CLASS 3A VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW – WEEK TEN
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
With the regular season coming to a close next Saturday, this week our focus is on the matches that will have the biggest impact on the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index between Friday and next Tuesday. All rankings in the preview are from the most recent release of the Seeding Index.
FRIDAY
#36 BRUSH LADY BEETDIGGERS AT #25 VALLEY LADY VIKINGS
As of Thursday night, Brush was sitting just outside of the top 36 in the Seeding Index, but on Friday morning, they had climbed one spot and would be in the postseason field at that point. The Lady Beetdiggers have lost four straight and seven of their last eight to put them firmly on the bubble. Valley broke its own three-match slide by beating Weld Central on Tuesday. Valley has won all 20 meetings with Brush during the MaxPreps era, taking the last 36 sets and having only lost one set in those 20 matches.
SATURDAY
STERLING TOURNAMENT
The annual Sterling tournament has once again brought together some of the top teams in the state across multiple classifications. The field this year includes #7 Lamar, #10 Alamosa, #18 Sterling, as well as 2A #1 Wiggins, and 1A #1 Merino. Everyone plays each other in this round-robin format. Merino is the three-time state champion in 1A and has only dropped three sets all season. Wiggins won the 2A title two years ago and has been on an impressive run of its own over the last few years. This should be a fun day of competition that will test each team in the field.
#31 FORT LUPTON LADY BLUE DEVILS AT 2A #11 LAKE COUNTY LADY PANTHERS
Fort Lupton can bolster its postseason chances in this cross-classification match. The Lady Blue Devils look like they will be in the final field when the regular season concludes next weekend, but beating a highly-ranked team such as Lake County, even with the Lady Panthers being in a lower classification, could provide a cushion and make the final week of play less stressful. Fort Lupton has won three straight and five of its last six. Lake County is unbeaten on the season.
#30 BASALT LADY LONGHORNS AT #4 DELTA LADY PANTHERS
Delta already knows that it is in the postseason field and will also be hosting a regional bracket in two weeks. This match is more for Basalt and the Lady Longhorns trying to make a jump in the Seeding Index. Basalt has lost three of its last five, while Delta had its 16-match winning streak snapped last Saturday by Alamosa. The Lady Panthers got a win on Thursday over 5A Fruita-Monument on Thursday in four sets.
4A #20 SUMMIT LADY TIGERS AT #21 ASPEN LADY SKIERS
Both of these teams will be in their respective postseason brackets, so this match is all about RPI points. Summit dropped its match on Thursday, but had won six of seven prior to that loss. Aspen is trying to get back in the win column after a loss to 4A #9 Eagle Valley snapped a three-match winning streak.
TUESDAY
#37 COLORADO ACADEMY LADY MUSTANGS AT #3 JEFFERSON ACADEMY LADY JAGUARS
Colorado Academy enters the final week of the regular season fighting to keep its postseason hopes alive after dropping two straight matches. A win over the highly-ranked Lady Jaguars would most likely secure a spot in a regional bracket. But that won’t be easy as Jefferson Academy has won seven straight after suffering its only loss of the season to #8 Kent Denver. The Lady Jags won last year’s meeting with CA.
#9 KENT DENVER LADY SUN DEVILS AT #14 PROSPECT RIDGE ACADEMY LADY MINERS
Kent Denver is looking to complete an unbeaten run through the Metro and rides a 12-match winning streak into this contest. The lone blemish on the record so far came to 5A Fairview in a tournament clear back in early September. Prospect Ridge had been running hot, winning four straight matches while only dropping a single set, until the Lady Miners ran into #19 Forge Christian last Wednesday. They got a win earlier this week against #39 The Academy and will be looking to extend its domination of Kent Denver, as they have won the last eight meetings with the Lady Sun Devils.
#11 COLORADO SPRINGS CHRISTIAN LADY LIONS AT #35 LA JUNTA LADY TIGERS
La Junta currently holds one of the last at large berths into the regional round, but make no mistake, there isn’t much room for error for the Lady Tigers. They’ve won two straight, but are just 4-4 in their last eight. As of Friday morning, CSCS had won eight in a row going into Saturday’s match at #48 Manitou Springs. Every win helps the Lady Lions move closer to locking down a hosting spot in regionals. They have won all nine meetings against La Junta in the MaxPreps era, only dropping two sets along the way.
#5 TIMNATH LADY CUBS AT #16 RESURRECTION CHRISTIAN LADY COUGARS
Since losing back-to-back matches a few weeks ago, Timnath has won its last five and has locked up a regional hosting spot. Resurrection Christian could take a big step towards getting a regional in its own building with a win. The Lady Cougars had a seven-match winning streak broken on Tuesday by University, who got the win in five. Resurrection Christian had only lost one set in that winning streak. The Lady Cougars won last year’s clash with Timnath in a sweep. That’s the only meeting between the two programs.
#33 WELLINGTON LADY EAGLES AT #13 UNIVERSITY LADY BULLDOGS
Wellington has put itself into the postseason mix by winning its last two matches, which has been a welcomed sight after the Lady Eagles had dropped five in a row before their recent success. University had its six-match winning streak broken by Timnath on Tuesday and the Lady Bulldogs need to win their last two regular season contests to have a shot at hosting a regional. They won last year’s meeting, the first ever between the two programs, in a 3-0 sweep.
#23 PEAK TO PEAK LADY PUMAS AT #19 FORGE CHRISTIAN LADY FURY
With both teams already knowing that they are safely in the postseason field and heading out on the road to play in someone else’s barn, this match is about positioning themselves for the best possible match-up in regionals. Peak to Peak has won three straight, including an important five-setter against Colorado Academy last Wednesday, while Forge Christian is just 4-3 in its last seven after having a three-match winning streak ended by Jefferson Academy on Thursday. The Lady Fury have won 12 consecutive matches against Peak to Peak, and are 22-2 against the Lady Pumas in the MaxPreps era.
MileHigh Prep Report 