CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW – WEEK TEN
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
It’s the penultimate weekend of the regular season for Class 1A volleyball and there is no shortage of top action on the docket. This week, our preview will focus on the matches each day/night that will have the biggest impact on the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index. The rankings in this preview are from the most recent release of that metric.
THURSDAY
#14 KIT CARSON LADY WILDCATS AT #8 IDALIA LADY WOLVES
Both teams are safely in the postseason bracket, but this match is key for Kit Carson’s hopes of being at home for the regional round. A win could catapult the Lady Wildcats into a top-12 position, allowing them to host a regional pairing in two weeks. They’ve won five of their last seven this season, with the losses coming to #12 Cheraw in five and #1 Merino in a sweep. Idalia still has a couple of really big matches left, including against #13 Hi-Plains on Friday, so a win here really helps to keep them in a regional hosting spot. Recent history has been on the side of the Lady Wildcats, who have won the last four meetings against Idalia, all in sweeps.
#21 GRANADA LADY BOBCATS AT #25 ARICKAREE LADY BISON
A recent four-match slide really dinged the postseason forecast for Granada, who had been inside the top-12 just a couple of weeks ago. The Lady Bobcats broke that losing streak on Tuesday with a sweep of Manzanola. For Arickaree, their postseason aspirations come down to this… they most likely have to beat both Granada on Thursday and #2 Stratton on Friday to make the field. While they are only one spot out of the top-24, a league champion sits behind them (#27 Springfield) and the 24th spot in the bracket will go to that automatic qualifier. Another champion sits just inside the top-24 (#23 Sangre de Cristo), so a climb to #22 might be in order to make the bracket. The Lady Bison have dropped seven of their last 11. Arickaree has won two of three over the Lady Bobcats, including a sweep in Granada last year.
#22 WILEY LADY PANTHERS AT #26 GENOA-HUGO/KARVAL LADY PIRATES
Like Granada, Wiley was sitting a lot higher in the Seeding Index a few weeks back, but the inability to string together consecutive wins over the last seven matches has pushed the Lady Panthers down the metric. They’re still in the regional field as of now, but another stumble could continue the slide, making next week very tense. The Lady Pirates have also had their own share of struggles recently, dropping five of their last seven, causing them to fall out of the top-24. As is the case with Arickaree, Genoa-Hugo/Karval knows that it must get up to the #23 position, or even #22 to secure a postseason berth. Wiley has won three straight in the series after having dropped the previous three in a row.
#20 EADS LADY EAGLES AT #3 MCCLAVE LADY CARDINALS
This is a league match inside the High Plains, but McClave has already locked up that crown. The two storylines in this contest is the attempt to hold on to a postseason spot by the Lady Eagles, while McClave looks to get back on track after dropping both games of a tri at Cheyenne Wells last Saturday. Eads has won two straight and five of the last seven overall to get into contention for one of the final at large berths. McClave was missing two starters in the losses last weekend, including standout sophomore Abrielle Gomez. Still, the Lady Cards had 2-0 leads against Hi-Plains and Cheyenne Wells before falling in five sets in both matches. McClave has won four consecutive matches against Eads and owns a 16-12 lead in the series during the MaxPreps era.
#18 CHEYENNE WELLS LADY TIGERS AT #27 SPRINGFIELD LADY LONGHORNS
Earlier this season, Cheyenne Wells sat at 1-6 and 3-9 before winning six of the last seven. That hot streak, which includes the win over McClave, has put the Lady Tigers in the postseason field as of Thursday. They could be much higher in the standings had a couple of breaks gone their way, with three of the losses coming in five sets. By winning the Ark Valley, Springfield already knows it is in the bracket. Now, the Lady Longhorns can focus on improving their standing in the Seeding Index by trying to close out the final 10 days of play with as many wins as possible. They have won 12 of the last 15 matches against Cheyenne Wells, but are just 2-2 in the last four, with a five-set victory last year.
#11 WELDON VALLEY LADY WARRIORS AT #16 BELLEVIEW CHRISTIAN LADY BRUINS
After starting the season 5-6, with five of the losses going the distance (four in best of five), Weldon Valley finally started to get over the hump and has won seven of its last eight. That includes their second five-set win over Fleming and a sweep of Briggsdale last Friday. Belleview Christian saw its shot at the 5280 title slip away in a 3-0 loss to #19 Flatirons Academy on Tuesday, snapping an eight-match winning streak. The Lady Bruins are running out of chances to climb into a hosting position, with only one match remaining after this. Weldon Valley has won both prior meetings in the series, but there was almost a full decade between those contests.
FRIDAY
#7 BRIGGSDALE LADY FALCONS AT #15 FLEMING LADY WILDCATS
Briggsdale enters this match looking for a rare season sweep of the rival Lady Wildcats. Just how rare? It hasn’t happened in the MaxPreps era, in which Fleming has won 39 of 43 meetings. The Lady Falcons are coming off back-to-back losses, as they fell to 2A #1 Wiggins in five sets right before the sweep loss against Weldon Valley. Fleming finds itself in third place in the NCL, which has not happened during the MaxPreps era. The Lady Wildcats have won their last two coming into the contest, after a three-match losing streak that included five set losses to Weldon Valley and 2A #2 Sedgwick County, sandwiched around a 3-0 loss to #5 Simla.
#13 HI-PLAINS LADY PATRIOTS AT #8 IDALIA LADY WOLVES
Hi-Plains is riding high after its five-set comeback victory over McClave last Saturday. That is part of a seven-match winning streak, that also includes a four-set win over Lone Star earlier this week. The last two matches on their schedule will not give the Lady Patriots much of an opportunity to boost their standing in the Seeding Index, so earning their first win over Idalia as a stand-alone program since 2012 is likely their last shot at getting to host a regional pairing. Hi-Plains did win four of five over the Lady Wolves as part of the Flagler/Hi-Plains co-op.
#27 SPRINGFIELD LADY LONGHORNS AT #3 MCCLAVE LADY CARDINALS
The second high profile match of the weekend for both teams again probably means more to Springfield than it does McClave. Even though both are league champions, Springfield is staring a regional pairing at #1 Merino right in the eye. The Lady Longhorns had won four straight in the series before dropping two matches to the Lady Cards last year.
#2 STRATTON LADY EAGLES AT #25 ARICKAREE LADY BISON
Stratton rides an 11-match winning streak into the contest, having dropped one set in the last seven. The closing stretch for the Lady Eagles is not easy, as all four matches are against top-25 opponents. Counting times when both were in co-ops, Stratton has won seven straight matches in the series with Arickaree.
#10 HAXTUN FIGHTIN’ LADY BULLDOGS AT 2A #2 SEDGWICK COUNTY LADY COUGARS
Haxtun is red hot, winning five straight matches, including a sweep of Otis earlier this week. The Fightin’ Lady Bulldogs are tied for second in the LPAA with 2A Wiggins, with each one game back of #1 Merino, who is still on the schedule for Haxtun. Sedgwick County is another game back, and enters the contest having won three in a row. Haxtun beat the Lady Cougars in five clear back in the opening weekend of the season, snapping a six-match losing streak in the series.
SATURDAY
#1 MERINIO LADY RAMS AT STERLING TOURNAMENT
Merino’s perfect record on the season will get a serious test on Saturday, as the Lady Rams will face 2A #1 Wiggins, 3A #7 Lamar, 3A #10 Alamosa, and 3A #17 Sterling. Talk about testing your mettle before the postseason! The Lady Rams go into that gauntlet having dropped a total of three sets on the season. They’ve already swept Wiggins just a few weeks ago, breaking a string of three straight losses in that series. Merino has beaten Alamosa 2-1 in each of the last two years at this tournament, while also going 1-1 against Sterling and 0-2 against Lamar.
#7 BRIGGSDALE LADY FALCONS AT #2 STRATTON LADY EAGLES
Briggsdale has won the last four meetings with Stratton, including a 3-0 sweep at home last year. Both teams will be tested the night before, so this non-league clash should be a lot of fun (at least for the spectators)!
2A #15 IGNACIO LADY BOBCATS AT #6 DOVE CREEK LADY BULLDOGS
Dove Creek took a 12-match winning streak into Thursday’s meeting with 3A #50 Montezuma-Cortez, so there’s a good chance that it could be a lucky 13 for the Lady Bulldogs as they host Ignacio. The Lady Bulldogs beat the Lady Bobcats on their home court last month in four sets, with Ralynn Hickman, Kalie Gatlin, and Kylie Gatlin all recording double-doubles. They’re aiming for a sixth straight win in the series.
TUESDAY
2A #21 LIMON LADY BADGERS AT #2 STRATTON LADY EAGLES
The title in the Union Pacific is on the line in this contest. Stratton wins it outright with a victory, but shares it in a three-way tie with a loss, bringing 2A #12 Strasburg into the conversation. Limon has won 10 of the last 15 meetings in the series, including a 3-1 victory last year. Stratton had won two in a row before that loss.
#10 HAXTUN FIGHTIN’ LADY BULLDOGS AT #11 WELDON VALLEY LADY WARRIORS
It’s a non-league match for these squads with a win likely locking up a regional hosting spot for either side. Haxtun had won four straight in the series before falling to the Lady Warriors in a 2-0 sweep at the Timnath tournament earlier this season. That gave Weldon Valley a 5-4 edge in the series.
#20 EADS LADY EAGLES AT #21 GRANADA LADY BOBCATS
Both sides a scratching and clawing, trying to hold onto a postseason spot. Eads had won 20 of the last 21 meetings with the Lady Bobcats before Granada grabbed a four-set win two weeks ago. They met the next day at the McClave tournament, and the Lady Eagles exacted revenged, winning in two.
#23 SANGRE DE CRISTO LADY THUNDERBIRDS AT 2A #27 SANFORD LADY MUSTANGS
Even though the Lady Thunderbirds have already secured the Southern Peaks title, this non-league contest gives them one last chance to really boost their standing in the Seeding Index. The series with Sanford has been one of runs. Sangre won nine straight between 2007 and 2009, before Sanford went on a five-match winning streak. The Lady T-birds won three straight, with a long gap between the second and third (eight years), and now the Lady Mustangs have won three straight.
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