Class 1A State Volleyball Tournament Breakdown and Predictions

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Class 1A State Volleyball Tournament Breakdown and Predictions

The Class 1A state tournament is already underway but I felt like I needed to still post this articles. Today the first round and second round of the winner bracket gets going. Your 12 qualified teams are: Kit Carson, Springfield, Haxtun, Merino, Sangre De Cristo, Weldon Valley, La Veta, McClave, Dove Creek, Walsh, Fleming, Otis. Your top 4 seeds are Kit Carson, Otis, La Veta, Weldon Valley. All four top teams get byes in the first round and will wait to see who wins. Remember this is a double elimination bracket until the semifinals where it changes to single elimination. I plan on breaking down the first round and the teams that have byes and then my predictions will be at the end.

First Round Matchups

#8 Springfield vs #9 Haxtun

Springfield is one of the four Wildcard teams that made it to state. Springfield had a interesting season picking up some good wins and some loses that hurt their RPI and dropped them into the #8 seed. Springfield is led by Tatum Hall (212 kills) and she will have to be a huge part if Springfield plans on making a deep run. Springfield finished second in their region beating South Baca (3-0) but losing to McClave (3-1). Haxtun won their region to snag a spot in the state tournament. Haxtun region was a tough region and Haxtun seems to be coming together at the right time. Holly has won 5 of their last 6 matches and at regionals beat sweep Pikes Peak Christian and Genoa-Hugo to qualify for state. Haxtun has four players over 100 kills. Dawson Knode leads the way for Haxtun offense with 297 kills.

#5 Merino vs Sangre De Cristo

Valley is hitting its stride as a team winning 11 of its last 13 matches including wins over of Fleming (3-2) and Belleview Christian (3-0) at regionals. Merino also picked up wins over Briggsdale, Fleming, Sedgwick County, Akron, and Limon. Haxtun has 4 players hitting over 100 kills. Haxtun is led by Brooke Mertens and Tayso Conger. Sangre De Cristo is on a bit of a hot streak winning their last 4 of their last 5 matches and seems to be peaking at the right time. Sangre De Cristo came out playing with fire sweeping Nucla and Dove Creek to win the regional. Sangre De Cristo could be a dark horse to surprise a few teams again and Swink cannot take them lightly.

#6 McClave vs #11 Dove Creek

McClave finished second in their league and were a team that was up and down this season but seem to be going in the right direction as of late. McClave proved they deserved a spot at state beating South Baca (3-2) and Springfield (3-1). McClave has 3 players over 100 kills. Jordan Parker is the main offensive attack for McClave with 330 kills and she must have a good tournament. McClave now puts their sights towards the state tournament and their first-round match up. Dove Creek qualified for state as a wildcard team as they lost to Sangre De Cristo. Dove Creek will now hope to bounce back and try and pull a few upsets in the state tournament. Dove Creek offensive attack has 3 players all over 100 kills. Junior Cassie Gatlin leads Dove Creek with 243 kills. Dove Creek is hoping to bounce back and make a run at state.

#7 Walsh vs #10 Fleming

Walsh finished second in the District 3 tournament and have just 2 loss on their record 1 to Springfield and the other to Kit Carson at Regionals. Walsh qualified for state as a Wildcard team beating Eads at Regionals. Walsh has 3 players with over 100 kills. Shiann Fritzler leads the way for Walsh with 183 kills. Fleming qualified for the state tournament as a wildcard falling to Merino at Regionals but beating Belleview Christian. Fleming had a rough start to the season but has been on an impressive winning streak as of late. Fleming may be coming together at the right time. Freshman Whitney Chintala leads the way for Fleming with 414 kills and she must have a big tournament if they plan to pull a few upsets.

Teams Getting First Round Byes

#1Kit Carson

Kit Carson is your defending state champion and ran off an impressive 23-1 record. Kit Carson lost just 6 sets the entire year and 3 came in their 3-2 loss to 2A #1 Yuma. As mentioned Kit Carson lone loss is to 2A #1 Yuma. Kit Carson has some quality wins over La Veta, Springfield, McClave, Limon, and Walsh. Kit Carson qualified for state sweeping Eads and Walsh at regionals. Kit Carson has 3 players over 100 kills and are led by Tess Hornung who has 264 kills on the season. Kit Carson plays Haxtun in the second round.

#2 Otis

Otis nearly ran off a perfect season dropping just 1 game the entire year to Haxtun and losing just 6 sets outside the loss to Haxtun. Haxtun has quality wins over Akron, Merino, Stratton/Liberty, and Wiggins. Otis qualified for the state tournament beating Idalia (3-1) and Elbert (3-0). Otis has 4 players over 100 kills and are led by Makenna Metzler who has 254 kills. Otis will not have an easy game in the second round as they await the winner of Fleming and Walsh.

#3 La Veta

La Veta had a near perfect season dropping 1 game to Kit Carson (3-2) but La Veta did win the District 6 tournament. La Veta has dropped just three sets the entire year and was in the loss to Kit Carson. La Veta played a decently tough schedule and have quality wins over Sangre De Cristo, Fleming, Holly, McClave, and Swink. La Veta qualified for the state tournament sweeping Cotopaxi and De Beque. La Veta has been labeled as a contender since the beginning of the season and are hoping to show they are. La Veta has 3 players over 100 kills. Kaylee Corsentino leads the way for La Veta with 344 kills and is critical parts to this team having success. La Veta awaits the winner of McClave and Dove Creek.

#4 Weldon Valley

Weldon Valley finished second in the District 4 tournament and have just three losses on the season. Weldon Valley has loses to Fleming (x2) and Wiggins. Weldon Valley also has quality wins over Brush, Haxtun, Fleming, Briggsdale, and Front Range Baptist. Weldon Valley has also been labeled as a contender and will also look to make a deep run. Weldon Valley qualified for state sweeping Front Range Baptist and Denver Waldorf. If Weldon Valley can stay focused they are a team to watch for. Weldon Valley has 4 players over 100 kills and is led by Kaybree Keating (250 kills). Weldon Valley awaits the winner between Merino and Sangre De Cristo and it won’t be an easy task.

Class 3A State Volleyball Predictions

It’s never easy to predict a Double elimination bracket but I will give it my best shot

Winner Bracket-1^st round

#9 Haxtun over #8 Springfield

#5 Merino over #12 Sangre De Cristo

#6 McClave over #11 Dove Creek

#10 Fleming over #7 Walsh

Winner Bracket 2^nd Round

#1 Yuma over #9 Haxtun

#4 Weldon Valley over #5 Merino

#3 La Veta over #6 McClave

#2 Otis over #10 Fleming