CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL REPORT by Kerry Sherman

Picture by OTSportsChek (Idalia vs Haxtun)

CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL REPORT

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

It’s time for the final five days on the regular season in Class 1A, and there are really only two big questions remaining. First, Will Eads hold onto the final hosting position, or will one of the three teams sitting directly behind the Lady Eagles overtake them for that spot? Secondly, with a league champion sitting 25^th, primed to snatch a spot in the final bracket, will the last at large berth go to Prairie or Lone Star? We’ll take a look at the early part of the week’s schedule and see what matches can have the biggest impact for the teams involved in those questions. All rankings are from Tuesday morning’s CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.

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TUESDAY

#1 MERINO (19-1) AT #3 FLEMING (17-4)

While this match-up won’t have an impact on who ends up hosting, or who gets in at the bottom of the bracket, it’s hard to pass up a clash like this. Fleming took a set off Merino in the NJC tournament earlier this year, but lost in four. Over the weekend, the Lady Wildcats swept #2 Idalia and #10 Cheraw, and lost in four to 2A #1 Simla. Merino beat #4 Stratton in four sets on Saturday.

#4 STRATTON (17-4) AT #12 EADS (12-4)

With softball having concluded last week, there are no distractions for Eads this week. And that’s a very good thing, as the schedule finishes with a pair of matches against top-five opponents. Both sets of Lady Eagles will enter the match having lost their last outing. For Stratton, it was the four-set defeat at Merino, while Eads was dropped in three sets last Thursday by #6 McClave.

#18 GRANADA (12-8) AT #13 GENOA-HUGO/KARVAL (13-8)

Granada knows that its in the field for the second straight year, and that a road trip awaits next weekend. But, Genoa-Hugo/Karval still has a shot at hosting a regional pairing next weekend. For that to happen, the Lady Pirates must win on Tuesday to have any chance, as they close out with a team in the bottom eight on the metric.

THURSDAY

#22 PRAIRIE (10-11) AT #1 MERINO

If the Lady Mustangs can pull off the upset of the top-ranked squad it would all but lock up a postseason berth. That feels like a monumental task, as Merino has won the last five meetings in the series. However, none of those have come in the last three seasons. Prairie had lost five of seven before sweeping Denver Waldorf last Saturday.

#6 MCCLAVE (16-5) VS 2A #9 DEL NORTE (18-1)

This is another one of those matches that won’t help clear the waters when it comes to hosting/making the bracket, but again, it’s too tasty to pass up. McClave has won seven straight since losing to Stratton in the third place match of the Akron tournament, and the Lady Cards have only dropped one set in that streak. Credit Del Norte for making the 440 mile round trip to face a top contender in 1A. The Lady Tigers rode a nine-match winning streak into their home game on Tuesday against 2A #15 Hoehne. Their lone loss on the season was at the hands of #11 Sargent five weeks ago.