CLASS 3A VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW – WEEK ELEVEN
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, six teams have a realistic shot at claiming one of the final two spots in the Class 3A volleyball postseason field. As of Thursday morning, the teams sitting 35th through 40th in the updated CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index were separated by just .02 points in the metric. The top 36 teams will be part of the regional filed next week.
#35 THE ACADEMY LADY WILDCATS (8-11 OVERALL)
The Lady Wildcats are in the Metro League tournament this weekend, with matches against 2A #63 Manual and #37 Colorado Academy on Friday. Saturday’s schedule includes two more matches to be determined. The Academy has won two straight, but is just 5-5 in its last 10.
#36 LA JUNTA LADY TIGERS (9-10 OVERALL)
La Junta will participate in the St. Mary’s tournament where the Lady Tigers will play four matches. Included in those are contests against 2A #61 Highland and 2A #4 Mancos. Like The Academy, La Junta is 5-5 in its last 10 matches.
#37 COLORADO ACADEMY LADY MUSTANGS (8-11 OVERALL)
Colorado Academy will also be participating in the Metro League tournament this weekend, along with The Academy. The Lady Mustangs will play the Lady Wildcats, as well as Manual, on Friday. Saturday’s schedule has not been announced as of Thursday morning. Colorado Academy dropped its last three matches and nine of the last 13 overall.
#38 BRUSH LADY BEETDIGGERS (9-13 OVERALL)
Brush takes a five-match losing streak into Thursday’s contest against 2A #8 Strasburg, and the Lady Beetdiggers have not won a set in October. They have dropped eight of their last 10 and 11 of 13 down the stretch.
#39 MIDDLE PARK LADY PANTHERS (13-6 OVERALL)
Unlike most of the other teams in the mix for one of the final spots in the postseason field, Middle Park is actually on a pretty good roll right now. The Lady Panthers have won four straight and nine of the last 11 overall. They will make the trip to Buena Vista this weekend for the Heart of the Rockies tournament. The Lady Panthers will tangle with the hosts (2A #21) on Friday, and then have matches on Saturday with 2A #71 South Park, #12 Gunnison, and #25 Rifle.
#40 PAGOSA SPRINGS LADY PIRATES (8-11 OVERALL)
Looking at the most recent stretch for Pagosa Springs, things don’t look too bad, as the Lady Pirates have won two of their last three matches. However, if you expand the picture a bit, you see a string of four straight losses that really hurt their postseason chances. The Lady Pirates open the Coal Ridge Tournament on Friday against 4A #6 Palisade. That will be followed by a clash with #4 Delta, also on Friday, and then 4A #28 Glenwood Springs on Saturday.
MileHigh Prep Report 