A lot has happened since we released our first volleyball polls of the season September 10th.  Key losses were suffered by Dayspring Christian (2A) and Fossil Ridge (5A) which triggered changes in those rankings plus there was quite a bit of shuffling in the remaining polls as well.
We also remind you that the first RPI standings of the fall season will be released on Tuesday by CHSAA.  Playoffs qualifiers are selected and seeded for the regional tournament from these standings in 3A-4A-5A.  And the four wildcards to the 1A and 2A state tournaments are also determined by RPI.
 

CLASS 1A

#1 Kit Carson (7-0)
#2 Fleming (9-1)
#3 La Veta (8-0)
#4 McClave (4-0)
#5 Otis (8-1)
#6 Holly (9-1)
#7 Hi Plains/Flagler (2-2)
#8 Briggsdale (7-2)
#9 Eads (2-2)
#10 Wiley (7-1)
 
OTHERS:  Springfield (1-4), Stratton/Liberty (5-1), Cotopaxi (4-1), Pikes Peak Christian (7-2), Sangre De Cristo (6-3), Kiowa (5-4), Prairie (3-5), Weldon Valley (2-5), Belleview Christian (8-0)
NOTES:  The top five went a combined 8-0 last week so they remain in the same place as a week ago.  Holly is the biggest mover as the Wildcats jumped from ninth to fifth thanks to a pair of wins over Springfield and Eads.  Eads lost one spot to 8th and Springfield left the rankings because of those losses.  Hi Plains/Flagler and Briggsdale also fell one position because of losses to Otis and Fleming respectively.  Wiley joins the rankings with a 7-1 record.  The Panthers are in ahead of Stratton/Liberty and Pikes Peak Christian because they’ve beaten both head-to-head.
 

CLASS 2A

#1 Yuma (6-1)
#2 Lyons (8-2)
#3 Dayspring Christian (5-1)
#4 Paonia (7-1)
#5 Denver Christian (7-1)
#6 Swink (6-1)
#7 Hoehne (4-2)
#8 Simla (6-1)
#9 Meeker (7-1)
#10 Fowler (5-1)
 
OTHERS:  Sargent (5-1), Haxtun (5-1), Wiggins (7-1), Telluride (7-1), Dawson (6-1), Vail Mountain (4-1), Union Colony (6-3), Rocky Ford (7-3), John Mall (5-3)
NOTES:  Slight changes can be found in the top five this week as Denver Christian climbs into the fifth spot.  They moved past Swink, who lost two positions following a loss to John Mall.  Paonia also bumped up one slot as well.  Defending state champion Dayspring Christian also exchanged second and third with Lyons after the Lions won a rugged five set match in Greeley last Thursday.  Yuma also came up short in a grueling five set loss to University.  The Indians won the first two games only to see the Bulldogs roll back for an impressive win.  Despite the loss, we kept Yuma in the top spot since the decision came against a top five club in Class 3A.  The top two teams will get a chance to sort it out on the court when they collide on Friday.   Outside the top five, the division seems very balanced with maybe up to ten teams with enough talent to be ranked somewhere between sixth and tenth.
 

CLASS 3A

#1 Eaton (8-0)
#2 University (7-2)
#3 Bayfield (6-2)
#4 Valley (7-3)
#5 Lamar (9-1)
#6 Resurrection Christian (8-2)
#7 Faith Christian (6-2)
#8 Middle Park (4-1)
#9 Frontier Academy (5-1)
#10 Lutheran (9-2)
 
OTHERS:  Sterling (6-3), Coal Ridge (4-0), Colorado Springs Christian (2-1), Prospect Ridge (8-0), Aspen (4-0), Centauri (7-0), Florence (12-1), Machebeuf (8-1), Bennett (8-1), Buena Vista (6-2)
NOTES:  More evidence was probably not needed but Eaton delivered even more last week.  The Reds have won the last four state championships and are favored to land a fifth.  They’ve already beaten 3A rivals University, Valley, and Faith Christian this year and over the weekend added a win over defending 5A state champion Fossil Ridge.  That win along with sweeps of ranked opponents Mountain Vista and Cheyenne Mountain helped the Reds win another Eaglecrest tournament.  The next eight teams behind the Reds remain in the same order as last week as they all went through the week without a loss.  Lutheran replaces Sterling in the 10th spot after the Tigers lost a league match to Valley.  Lutheran meantime scored nice wins over Colorado Academy and Kent Denver.
 

CLASS 4A

#1 Lewis Palmer (8-0)
#2 Holy Family (9-2)
#3 Niwot (7-1)
#4 Pueblo West (5-1)
#5 Valor Christian (4-2)
#6 Thomas Jefferson (8-2)
#7 Cheyenne Mountain (1-4)
#8 Ponderosa (4-5)
#9 Longmont (8-1)
#10 Glenwood Springs (9-0)
 
OTHERS:  Montrose (4-3), Mountain View (6-3), D’Evelyn (4-0), Palmer Ridge (9-1), Durango (5-1), Silver Creek (6-3), Windsor (4-4), Eagle Valley (5-4)
NOTES:  Longmont and Glenwood Springs join the rankings this week replacing Montrose and Mountain View.  Inactivity hurt Montrose as they did not see action last week and Mountain View went 0-2 inside conference play.  Longmont beat Mountain View and pushed #3 Niwot to five games before falling short.  Glenwood Springs has the most wins of any team in the state without a loss (9) in any class.  For other teams, the records are misleading.  Lewis Palmer of course is perfect overall, but Holy Family, Pueblo West, Valor Christian, Thomas Jefferson, and Ponderosa are all unbeaten against 4A teams.  Niwot and Pueblo West each have one loss to Lewis Palmer and Cheyenne Mountain has not played a 4A opponent yet.
 

CLASS 5A

#1 Castle View (8-1)
#2 Mountain Vista (8-1)
#3 Rock Canyon (7-2)
#4 Fossil Ridge (6-2)
#5 Fort Collins (5-1)
#6 Fruita Monument (8-1)
#7 Chaparral (6-3)
#8 Chatfield (4-2)
#9 Rocky Mountain (8-0)
#10 Cherry Creek (7-2)
 
OTHERS:  Cherokee Trail (4-5), Dakota Ridge (5-0), Highlands Ranch (8-1), Coronado (8-2), Denver East (4-3)
NOTES:  It’s been quite a two-week run for Castle View.  Unranked by CHSAA to open the season, the Sabercats are now the number one team in the Colorado Preps poll this week.  During the past week, Castle View topped both Rock Canyon and Chatfield and then were helped by two losses from Fossil Ridge at the Eaglecrest tournament.  That leaves the Sabercats as the number one team this week.  Mountain Vista, which suffered a loss to 3A power Eaton in the Eaglecrest tournament finals, still bumped two spots to number two this week.  Rock Canyon dropped one to third and Fossil Ridge fell into fourth.  Rocky Mountain enters the rankings this week after beating Cherry Creek at the Bruins classic.  Creek remains in the poll ahead of Cherokee Trail.  The Cougars dropped out due to a loss from Lewis Palmer.