Fifty years ago, the very first girls volleyball state champions in the state of Colorado were crowned.

Starting Thursday morning at the Denver Coliseum, 60 teams will be looking to make a little state history of its own.

The 2025 version of the state tournament gets rolling at 8 a.m. on Thursday. Twelve teams from each of the state’s five classifications will slowly be whittled down until 10 teams remain for Saturday night’s championship round. Colorado’s inaugural three state champions – and the runners-up – will be honored at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday prior to the 6 p.m. finals.

In Class 5A, Valor Christian is seeking a fourth consecutive state crown. The Village (3A), Sedgwick County (2A) and McClave (1A) are seeking to defend their 2024 titles, while the 4A field will crown a new champion. Thompson Valley and Palmer Ridge, which combined to win the previous five championships, did not qualify for the tournament.

Here is a glance at the bracket in each classification:

Class 5A

Defending champion: Valor Christian

Top 4 Seeds: 1. Fossil Ridge, 2. Valor Christian, 3. Rock Canyon, 4 Legend

Favorites: Is this the year someone dethrones the three-time reigning champs? It will be a tall task – the Eagles (22-2) have taken down three different opponents in each of the three previous title games, and won the prestigious Cheyenne Mountain Invitational to open the month. Junior Piper McFadden averages more than 10 assists a set, and senior Bergen Waitman leads the squad in kills (262) and digs (349). … That said, Fossil Ridge is a team that has had Valor’s number, at least in the regular season. The SaberCats (23-2) downed Valor in four sets Oct. 14, have only two out-of-state losses on their resume, and dropped only eight sets all season. Senior Sarah Reinhart averages just shy of 10 assists a set. Olivia Ewing and Ella Wilson average nearly a block a set. … Rock Canyon and Legend could also have something to say about deciding a new champion. The Jaguars (22-3) finished second to Legend (20-4) in the Continental League, but edged the Titans in the Cheyenne Mountain Invite. Rock Canyon also took Fossil Ridge to five sets in the season opener. Amari Clark’s 383 kills are third in 5A. … Legend’s Leah Tidey is second in 5A in assists with 782.

Others to Watch: Rampart (23-2) went 3-1 in the Cheyenne Mountain Invite. Gabriella Melecio leads 5A in digs with 497 for the No. 5 Rams. … Ralston Valley is also enjoying a strong year. The Mustangs (21-4) finished second to Valor in Jeffco and also went 3-1 at Cheyenne Mountain. … Niwot and Dakota Ridge both pulled upsets in regional play, knocking off No. 8 Pueblo West and No. 9 Legacy, respectively.

Class 4A

Defending champion: Thompson Valley

Top 4 Seeds: 1. Montrose, 2. Windsor, 3. University, 4. Lutheran

Favorites: How will top-seeded Montrose fare on the big stage? The Red Hawks (21-3) dropped two matches on the final weekend of the regular-season in the Cheyenne Mountain Invitational, one of which came to No. 3 University. Montrose also edged University earlier this fall. The team also has a tournament victory over No. 2 Windsor, though that came back on Sept. 6. Lilly Nelson’s 784 assists lead 4A and Maggie Legg’s 391 kills are second in 4A. … Speaking of University, the Bulldogs (20-5) went five sets with Montrose and 3A powers Eaton and Resurrection Christian. Delaney Lauer is third in 4A in hitting percentage (.346) and seventh in kills (321). … Windsor (18-7) played in a 5A-heavy Northern League that includes No. 1 Fossil Ridge and No. 11 Loveland. The Wizards defeated No. 4 Lutheran and No. 6 Mullen in the Cheyenne Mountain Invite. Avery Smiley has 416 digs this fall.

Others to Watch: Lutheran (19-6), the 2024 runner-up, had won 11 in a row before dropping three games in the Cheyenne Mountain Invite, two of which went five sets. Pikes Peak foe and No. 5 Lewis-Palmer could be the team’s first opponent at state. … Berthoud (24-1) lost only to Timnath this fall. Libby Wilson is third in 4A in assists (658) and seventh in aces (76). … No. 5 Lewis-Palmer saw five of its eight losses come to 5A teams. The Rangers won six titles in seven years from 2013-19. … Standley Lake (21-4) took down No. 11 Pueblo County in regional play behind 13 kills and 25 digs from freshman Jojo Martin.

Class 3A

Defending champion: The Village

Top 4 Seeds: 1. Alamosa, 2. Resurrection Christian, 3. Eaton, 4. Forge Christian

Favorites: Alamosa (24-1) has dropped only five sets in 25 matches, three of which came in the team’s only loss to No. 3 Eaton back in August. Middle blocker Aubrey Rothermich is first in the state in hitting percentage (.509) and third in 3A in kills (313) and fifth in total blocks (75). Ashlyn Rice leads 3A in assists (813). … Patriot League rivals Resurrection Christian (23-2) and Eaton (21-4) could be headed for a semifinal confrontation. Eaton won the regular-season meeting in four sets Oct. 23, but Resurrection Christian reached the finals of the Cheyenne Mountain Invite before falling in five sets to 5A power Valor Christian. Eaton’s Madi Smith leads 3A in kills with 333.

Others to Watch: Village may be the No. 12 seed, but the Mountaineers (18-7) are also the defending state champion. Five of those losses came in August, and another was to 4A’s No. 1 Montrose. Village powered past Prospect Ridge Academy in the regional final, gets another Metro League team in the first round in No. 5 Stargate School (23-2), and with a victory would get yet another in No. 4 Forge Christian (22-3). The Classical Academy (23-2) is the No. 7 seed and hasn’t lost to a 3A team this season. Aubrie Renn and Ashlyn Delaney rank second and third in 3A in hitting percentage and Delaney is fifth in kills (301).

Class 2A

Defending champion: Sedgwick County

Top 4 Seeds: 1. Simla, 2. Denver Christian, 3. Dolores, 4. Holyoke

Favorites: Simla has not lost in more than two months, and the Cubs (23-2) dropped only six sets this fall. Simla made the 1A finals in 2023 but fell in its first 2A tourney last November in the semifinals. Junior Carlee Cox is third in 2A in hitting (.386) and eighth in kills (282). The team has four of 2A’s top eight in hitting. … Denver Christian (21-4) had a perfect October while playing a 3A-heavy schedule in the Metro League. … Dolores (24-1) lost only to No. 10 Ignacio this fall, beating the Bobcats in October along with No. 5 Sanford. Aubree Wyatt leads 2A in kills with 450.

Others to Watch: Sedgwick County and Wiggins have combined to claim the past five 2A titles, with the Cougars reaching the finals each of those years. Senior Lainee Nein is third in 2A in kills with 337 and also leads the team in hitting percentage and digs. … Wiggins (18-7) has won six in a row, including a five-setter over No. 4 Holyoke. Brooke Schmidt is fourth in 2A with 92 blocks. … Yuma entered regionals as the No. 21 seed but pulled the biggest upset regardless of classification with a sweep of No. 4 Lyons. The Outlaws (12-13) are the only sub-.500 team at the Coliseum.

Class 1A

Defending champion: McClave

Top 4 Seeds: 1. Merino, 2. McClave, 3. Fleming, 4. Flatirons Academy

Favorites: Merino won four titles in a row from 2020-23 before being upended by McClave in four sets last November. The Rams are undaunted though, going 22-2 in the regular season with the only losses coming in tournament play to 3A’s Alamosa and Sterling. The team has lost only eight sets coming into state. Riley Pope is an assist-machine, averaging more than 10 a set. … McClave (22-2) has dropped only seven sets, and the Cardinals’ losses came to 2A’s Simla and Holyoke. Senior Abrielle Gomez averages two blocks a set – best in 1A – to go with 3.6 kills. … Two of Fleming’s three losses came to Merino, the other to Simla. Senior Brooke Schaefer’s 341 digs lead the squad.

Others to Watch: Flatirons Academy dropped only seven sets this fall. The Bison (22-2) received 14 kills and 12 digs from Brylin Gomer in a sweep of Akron in regional play. … No. 5 Granada went 21-2 in the regular season, with the only losses coming to McClave and No. 7 seed Hi-Plains. Camryn Coleman is third in 1A with 344 kills.