It’s going to be a busy, pressure-packed weekend of girls volleyball around the state.
There will be 168 teams competing in regional tournaments across five classifications, with the ultimate goal of reaching next weekend’s state championships at Denver Coliseum. Three teams each will compete in regionals in Class 5A-2A, with 24 teams going head-to-head in 1A.
The state tournaments runs Nov. 14-16, with the finals slated for 6 p.m. on Nov. 16.
Here is a quick overview of the state’s five classifications headed into the postseason, including a regional to watch in each classification:
Class 5A
The 5A classification is going to be fun to watch, as it is top-heavy with talent. No. 1 Chaparral (21-2) won a Continental League that also includes No. 3 Mountain Vista and No. 4 Legend. … No. 2 Valor Christian (22-1) is seeking a three-peat. The team’s only loss since 2021 came to No. 5 Fossil Ridge a few weeks ago, but the Eagles also defeated Chaparral in the prestigious Cheyenne Mountain Invitational to close the regular season. … Fossil Ridge finished second to Valor in 2023. The SaberCats (19-4) dropped all four matches in early October in a tough out-of-state tournament. … No. 6 Pine Creek won 13 matches in a row to close the regular season, and No. 7 Denver South (20-3) went 2-2 in the Cheyenne Mountain tourney, with its only losses to Chaparral and Mountain Vista. … No. 8 Cherry Creek won eight consecutive matches to end the season.
Regional to Watch: Region 9 – Rock Canyon finished fourth in the Continental League, but that’s a success in itself. The Jaguars (14-9) have played all of 5A’s top teams this season, and took No. 4 Legend and No. 8 Cherry Creek to five sets the last week of October. Alivia Eikenberg’s 321 kills and 215 digs paced the team. … Chatfield (15-8) is the 16th seed. The Chargers actually faced Rock Canyon earlier in the season, falling in five sets. The team also split two matches with No. 7 Denver South. Sophomore Emma Mordi leads the team in kills, and senior Katelynn Shrum’s 286 digs were also tops. … Denver East (15-8) is the 28th seed.
Class 4A
Thompson Valley, which won titles in 2021-22 and was runner-up to Palmer Ridge last November, is the only non-Pikes Peak team to win a 4A crown since 2007. The No. 1 Eagles (22-1) dropped its only match of the season the last weekend to 5A’s No. 1 Chaparral. … Speaking of the PPL, Lewis-Palmer (No. 2), Cheyenne Mountain (No. 6), Lutheran (No. 8) and Palmer Ridge (No. 11) are each hosting a regional. … Palisade and Montrose are the Nos. 3 and 5 seeds out of the Southwestern League, and Battle Mountain (No. 4) won the Western Slope League. The Huskies’ only loss came to Palisade. … No. 10 University is in its first season in 4A after taking second in 3A a year ago.
Regional to Watch: Region 12 – Roosevelt hosts, with the No. 12 Roughriders (16-7) finishing third in the Longs Peak behind Thompson Valley and Timnath. Roosevelt played Mead in a five-set thriller in early September, and defeated the other team in the regional, Wellington, on Oct. 31. Aliana Hernandez leads the team in digs (300) and aces (71). … No. 13 Mead was third in the Granite Peaks behind 5A’s Erie and Niwot. The Mavericks (15-8) are paced by senior Hailey Hall, who leads the team in kills and hitting percentage, and Alana Costello averages 3.5 digs a set. … Wellington (13-10) also plays in the Longs Peak.
Class 3A
Four of the top seven eight in 3A come out of the Patriot League, paced by No. 1 Eaton and No. 2 Platte Valley. … No. 3 The Village (20-3) is in its first season of playing varsity. The Mountaineers dropped two games to 5A powers and its third loss came out of state. … Alamosa, Gunnison and Lamar are the other teams in the top eight. Gunnison and Lamar each won 21 games in the regular season.
Regional to Watch: Region 8 – Eight-seeded Sterling finished fifth in the gauntlet of the Patriot League. The Tigers (18-5) were the only team to defeat 1A’s No. 1 Merino in the regular season, and the team also topped No. 4 Alamosa in the same tourney. Ady Santomoso leads Sterling in kills and digs and Shayleigh Ulrich had 587 assists. … St. Mary’s Academy fell to Sterling earlier in the season, but the Wildcats (15-7) were hot down the stretch with eight consecutive victories. Ellen Porter’s 289 kills lead the team. … STEM School Highlands Ranch (18-4) is the No. 29 seed.
Class 2A
Wiggins and Sedgwick County have combined to claim the previous four 2A titles, with the Cougars playing in all four of those. Sedgwick County is the No. 2 seed in the postseason, with Wiggins at No. 6. … Simla (22-1) is the No. 1 seed after finishing second to Merino in 1A in 2023. The Cubs are coming off a victory over Sedgwick County in the regular-season finale. … Three of No. 5 Colorado Springs Christian’s losses came to top seven seeds in 3A, and the other was to 1A’s top-ranked Merino. … Third-seeded Lyons is the only other 2A team to win at least 20 games in the regular season.
Regional to Watch: Region 10 – Rangely (19-4) finished tied with Meeker in the Western Slope League, but lost the head-to-head matchup. The team won its final seven games of the season though and boast a bevy of seniors. Emma Winder and Emmeree Wagner each had more than 200 digs on the season. … No. 15 Hoehne (14-9) took third in the Santa Fe, but owns a victory over No. 4 Swink on Oct. 8. The Farmers also took No. 7 Rye to five sets Oct. 22. Three players average more than two kills a set, and Ellegra Gutierrez averages 4.2 digs a set. … Gilpin County is the No. 27 seed, but the Eagles (13-10) took No. 3 Lyons to five sets just a few days ago.
Class 1A
Merino (22-1) is the heavy favorite after winning the previous four 1A crowns. The Rams have won 14 titles overall, one behind Platte Valley. … Idalia, Fleming and Otis are seeded 2-4, with McClave rounding out the top five. … Seventh-seeded Dove Creek (22-1) is tied with Merino for the most regular-season victories. The Bulldogs face a 20-win Primero team in Region 7. … No. 10 Sargent (21-2) saw both of its defeats come in five-set marathons, both of which came against 2A opponents.
Regional to Watch: Region 11 – Cheraw hosts No. 14 Genoa-Hugo/Karval at 5 p.m. on Friday. The two teams met once in the regular season, facing off in a tournament on Oct. 12. Cheraw won that match 2-1. … Cheraw (17-6) was the runner-up in the High Plains League to McClave. Senior Delany Bond’s 252 kills paced the Wolverines. Junior Adisyn Miell averaged six assists a set. … The Pirates (15-8) finished second in the Union Pacific to Stratton. Sophomore Rylee Corn with 189 kills, and senior Kate Kissel added 401 digs.
