Hannah Serbousek (231 kills) and Kiana Roehrkasse (199) are a formidable duo at the net. Taylor Rohr (396 assists) and Sabrina Vandelist (353) seem to take turns feeding those two.
Cherokee Trail (14-9) ended up second to Cherry Creek in the Centennial chase. The Cougars won five of their last six dropping a single contest to Rock Canyon at the Ponderosa Tournament.
The Cougars are very young as all four hitters are underclassmen and combined for over 600 kills in regular season play. Freshman Amaya Messier is the leader with 237 kills. Sophomore Sydney Cole has chipped in a team best 740 assists.
Pine Creek dropped all four matches at the Ponderosa Tournament and has suffered losses in seven of their last eight overall. Juliet Vendl (135 kills) and Gabby Wilson (121) hope to end that streak in regionals. Chandler Nelson is the team leader in assists with 429.
REGION #10 – ROCK CANYON HIGH SCHOOL
Rock Canyon (16-7) is favored to advance but the Jags are challenged by two clubs who have great tradition. Rampart (14-9) and Grandview (10-13) have both been inconsistent this season but the Rams and Wolverines are very familiar with post-season success.
Rock Canyon has the division’s top hitter as Keeley Davis has registered 465 kills this season. Laryssa Myers is next on the team with 152 kills. Abi Leitner tops the club with 552 assists but Lauren Evans has chipped in 251.
The Jaguars have a win over Rampart this season; beating the Rams in three behind 15 kills from Davis.
Rampart (14-9) finished second to Coronado in the CS Metro. They’ve played a strong schedule down the stretch beating Cheyenne Mountain & Lakewood but also falling to Denver East, Coronado, Valor Christian and Chaparral. Taylor Sibert is the top hitter (195 kills) and fellow senior Kira Warren has 137. Kyra Parker leads the club with 413 assists and Haley McCorkle has 260.
Grandview also played a high level schedule last week falling to Eaton, Chaparral and Longmont at the Cheyenne Mountain tournament. Elsa Lamphere (248 kills) and Kylee Harr (191) are the first and second options at the net. Payton Wolf (376 assists) and Georgia Davis (321) see almost equal time at setter.
REGION #11 – DENVER EAST HIGH SCHOOL
A late season surge by Denver East (17-6) pushed the Angels into the top 12 so they’re at home this weekend. They enter the regionals winners in 11 of their last 12 matches. They split two contests with Mountain Vista at the Dakota Ridge Tournament and also collected an impressive win over Fort Collins.
The Angels are experienced up front as the trio of Sarah Williammee (172), Qairo Bentley (167) and Macy Cummings (146) have combined for over 470 kills. Jurnee Calhoun has handed out 766 assists.
Legend (14-9) won’t be an easy out. The Titans went 5-5 in the Continental to finish sixth in the division’s best conference. They lost their last three conference matches to Chaparral, Ponderosa and Mounatin Vista but responded with a 3-1 showing at their own tournament last week. The Titans beat Arvada West, University and Highlands Ranch before falling to Cherry Creek in five sets in the championship match.
Freshman Rylie Kadel leads the hitting charts with 190 kills. Shelby Willis enters the playoffs with 582 assists.
Legacy put together a strong fourth place finish in the Front Range conference. They did however drop four of their last six league matches to fall three games back of Fort Collins, Rocky Mountain and Fossil Ridge. Kylea Tallbear (184) and Eme McBride (161) leads a list of four hitters with at least 120 kills.
REGION #12 – CHERRY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL
Since all three teams competed at the Legend tournament over the weekend, they got a first-hand look at each other. But ironically none of the three squared off head-to-head at any point.
Cherry Creek (21-2) won the championship downing Legend in five sets for the crown. Highlands Ranch (18-5) split four matches beating Platte Valley and Smoky Hill but falling to Legend and Rocky Mountain. Columbine (14-9) also went 2-2 in the bracket.
The four wins on Saturday pushed Cherry Creek’s winning streak to 14. They’ve also gone 6-1 against the Continental conference where Highlands Ranch finished in a three-way tie for second. Katie Sherman (231 kills) and Maya Borenstein (165) combined for 396 kills this season and both are playoff tested from past seasons. Ashley Hand leads the club with 518 assists.
Highlands Ranch suffered league losses to Chaparral and Mountain Vista with a third loss before last week coming to Valor Christian. Cassie Davis (312 kills) and Kelsie Milkowski (294) have both played many important matches in their high school careers so they won’t be intimidated against Cherry Creek. Jill Borgerding leads the Falcons with 416 assists and 45 aces. Allison Conor also provided 382 assists.
Columbine lost to Highlands Ranch in three sets twice during the regular season so the Rebels will have to up their game this weekend to reach the state tournament. Taylor Cruz (230 kills) is the first option at net with Alea Tooley (175) the second. Emily Dowd directs the offense and enters the regional tournament with a team best 769 assists.
