World Arena is again the site for the Colorado high school volleyball championships with the first matches set for 8:00am on Thursday. After being reduced because of COVID last Spring, the bracket is again expanded to 12 teams with a double elimination format until the semifinals. Once the Final Four teams are determined in each class, the event then turns into single elimination with the state finals on Saturday.
Official pairings will be released on Monday but as always Colorado Preps will try to project the pairings. As we understand, the teams are not reseeded from where they placed at regionals. Class 1A crowned just eight champions so four wildcards will be added to the field as well. Those selections will be made official on Monday but again Colorado Preps projects those out and places them in the bracket as well.
Based on RPI updated on Sunday morning, our projected wildcard picks in Class 1A are Dove Creek, Flatirons Academy, Belleview Christian and Genoa Hugo. They are the four highest ranked teams from the updated RPI that did not win a regional champion.
Placing them in the bracket may involve some questions as the first three teams on that list, Dove Creek, Flatirons Academy and Belleview Christian would be placed in first-round pairings of teams from the same regional. Dove Creek lost to Cheraw in Region 8, Flatirons fell to Idalia in Region 7 and Belleview Christian came up short to Stratton in Region 6. I would be surprised if the committee did not move those teams around but we will keep them in the order of seeding based on the updated RPI. Flatirons Academy and Dove Creek could be flipped but moving Genoa Hugo ahead of Belleview Christian sets up a conference pairing between Genoa Hugo and Stratton.
Concerning conference pairings, we could not find any information in the volleyball bulletin that prevents teams from the same league pairing up in the opening round of the state tournament. There are a few of them in our projected brackets but if the committee stays with the seeding from the regional round, then those matchups will take place.
League pairings are found in 2A between Holyoke and Akron, in 3A between Eaton and Platte Valley and two in 4A as Niwot faces Berthoud and Erie matches up with Holy Family.
PLEASE REMEMBER THESE BRACKETS ARE NOT OFFICIAL – JUST PROJECTIONS FROM COLORADO PREPS. Official pairings will be released by CHSAA on Monday with first round matches opening at 8:00am on Thursday. Our projections below are listed in bracket order as the top four seeds in each division earn first round byes.
CLASS 1A
#1 Briggsdale – BYE
#8 Cheraw vs #9 Dove Creek
#4 Merino – BYE
#5 Wiley vs #12 Genoa Hugo
#3 Haxtun – BYE
#6 Stratton vs #11 Belleview Christian
#2 Fleming – BYE
#7 Idalia vs #10 Flatirons Academy
CLASS 2A
#1 Sedgwick County – BYE
#8 Denver Christian vs #9 Hoehne
#4 Soroco – BYE
#5 Holyoke vs #12 Akron
#3 Fowler – BYE
#6 Wiggins vs #11 Ignacio
#2 Meeker – BYE
#7 Rye vs #10 Limon
CLASS 3A
#1 Resurrection Christian – BYE
#8 DSST-Montview vs #9 Faith Christian
#4 University – BYE
#5 Liberty Common vs #12 Bayfield
#3 Lutheran – BYE
#6 Sterling vs #11 Alamosa
#2 Lamar – BYE
#7 Eaton vs #10 Platte Valley
CLASS 4A
#1 Palmer Ridge – BYE
#8 Discovery Canyon vs #9 Palisade
#4 Thompson Valley – BYE
#5 Frederick vs #12 Mead
#3 Windsor – BYE
#6 Niwot vs #11 Berthoud
#2 Cheyenne Mountain – BYE
#7 Erie vs #10 Holy Family
CLASS 5A
#1 Cherry Creek – BYE
#8 Ralston Valley vs #9 Highlands Ranch
#4 Mountain Vista – BYE
#5 Valor Christian vs #12 Rock Canyon
#3 Grandview – BYE
#6 Rampart vs #11 Legend
#2 Chaparral – BYE
#7 Broomfield vs #10 Pueblo West
REGIONAL NOTE: 56 regional tournaments were played on Friday and Saturday and only six visiting teams picked up championships.
- 2A: Akron
- 4A: Holy Family
- 4A: Berthoud
- 4A: Mead
- 5A: Legend
- 5A: Rock Canyon
All eight regional hosts in Class 1A won regional titles as did the 12 host clubs from Class 3A.
Soroco also earned their first ever trip to the state volleyball tournament.
