Last November, it was a determined squad from McClave which ended the title reign of Merino in the Class 1A girls volleyball ranks.
Is 2025 the year something similar happens in 5A, where Valor Christian has claimed three consecutive crowns?

Teams in the 5A Continental League, among others, are ready to take a shot at it. Coming into this season, four Continental squads cracked the CHSAANow.com Preseason 5A Coaches Poll. Two of those – Legend and Rock Canyon – fell to the Eagles in the title game during the current run.

Through the first two weeks of the season, No. 3 Chaparral, No. 4 Rock Canyon and No. 6 Legend have taken turns beating each other.

Legend notched a five-set victory over Chaparral in tournament play behind 18 kills and 22 digs from Riley Hake, but Rock Canyon edged Legend in four sets the same day thanks to Amari Clark’s 23 kills. The Jaguars’ only loss came to No. 2 Fossil Ridge in their own five-set battle on Aug. 21, with Fossil’s Olivia Ewing and Emery Johnson combining for 29 kills.

Valor Christian, meanwhile, graduated Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year Chloe Elarton. The Eagles played in an out-of-state tournament this week, and return to action Sept. 9 against Horizon.

With August’s schedule already in the books, here quick look at what lies ahead around the state this week:

Class 5A

Fossil Ridge at Chaparral, 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 3
As already mentioned, the second-ranked SaberCats (2-0) opened with an impressive 22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-19, 15-6 triumph over Rock Canyon. Despite the losses of all-state middle Erin Herrmann and setter Kaylee Piepho, Fossil Ridge has senior libero Trinity Burchett back, among others. The team’s early non-conference schedule is limited, with 5A/4A Northern League play starting Sept. 9. … Chaparral (5-1) took down 4A’s No. 2 Lewis-Palmer in the opener, and swept 5A’s No. 7 Cherry Creek on Aug. 30. Senior Lauren Waggoner is averaging nearly three kills a set to go with 3.1 assists, and Ava Johnson’s three digs a set are pacing the squad.

Class 4A

Mullen at Lutheran, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9
Seventh-ranked Lutheran was the 4A runner-up a year ago to the juggernaut that is Thompson Valley. The Lions are off to a 4-1 start in 2025, with the only loss coming to 3A’s No. 1 Eaton. Junior Gabriella Speckman is averaging 3.2 kills a set, with juniors Madeline Miller at 3.3 digs and Katie Wilson at just more than five assists a set. … Mullen wasn’t ranked to start the year, but the Mustangs – save for a loss to Golden – didn’t drop a set in its five victories. Mullen started 2024 with a 6-0 run before finishing just 12-13, so the team needs a big victory to maintain its early momentum.

Class 3A

Resurrection Christian at Platte Valley, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 9
Two behemoths in the Patriot League face off early in the season. Along with Eaton, both teams were in the 3A state semifinals last November, with Platte Valley falling in five sets in the championship game to The Village. The No. 5 Broncos (1-1) graduated Player of the Year Karsyn Fetzer. The team opened with a victory over Timnath before falling to 2A’s No. 3 Wiggins. … Second-ranked Resurrection Christian opened 2025 against Liberty Common on Tuesday night before turning its attention to Platte Valley. Senior middle Kaylynn Pardue was a first-team all-state selection as a junior.

Class 2A

Hoehne at Swink, 4 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 9
Two teams that started the season in the top 10 of the Coaches Poll meet in 2A Santa Fe League play. Both squads made the state tournament a year ago, with Hoehne defeating Swink in an elimination game. … Hoehne was 4-2 going into play against La Junta on Tuesday night. The Farmers have a tough upcoming stretch with Swink and then 3A’s Alamosa and Centauri. Junior Braylee Foster has been a bright spot for a team that was hit hard by graduation. … Swink (3-1) dropped its lone contest to 1A defending champion McClave. The Lions return second-team all-state talent Taylor Mendenhall to a team that won 21 games a year ago.

Class 1A

Otis at Hi-Plains, 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 6.
The 1A YWKC League contest pits two teams that made the 1A state tournament last November. Ninth-ranked Hi-Plains was 3-0 going into Tuesday night’s tilt with 2A Burlington. Cambria Seaman, who was honorable mention all-state as a freshman, and fellow sophomore Brianna Rueb combined for 70 kills in those first three victories. … Otis split its first four games, falling most recently in five sets to 2A Holyoke. Aedyn Tribelhorn was honorable mention all-state as a junior.