CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
What an incredible weekend schedule we have in Class 1A, starting with a Friday night showdown
between two of the top three teams in this week’s MileHigh Prep Report Media/Coaches poll. Idalia
hosting Stratton is just one of the top match-ups over the next few days, and we’ll take a look at a lot of those contests.

FRIDAY

2 IDALIA (8-0) VS #3 STRATTON (5-0)

It doesn’t get much better than this match-up, at least on paper. Idalia swept Hi-Plains last Friday,
knocking the Lady Patriots out of the top-10 and out of the lead in the YWKC league. The Lady Wolves
used a three-pronged attack in that victory, with Addyson Juhnke (18), Jaylyn Kechter (12), and Krista
Wieser (10) combining for 40 of their 42 kills. Stratton has not lost a set this season, with a sweep of Arickaree/Woodlin last Saturday being the latest contest for the Lady Eagles. Stratton won last year’s
meeting in five sets.

5 FLEMING (8-2) AT PRAIRIE (5-3)

Fleming owns the lead in the North Central and a win over the Lady Mustangs would complete a perfect first run through the league. The NCL essentially plays a double round robin format in the regular season, so there’s still a long way to go before a champion is crowned. The Lady Wildcats have won their last five matches all in sweeps. Prairie has lost its last two, but has not played in more than a week.

8 CHERAW (5-2) VS KIT CARSON (1-10)

While it may not look like much on paper, but the tradition of Kit Carson can’t be overlooked when
playing in the High Plains. The Lady Wildcats have lost their last 10, winning only one set along the way, but Avery Johnson (70), Shay Rady (50), and Ashlee Koch (44) give them a solid attack. Cheraw had its five-match winning streak snapped on Tuesday by 2A #5 Swink in a sweep. None of the sets were decided by more than six points.

9 DOVE CREEK (10-1) AT NORWOOD (4-8)

Dove Creek is as hot as just about any other team in the classification, having won seven straight. That
includes a four-set win over 2A Mancos on Tuesday, in which Ralynn Hickman (21) and Taylor Barry
(20) combined for 41 kills. Norwood picked up a sweep win over Ridgway on Tuesday, but the Lady
Mavericks are just 2-4 in their last six matches. They’re looking for their first winning streak of the
season. Kendra McCluer had a team-high 10 kills in the win over the Lady Demons.

10 WELDON V ALLEY (4-7) VS CALICHE (4-5)

Weldon Valley has hit a rough patch, losing its last three matches in sweeps. To be fair, those were against #1 Merino, #5 Fleming, and Briggsdale. Caliche has picked up consecutive wins for the first time this year with Tuesday’s four-set victory at 2A Yuma in LPAA play. Hallie Lewis led with 14 kills, while Alexis Breidenbach and Ryann Svoboda had 11 apiece.
LA VETA (8-2) AT COTOPAXI (2-9)
La Veta is on a four-match winning streak, including sweeps of Sangre de Cristo and Evangel Christian last Friday. The Lady Redhawks have not lost a set since being swept by Cheraw more than three weeks ago. Cotopaxi has lost its last seven, all in sweeps. The Lady Pirates have not won a match this month.
EADS (9-1) AT WALSH (7-8)
In a clash of Lady Eagles, Eads rides a four-match winning streak that includes nice victories over
Granada in four and a sweep of South Baca last weekend. Anna Wollert has had double digit kills in
eight of the nine matches she’s played and needs five to hit 100 for the season. Walsh suffered a tough five-set loss to South Baca on Tuesday, despite 20 kills from Emily Hume and 10 from Maribel Carrillo. They’ve lost four of their last five.
SATURDAY

AKRON TOURNAMENT
As is usually the case, the Akron tournament has a very good field. One pool includes the hosts, #4
McClave, and #7 Otis. The other pool will feature #3 Stratton and a pair of 2A teams in Yuma and
Holyoke. After the pool play finishes, they will crossover with the third place finishers in each pool
meeting for fifth. The #2 team in each will play for third, and the top team in each pool will scrap for the title.
SIMLA TOURNAMENT
Akron isn’t the only tournament with a loaded field, as the #2 squad in 2A, Simla, will host a pool that
includes La Veta and a tough 2A Hoehne. The other pool has #2 Idalia tussling with Kit Carson and 2A
Dayspring Christian. After the pool play concludes, the tournament will follow the same format as the
Akron tourney.
BYERS TOURNAMENT
It’s a four team, round robin format in Byers, with #8 Cheraw leading the field. Evangel Christian is the
other 1A team, along with the 2A hosts and another 2A squad from Lyons.
MONDAY

HI-PLAINS (6-4) AT LONE STAR (5-5)
Hi-Plains needs to win the rest of its YWKC league contests, beginning with this roadie at Lone Star, and hope that Otis beats Idalia when they meet to have any hopes of grabbing a share of the league title. After being swept by Idalia last Friday, Hi-Plains fell on the road to Briggsdale in four the next day. Dejah Haymore led the team with 12 kills, one ahead of Cambria Seaman. Lone Star is also on a two-match skid, falling to Akron last Saturday and Fleming on Thursday.
CHEYENNE WELLS (5-6) VS 2A #7 HAXTUN (8-3)
Cheyenne Wells has lost its last two matches, including a four-setter at 2A #10 Burlington on Thursday. The Lady Tigers won the first set 28-26, but then lost the next three. Two of the three were by five or less. Haxtun is trending the opposite direction, sweeping Crowley County and topping Wray in five in the last two matches. Bobbi Starkebaum was huge in the win over Wray on Tuesday, recording 12 kills, 14 digs,
17 assists, seven blocks, and three aces