Last year’s Class 5A, 4A and 2A runners-up in girls’ volleyball are the current favorites to hoist the crown this fall.

CHSAA’s Selection and Seeding Index — which determines regional playoff fields — has 5A Fossil Ridge, 4A Thompson Valley and 2A Sedgwick County at No. 1 coming into the week.

In 2023, the Sabercats lost to Valor Christian in the finals, while the TV Eagles fell to Palmer Ridge and the Cougars lost to Wiggins.

In this week’s look-in on girls’ volleyball, we’ll trace over the top five teams in each classification and what they’ve done through the first three weeks of the season.

Class 5A

Top five: Fossil Ridge, Chaparral, Valor Christian, Arvada West and Mountain Vista.

How they got there: The Sabercats (4-0) got the biggest win of the 5A season to date when it beat the second-ranked Wolverines in four sets a week ago.

Senior Kaylee Piepho is averaging 8.3 assists per set for the top-ranked team, second-best in the classification. Against Chaparral, she had 34 assists and junior teammate Alyssa Cottingham had 13 kills.

Outside of that match, the Wolverines have cruised through a tough opening slate. They beat 4A No. 3 Lewis-Palmer in their opener, and 5A No. 6 Rock Canyon and No. 9 Pine Creek in the following weeks. Senior Kai Kofoed-Cooke already has 116 kills for them.

Just behind in the ranks are defending champ Valor Christian, Arvada West and Mountain Vista. None have lost a match this season. The classification’s only returning 2023 first-team, all-state player, setter Chloe Elarton, has 179 assists for the Eagles. Second-team outside hitter Alivia Eikenberg has 116 kills for the Jaguars.

Class 4A

Top five: Thompson Valley, Canon City, Lewis-Palmer, Glenwood Springs and University.

How they got there: Thompson Valley has won 15 of his first 16 sets this season. The Eagles’ only dropped set came in a four-set win over No. 3 Lewis-Palmer Aug. 29.

Before the Eagles’ finals loss to Palmer Ridge last year, they’d won back-to-back titles. And now, looking for a third title in four years, they’re off to a 4-0 start, led in part by Ashlyn Tafoya, who is averaging 11.2 assists per set.

Canon City (8-0) is just behind in the ranks after going a perfect 4-0 at the Mesa Ridge Tournament last weekend.

L-P is at No. 3, thanks in large part to senior Brooke Gennerman’s 4A-leading 127 kills. Gennerman’s 5.3 kills per set are the most in the state by a player who has played in at least 10 sets this fall.

Glenwood Springs (6-1) is No. 4 after it bounced back from a loss to No. 10 Mullen last month with three straight wins. University (5-0) is No. 5 as it has won all 15 sets it has played.

Class 3A

Top five: Platte Valley, Forge Christian, Sterling, Eaton and Gunnison.

How they got here: No. 1 Platte Valley will travel to No. 2 Forge Christian on Thursday in what will likely decide the next top-ranked team in 3A.

Platte Valley’s lone loss in four matches at the Lewis-Palmer Tournament last week came to the host Rangers, who are ranked third in 4A. On Monday, they beat defending champ Resurrection Christian in five sets.

At the helm for the Broncos is senior Karsyn Fetzer, who is third in the class with 77 kills. That’s 20 behind 3A-kills leader Annabelle DeJager of No. 4 Eaton (7-0), though DeJager has played seven more sets.

Platte Valley, at 6-1, is the only team in the top five with a loss.

Class 2A

Top five: Sedgwick County, Simla, Burlington, Rangely and Del Norte.

How they got here: Led by junior Lainee Nein’s 78 kills and 85 digs, Sedgwick County has won 21 of the 23 sets it has played this season. Those two dropped sets came in a five-set win over 1A No. 9 Fleming earlier this month.

Nein is also second in 2A in hitting percentage at .324. Heritage Christian’s Kayla Cuckler is first at .411.

Neither the Cougars nor anyone else in the current top five in the 2A rankings have yet to drop a match this season. Simla (6-0) hasn’t dropped any of its 15 sets. Burlington (4-0) is 10-1 in sets, Rangely (8-0) 20-6 and Del Norte (7-0) 18-7.

Del Norte freshman Brynley Brown is in the top 15 in 2A kills with 53.

Class 1A

Top five: Stratton, Idalia, Merino, McClave and Sargent.

How they got here: Stratton (3-0) has won all nine of its sets behind junior Sophie Isenbart’s team-leading 34 kills and five aces.

Idalia (7-0) had won its first 16 sets before it dropped two in a five-set win over No. 4 McClave on Saturday.

Merino (6-0) has won 18 of its first 19 sets and Sargent (8-0) has won all 18 of its sets.

Kandace Pargin of Sargent leads the classification in blocks per set at 3.8.