CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL REGIONAL PREVIEW
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
A field of 24 teams in Class 1A will be pared to just a dozen by the end of play on Saturday. Three time defending state champion Merino heads the group, but the Lady Rams are being hunted by a hungry pack that includes four other 20-win teams. Two more can hit that plateau with a win this weekend. Here is our quick look at all 12 regions.
REGION ONE
#24 SPRINGFIELD LADY LONGHORNS (12-9) AT #1 MERINO LADY RAMS (22-1) SATURDAY 10:30AM
Springfield won the Ark Valley title with a 7-1 mark and got into the field with the league champion protection. However, a late hot streak pushed the Lady Longhorns to within one spot of the top-24. They dropped just one set over the final weekend at the Heart of the Rockies tournament in Buena Vista, and that was to 3A Moffat County. Lainee Leathers, who recently went over 500 kills, 500 assists, and 700 kills for her career, has sparked that hot streak, along with Bay Ellis. The junior has been tough at the net, recording 118 solo blocks.
Merino suffered its only loss of the season at the Sterling tournament a few weeks back, when the Lady Rams fell in a best of three to 2A #1 Wiggins. The Lady Rams had already swept Wiggins earlier in the season in LPAA play. The league champions went on to sweep a trio of highly ranked 3A opponents in that Sterling field (Lamar, Alamosa, Sterling). Makenna Sutter heads into the regional match with 1345 career kills and close to 1800 digs. Younger sister, Brooklyn, is seven assists short of 2800 for her career and has a shot at reaching 3000 before her senior campaign.
The last time these two programs played was at state in 2019. Merino won that in a sweep.
REGION TWO
#23 CAPROCK ACADEMY LADY EAGLES (15-8) AT #2 STRATTON LADY EAGLES (20-3) SATURDAY 11AM
Caprock Academy finished eighth in the mixed Western Slope league, with seven of its eight losses coming in league play. The Lady Eagles had a three-match winning streak snapped by 2A Rangely in the regular season finale. Junior middle Karissa Riskey leads the team with 216 kills on the season, while setter Brookelyn Savoya has recorded 490 assists, and has only committed 13 errors in more than 1450 tries.
Stratton steamrolled its way through the Union Pacific, winning the crown without dropping a set against a slate that included four 2A regional qualifiers. The Lady Eagles come into the regional round having won 15 consecutive matches, tied with Dove Creek for the longest current streak in the classification. Sedonia Isenbart has been on a roll lately, with the senior recording six straight triple-doubles. She’s second on the team in kills (224), aces (49), digs (341), and assists (292). McKenna Notter leads with 252 kills and is third with more than 330 digs. Her cousin, Hanna, leads the team with 426, and she’ll likely go over the 1000-mark for her career early next season.
This will be the first match against an opponent east of I-25 in Caprock Academy history.
REGION THREE
#22 SANGRE DE CRISTO LADY THUNDERBIRDS (15-9) AT #3 MCCLAVE LADY CARDINALS (21-2) FRIDAY 1PM
Sangre earned its way into the field by winning the Southern Peaks league and finishing just inside the top-24 of the Selection and Seeding Index. The Lady Thunderbirds won seven of their last 10 overall. Back line defense has been a calling card for the team this year, as they are just 17 digs shy of 2600 as a team. Hallie Henry leads a group of six with more than 200 apiece at 796. That leads the entire state, regardless of classification. Palma Enriquez (452) and Presley Wilson (400) are next on the list.
McClave won the High Plains title without a league blemish, and the only two losses for the Lady Cardinals came in a tri a few weeks back with two starters missing. They had 2-0 leads in both of those matches before falling in five. Abrielle Gomez, who missed those contests, averages three kills per set and has gone over 500 kills and 500 digs in her career, as a sophomore. She’s just eight blocks away from adding 300 of those to her career milestones. She has combined with senior McKayla Kiniston for almost 200 blocks this season.
This will be the first meeting between the two programs since the 2018 state tournament. Sangre won that one in a sweep. The Lady Thunderbirds are 3-1 against McClave in the MaxPreps era.
REGION FOUR
#21 GRANADA LADY BOBCATS (14-8) AT #4 SIMLA LADY CUBS (20-3) FRIDAY 5:30PM
Granada is in the regional bracket for the first time since 1999 after finishing fourth in the High Plains. The Lady Bobcats got off to a great start, winning eight of their first nine matches, but have struggled to find consistency since. They had more wins in that opening stretch than in any full season during the MaxPreps era. ToriLin Riddle is the only player on the roster with more than 100 kills (142), but sophomore Emersen Hernandez can get there with one in this match. Freshman Kinsley Williams has played a key role this year, racking up 310 assists.
Champions of the Black Forest league, the Lady Cubs enter the postseason riding 14 consecutive victories. Simla has not lost since dropping a five-setter to Merino in mid-September. Their other losses were against 2A #1 Wiggins and McClave. They have a standout freshman of their own in Carlee Cox. Cox leads the team with 245 kills and is second with 247 digs. Junior setter, Meadow Nusbaum, has tallied 790 assists and a team-leading 70 aces.
These two programs have not met during the MaxPreps era.
REGION FIVE
#20 CHEYENNE WELLS LADY TIGERS (12-10) AT #5 OTIS LADY BULLDOGS (16-6) FRIDAY 6PM
Cheyenne Wells being in the postseason is proof that playing your best at the right time is key. The Lady Tigers, who finished fifth in the High Plains with only one league victory, won their last five matches and nine of their final 10. Even in their early season struggles, the Lady Tigers still took five opponents the distance before falling in defeat. Juniors Savannah Worley and Paige Ryser lead the attack with 162 and 155 kills, respectively, while sophomore Aliyah Muth directs that attack, registering 330 assists so far.
They say there are only two certainties in life and those are death and taxes. You can add Otis winning the YWCK title to that list, as the Lady Bulldogs won that league for the 15th time in the 17 years that MaxPreps has tracked volleyball. They only dropped one set in league play this year. Alli Hornung topped 2000 assists in her career with a 47 helper effort against Arickaree, and the senior has continued to pile them up. Maddie Willeke has been on the receiving end an awful lot this season, with the junior closing in on 300 kills for the year.
Meetings between these two programs have been rare, with only one happening in the MaxPreps era. That was back in the first season that the site tracked the sport (2007), with the Lady Bulldogs winning in a sweep. Several of the players in this upcoming match weren’t even walking at that time.
REGION SIX
#19 EADS LADY EAGLES (12-10) AT #6 IDALIA LADY WOLVES (18-4) FRIDAY 4PM
Eads, sixth place in the High Plains, struggled with consistency all season, as the Lady Eagles only had one winning streak of more than two matches. However, they were also able to limit their slides of more than two to just one occurrence. Senior libero Katie Johnson needs three digs for 500 on the season, and freshman Bailey Sierra could get to 400 if she has a busy afternoon, needing 20. Alessandra Paez would give the Lady Eagles four players with more than 300 digs on the season if she records six in the match. Johnson is third in 1A with her total.
Idalia was the only team in the YWKC to take a set from Otis this season and the Lady Wolves are the only squad in the league to beat Otis in the last 17 seasons. They’ve won seven straight since falling to Stratton in five sets to end September, including a pair of five-setters. One of those was last Friday against Eads. Kyndal Richards hammered 20 kills in that win, and Addyson Juhnke added 16. Brigette Kite racked up 37 assists, pushing the sophomore to over 700 in her career.
Eads tallied 167 digs in that loss last Friday, with Sierra claiming 45 of them, and Johnson adding 38. That was Idalia’s seventh straight win in the series, and only the second time in that stretch that the Lady Wolves needed more than three sets to claim victory.
REGION SEVEN
#18 FLATIRONS ACADEMY LADY BISON (14-9) AT #7 BRIGGSDALE LADY FALCONS (18-5) FRIDAY 6PM
Flatirons completed a perfect run through the 5280 with a win over Belleview Christian three weeks ago. The Lady Bison only dropped one set in league play, with it coming against Denver Waldorf. The Lady Bison won eight of nine down the stretch, but suffered a defeat to Briggsdale in the regular season finale. Sophomore Brylin Gomer finds herself at or near the top of several categories for Flatirons, including kills (161), aces (43), and blocks (62 total). Bailey McCaslin is tied for the lead with 43 aces and leads with 246 assists.
Briggsdale split the season series with Weldon Valley, as both finished 7-1 in the North Central. The Lady Falcons were just 2-3 down the stretch, with losses to #12 Weldon Valley, as well as 2A #1 Wiggins and #2 Stratton. Jenna Krise heads into the postseason with 1473 kills and 1358 digs in her career. She has 483 kills on the year, and Kayl Klem has added 302. They’re the only two with more than 50 on the year. Klem is also only seven digs away from 300, as the junior begins the postseason a dozen behind Krise. Libby Slinger leads all of Colorado with 841 assists.
This will be the third meeting of the year between Flatirons and Briggsdale, with the Lady Falcons having won the previous two. They needed four sets in the first meeting, and then just three last week. Krise had 48 kills between the two matches and Klem added 26. Gomer had 14 combined in the two losses for the Lady Bison.
REGION EIGHT
#17 DE BEQUE LADY DRAGONS (15-8) AT #8 DOVE CREEK LADY BULLDOGS (21-2) FRIDAY 5PM
After winning a combined 14 games over the previous four seasons, the Lady Dragons have put 15 victories on the board, giving them their first winning season since 2018. They finished sixth in the tough Western Slope league and come into the postseason with wins in seven of their last 10. Ava Vines, who won the state title in the high jump last year, has put those hops to good use, putting down a team-leading 284 kills, 100 more than Ally Sandidge. Those two are also the leaders on defense, with Vines recording 216 digs and Sandidge 186.
Dove Creek hasn’t tasted defeat since a four-set loss to 3A Alamosa two months ago. The 15-match winning streak, which is tied for the longest current one in the classification, includes 13 sweeps. Kalie Gatlin recently went over 2500 assists and 1000 digs for her career. Twin sister, Kylie, needs 55 kills 19 digs for 1000 of each. She has 300 kills on the season, just behind Ralynn Hickman’s 307.
The Lady Bulldogs took a 2-0 win over De Beque very early in the season, with Hickman pounding 14 kills for Dove Creek. Avery Rigsby had 10 for the Lady Dragons.
REGION NINE
#16 BELLEVIEW CHRISTIAN LADY BRUINS (16-7) AT #9 HAXTUN FIGHTIN’ LADY BULLDOGS (16-7) FRIDAY 6PM
A sweep loss to Flatirons Academy was the only setback in 5280 play for Belleview Christian, dropping the Lady Bruins to second in the division. That was one of their two losses in their final 11, as Weldon Valley took a four-setter just two nights later. Alivia Cox and Olivia Donadio provide a big 1-2 punch at the net for the Lady Bruins, with 321 and 237 kills, respectively. Elly Batt has popped up 501 digs, second most in 1A . She is one of eight players in the entire state with more than 500 on the season.
Haxtun had one of the toughest finishing stretches of any team in the classification, with matches against Otis, 2A #3 Sedgwick County, Weldon Valley, and Merino. The Fightin’ Lady Bulldogs won three of those and finished the regular season winning seven of their last eight. Cassidy Goddard (171) and Bobbi Starkebaum (162) lead an attack that has five players with more than 100 kills on the season. Megan Walker (128), Jayleigh Bullard (118), and Maggie Kilgour (114) add to the depth for Haxtun. Walker is the top setter with 306 assists, just ahead of Kelsie Hadeen (293).
This will be the first meeting between the two programs in the MaxPreps era.
REGION TEN
#15 KIT CARSON LADY WILDCATS (13-10) AT #10 LA VETA LADY REDHAWKS (19-4) FRIDAY 4PM
While the record may not be as shiny as some of the others for Kit Carson during the MaxPreps era, it marks the 15th time in the last 17 years that the Lady Wildcats have posted a winning season. They finished third in the High Plains behind McClave and Cheraw, and are looking to win consecutive matches for the first time in almost a month. Seniors Lindsey Mayhan (222) and Paige Booker-Rady (175) have combined for just short of 400 kills. Sophomore setter Shay Rady has piled up 512 assists, good for ninth in the classification.
Like their opponent, people keep waiting for the Lady Redhawks to take a major step back, but here they are, one victory away from a ninth 20-win season in the last 11 years. They had their nine-match winning streak snapped two weeks ago by 2A #11 Calhan, but still come in on a pretty good roll. The play of Mattie Bjorum is a big reason why. The senior has 312 kills and 309 digs on the season. Grace D’esposito has added 156 digs and 338 digs, both of which are second on the team. Kylee Guadagnoli leads with 369 digs. Marianna Delacruz is tops with 437 assists.
These two met in September, with La Veta taking a five-set win in the Simla tournament, 16-14 in the fifth. Bjorum had 20 kills for the Lady Redhawks, while Mayhan had 11 for Kit Carson. Two of the other four previous meetings between the two programs have come at state, with the Lady Wildcats winning 3-1 in 2018 and 3-0 last year.
REGION ELEVEN
#14 FLEMING LADY WILDCATS (12-11) AT #11 CHERAW LADY WOLVERINES (19-4) SATURDAY 2PM
Over the years, the path to state for Fleming has usually gone through its own gymnasium. For a program that has played in four straight state title matches and all but three since making its first in 2006, being on the road with the season on the line is a rarity. The Lady Wildcats finished third in the NCL behind Briggsdale and Weldon Valley, and none of their losses were to a team that is on the road this weekend. Their top three hitters are all sophomores in Ashley Bornhoft (240), Ciana Lousberg (190), and Quincy Stull (133). Lousberg is also the top setter with 380, while Hayley Chamberlain, the freshman daughter of former Idalia head coach Kylie Chamberlain, has added 277.
Cheraw, the second place team in the High Plains, is seeking its second 20-win campaign in the last three years and reaching that plateau would mean a state tournament appearance for the Lady Wolverines, who went 1-2 in 2021. Their losses this season have come to three of the top five seeds, and #19 Eads. Delaney Bond has carried the attack, with her 220 kills almost 40 more than the next two hitters together. Crislyn Miell (303) and Adi Miell (272) have tallied 575 assists between them.
There has not been any meetings between these two programs in the MaxPreps era.
REGION TWELVE
#13 HI-PLAINS LADY PATRIOTS (15-7) AT #12 WELDON VALLEY (15-8) FRIDAY 6PM
As a stand alone program, Hi-Plains had not won 15 matches since 2013, and it took two full seasons for the Lady Patriots to reach that win total in their last two campaigns. They also had a pair of five-set losses this season, one that caused them to finish third in the YWKC. Narrow wins were a big part of the success this year, as the Lady Patriots won their first two matches of the season in five, and went 4-2 in five-setters. Dejah Haymore (148), Caelan Church (139), and Cloe Smith (122) have led a balanced attack all season. Senior libero Brooklynn Henschel leads a strong back line defense with 346 digs, and Serenity Hernandez has 266 assists, with Alexis Harvie adding 167.
After seeing a big turnover on the roster, including losing their top three hitters, it would have been natural for Weldon Valley to struggle this season. Instead, the Lady Warriors had players step into new roles and excel. The Lady Warriors split the NCL crown with Briggsdale and swept the season series against Fleming for the first time since 2018, beating the Lady Wildcats in a pair of thrilling five-setters. Close calls were the order of the day quite often this year, with the Lady Warriors going the distance nine times and posting a 2-7 record in those matches. Junior Annie Onufrak burst onto the scene this season, racking up 359 kills. Kyra Keating, one of the top returnees from last year, has added 184. Jaci Sanders has 480 assists and went over 2000 for her career earlier in the year.
These two played a wild five-setter very early in the season, with Hi-Plains taking the win at home. It was the second straight match in which the Lady Warriors held a 2-0 lead, only to have it slip through their fingers, as they opened the season with a loss to 2A #3 Sedgwick in the same fashion. Onufrak (25) and Keating (15) combined for 40 kills in the loss, and Sanders had 58 assists. Hernandez recorded 34 assists for Hi-Plains, with Haymore (19) and Smith (10) tallying 29 kills between them.
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