CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
Quite a few ripples, or more accurately, waves were created by the results of several key matches last week. While no one fell out of the most recent MileHigh Prep Report Media/Coaches poll, only three teams remained in the same spots as last week, and a new team joined the rankings. Here’s a look at how that movement impacts some of the biggest matches in the early portion of the week.
TUESDAY
#1 MERINO (5-0) VS 2A WRAY (2-3)
Merino was slated to have a huge showdown last Saturday with 2A #2 Simla, but that match was postponed after the Simla community suffered the loss of a recent graduate in an accident. The Lady Rams will see their first action in a week and have only dropped one set this season. Wray snapped a brief two-match slide by beating Arickaree/Woodlin in the Burlington triangular on Saturday. The Lady Eagles turned around and were swept by 2A #8 Burlington. Merino is 1-0 in the LPAA, while Wray is playing its league opener.
#4 MCCLAVE (5-2) VS #10 CHEYENNE WELLS (3-3)
McClave had its four-match winning streak snapped on Saturday in a tough five-set loss at #3 Idalia. The Lady Cardinals led 2-1 but dropped the final two sets (15-10 in fifth). The win kept the Lady Wolves unbeaten on the season. Cheyenne Wells also suffered a loss to Idalia last week, falling in two sets at the St. Francis (KS) triangular last Thursday. That was part of a three-match slide for the Lady Tigers, who got back into the win column on Saturday by sweeping Wiley. McClave has the early lead in the High Plains, while this is the first league match for Cheyenne Wells.
#6 WELDON VALLEY (2-3) AT 2A #4 WIGGINS (3-3)
Weldon Valley was slated to play Briggsdale last Friday, but that match had to be postponed and is in the process of being rescheduled. This rivalry match will be the first action for the Lady Warriors in close to two weeks. Wiggins has been swept in its last two matches and all three losses have been in that fashion. The Lady Tigers have also recorded sweeps in all three wins. Weldon Valley leads the River Rivalry 12-9 dating back to 2008, but all of the Lady Tigers’ victories have come in the last 10 meetings, including the last five in a row.
#7 HI-PLAINS (3-2) VS 2A LIMON (2-2)
After a tight 3-0 loss at 2A Burlington early last week (all sets were decided by five or less), Hi-Plains made some noise on Thursday by handing previously unbeaten Eads its first loss of the season in a sweep. They made an even bigger splash on Friday, breaking what was at least a 27-match losing streak to #9 Otis, also in a sweep. In the process, the Lady Patriots became just the second YWKC team to hand the Lady Bulldogs a league loss since 2007. Idalia was responsible for the other two. Limon evened its record with a four-set victory over Kit Carson last Thursday. The two previous losses by the Lady Badgers had been to 2A #2 Simla and 3A #9 Strasburg, both in sweeps.
THURSDAY
#5 FLEMING (4-2) AT BRIGGSDALE (2-2)
Fleming’s sweep of Wiggins last Thursday ended a small slide of two matches. Both of those losses were against top-ranked teams (Merino, Sedgwick County). In the loss to Sedgwick County, Fleming overcame an 0-2 deficit to forced a fifth set, which went to the Lady Cougars by a 15-7 count. With the postponement of the match against Weldon Valley, this will only be Briggsdale’s second match in two weeks. The Lady Falcons visited 2A Heritage Christian on Tuesday. Fleming owns a commanding 39-5 lead in the series, dating back to 2007, but Briggsdale won twice last year.
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