CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW – WEEK FOUR
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
The regular season continues to gather steam and this weekend has even more great match-ups on tap. While there was some shuffling in the bottom half of this week’s MileHigh Prep Report Media Poll, only one new team joined the top-ten. Here’s a look at the top matches for Thursday through Tuesday in Class 1A.
#1 MERINO LADY RAMS (6-0)
Merino made it six straight sweeps to begin the season, as the Lady Rams handed Holyoke a second loss in as many meetings on Tuesday. No one has taken more than 18 points in a set heading into Thursday’s LPAA match at Wray. Merino sees Otis for a second time this season next Tuesday. The Lady Rams beat the Lady Bulldogs in pool play at the NJC tournament (25-14/17/17).
#2 MCCLAVE LADY CARDINALS (4-0)
McClave picked up an impressive 3-1 win at Simla last Saturday, winning the final two sets 25-23 and 25-12. McKayla Kiniston (12), Abrielle Gomez (11), and Avery Hemphill (9) combined for 32 kills in the win. Ashlynn Steinbrunn led everyone in the match with 28 digs. The Lady Cardinals backed that up with a sweep of Cheyenne Wells on Wednesday. Gomez recorded 17 blocks, nine of them solo. McClave hosts Idalia on Saturday and visits Kit Carson for a High Plains league match next Tuesday.
#3 SIMLA LADY CUBS (5-2)
Kylie Maranville (15) and Carlee Cox (14) combined for 29 kills in the four-set loss to McClave last Saturday, and Meadow Nusbaum recorded 34 assists. The Lady Cubs got back in the win column on Tuesday night when they swept Genoa-Hugo/Karval, 25-11/14/20. The lone action in the next 10 days for the Lady Cubs is on Friday, when they host Stratton.
#4 HAXTUN FIGHTIN’ LADY BULLDOGS (7-2)
Haxtun won its second straight match, beating Prairie in three sets on Tuesday (25-17/19/15). Jayleigh Bullard led a balanced attack with nine kills, while Cassidy Goddard added seven, and the duo of Julia Freeman and Megan Walker each had six. Emily Anderson served up four aces in the win. Haxtun will participate in the Timnath tournament on Saturday, facing the hosts and Weldon Valley as part of the schedule. Next Tuesday, the Fightin’ Lady Bulldogs will host Wiggins in LPAA play.
#5 IDALIA LADY WOLVES (5-1)
Idalia was busy late last week, sweeping St. Francis (KS) and Cheyenne Wells as part of a triangular in Cheyenne Wells last Thursday. Addy Juhnke and Kyndal Richards each had six kills against St. Francis, while Jaylyn Kechter had six against CW. Richards hammered down 19 kills the following night in a four-set win over Fleming. She heads into the weekend with 71 in 19 sets. The Lady Wolves host Arickaree on Friday and visit McClave on Saturday. Wrapping around to next Tuesday, they host Flagler in another big match-up.
#6 OTIS LADY BULLDOGS (5-2)
The lone newcomer to the poll this week, Otis used an impressive 3-0 win over Briggsdale last Friday to catch the attention of the voters. The Lady Bulldogs earned that sweep with scores of 25-22, 25-23, and 25-17. Results from Tuesday’s scheduled match with Lone Star were not reported, but they could be riding a three-match winning streak into Friday’s road affair at YWKC league foe, Hi-Plains. Next Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs host Merino.
#7 STRATTON LADY EAGLES (2-0)
Stratton has been off for a week and has only played two matches so far this season. The Lady Eagles were very strong in sweeping both Cheyenne Wells and Deer Trail, but now begin a very difficult weekend of action. That starts on Thursday with a trip to 2A Wiggins, which is followed up by the Friday night visit to Simla. The Lady Eagles are back home on Tuesday to host Eads.
#8 BRIGGSDALE LADY FALCONS (4-2)
Last Friday’s loss at Otis caused Briggsdale to fall four spots in the MHPR Media Poll this week, and the Lady Falcons finally get a chance to get that bad taste out of their mouths. They visit Peetz for a North Central league match on Thursday and stay in league play Friday when they visit Prairie. There’s a fun storyline surrounding Friday’s contest, as Briggsdale senior Jenna Krise will be facing off with one of her older sisters, Courtney, who coaches Prairie. It’s the first of two meetings in the regular season.
#9 DOVE CREEK LADY BULLDOGS (7-2)
Dove Creek pushed itself to a higher classification of competition last Saturday, with the Lady Bulldogs facing Pueblo Central and Alamosa. They swept the 4A Lady Wildcats behind 14 kills from Kylie Gatlin and 12 from Ralynn Hickman. After taking the first set off Alamosa, Dove Creek dropped the next three, losing 29-27 in the fourth. Gatlin and Hickman combined for 32 kills in the loss, 19 by Gatlin. Kalie Gatlin had 63 assists on the weekend. Back in 1A action on Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs cruised past Nucla in a sweep. They visit Monticello (UT) on Thursday and will be off again until next Thursday.
#10 FLEMING LADY WILDCATS (5-3)
Every loss by Fleming to date has come against a team that is ranked in either 1A or 2A. The Lady Wildcats fell in three sets last Thursday against Wiggins, but they pushed their 2A opponent in each set. Wiggins won 26-24, 25-22, and 25-19. Madi Serrato had a team-high seven kills. In the four-set loss at Idalia last Friday, Ashley Bornhoft pounded a dozen and Ciana Lousberg added 10. Bornhoft also had seven total blocks. Fleming snapped that two-match slide with a 3-0 win at Akron on Tuesday. They host Weldon Valley in NCL play on Thursday and visit Prairie for a league tilt on Tuesday.
FLAGLER LADY PANTHERS (5-0)
Just outside of the top-10, Flagler leads a group that is poised to break into the rankings. The Lady Panthers have been off for more than a week after beating Bethune 3-1. They get back into action on Thursday with a home contest against Evangel Christian. The Lady Panthers will also host Genoa-Hugo/Karval on Saturday and visit Idalia on Tuesday.
CHERAW LADY WOLVERINES (5-0)
Cheraw stayed unbeaten with wins last weekend over La Veta in five and Branson/Kim in four. The Lady Wolverines travel to South Baca on Thursday and Evangel Christian on Saturday.
GRANADA LADY BOBCATS (3-0)
Granada got 14 kills from Emersen Hernandez in last week’s four-set win over South Baca and the sophomore is averaging 2.7 per set. The Lady Bobcats travel to Wiley on Thursday for a non-league clash.
HI-PLAINS LADY PATRIOTS (3-0)
By the time Hi-Plains steps foot on the floor Friday night to face Otis, it will have been well over a week since the last time the Lady Patriots had played a competitive point. They will be looking for their first win over Otis during the MaxPreps era, which dates back to 2007 for volleyball.
WELDON VALLEY LADY WARRIORS (1-3)
No, they are not in the top-10 or even knocking on the door, but the Lady Warriors are just a few points away from a 4-0 start. They have lost to the top two teams in 2A, Sedgwick County and Wiggins, as well as Hi-Plains, all in five sets. Weldon Valley held 2-0 leads against both Sedgwick County and Hi-Plains, and earlier this week, led Wiggins 2-1.
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