CLASS 3A VOLLEYBALL REGIONAL PREVIEW
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
With the regular season in the books, the scene now shifts to regionals in Class 3A. Thirty-six teams will make up 12 regions of three. The winner from each region will advance to next week’s state tournament.
REGION ONE AT EATON HS (FRIDAY 4PM)
#1 EATON (21-2)
After winning its first 16 matches, Eaton dropped a five-setter to Platte Valley in Patriot league play. The Lady Fightin’ Reds went on to win five of their last six, including avenging that loss during the Cheyenne Mountain tournament. Annabelle DeJager, who leads the team with 344 kills, recently surpassed the 1000 mark in her career. Evie Gavette is fourth in the classification with 425 digs.
#24 SALIDA (14-9)
Salida ripped off a late nine-match winning streak, but ended the season by losing its last two. Caroline Wooddell leads the Lady Spartans with 233 kills and 311 digs. Cedar Lengrich is ninth in 3A with 544 assists, and is tied for second on the team with Delia Dimino, as both have 208 on the season.
#36 JEFFERSON ACADEMY (9-14)
The Lady Jaguars opened the season by losing five of their first six and ended the season in the same fashion, including dropping their last three in a row. Monica Slusser (178) and Katerina Shadrach (124) have combined for just over 300 kills. They are also second and third, respectively, in digs.
REGION TWO AT PLATTE VALLEY HS (SATURDAY 9AM)
#2 PLATTE VALLEY (20-3)
Following an early season loss to Lewis-Palmer, Platte Valley rolled up 14 consecutive wins. Along the way, the Lady Broncos picked up the championship of the Patriot. Led by Lauryn Uyemura, who leads 3A with 772 assists, Platte Valley has racked up more than 900 kills. Uyemura is among the state’s all-time leaders in assists with more than 3300. Karsyn Fetzer is third in the entire state with 382 kills, and is only 11 off the lead.
#23 FORGE CHRISTIAN (10-13)
Forge Christian started the season off right, winning its first three matches, but the Lady Fury would win consecutive matches only two more times the rest of the way. They went through a six-match losing streak midway through the year. Bella Gypens leads an attack that has five players in triple digit kills with 196. Addison Davis is only seven back. Abby Nance has distributed 422 assists.
#35 COAL RIDGE (11-12)
Coal Ridge had a pair of three-match winning streaks during the season, but also had two losing streaks of the same length. Austin Jensen is in the top-20 of the classification with 60 aces, and also leads the team with 328 assists. Ava Harlow has 298.
REGION THREE AT MITCHELL HS HOSTED BY THE VILLAGE (SATURDAY 10AM)
#3 THE VILLAGE (20-3)
As a first year program, The Village has set the bar for future squads high. The Lady Mountaineers only lost to a pair of 5A teams (Legend, Cherry Creek) and a team that made the 2A championship match in Florida. Lilian Edwards (237) and Erika Sayer (213) have combined for 450 kills. A lot of those have come off assists from Isabel Carew, who has 470.
#22 BANNING LEWIS (15-8)
The Lady Stallions saw most of their wins come in three winning streaks. After a pair of three-match streaks earlier in the season, Banning Lewis had a four-match streak late in the year. Alexis Schoofs ranks fifth in the classification with 74 total blocks, while Noelle Gillespie is second in the class with 475 digs.
#34 PAGOSA SPRINGS (10-13)
The Lady Sailors did not win three matches in a row at any point in the regular season, and had a four-match slide before winning their final match of the campaign. Sophia Sottek has put together 400 assists so far this season, guiding an attack that features three players with at least 100 kills. Aspen Pitcher leads the trio with 182, while Cadence Kerns and Lexi Campbell have tallied 137 and 113, respectively. Kerns is also tied for fifth in the classification with 74 total blocks.
REGION FOUR AT ALAMOSA HS (FRIDAY 4PM)
#4 ALAMOSA (19-4)
Half of the losses registered this season for Alamosa came early in the season at the Eaton tournament. One more came in the Sterling tournament late in the season. Aubrey Rothermich heads up the attack with 237 kills, with Morgan Ortega racking up 580 assists. That total puts Ortega seventh in 3A.
#21 VALLEY (12-11)
Valley finished the regular season with a 5-5 mark in its last 10 matches, starting with a winning streak of four, followed by a skid of four. The Lady Vikings entered the postseason on a victory. Nevaeh Jimenez enters play needing 43 assists and 56 digs to reach the 1000 mark in her career.
#33 DSST: CONSERVATORY GREEN (13-10)
DSST: Conservatory Green went 9-0 inside the City league, but only tallied four wins outside of league play. The Lady Green Hornets begin regional play having won eight of their last 10. Mia Martin is seventh in the class with 77 aces. She’s also dished out 350 assists. Caden Cope (236) is the only player with more than 75 kills.
REGION FIVE ATGUNNISON HS (SATURDAY 10AM)
#5 GUNNISON (21-2)
Gunnison went undefeated on its way to a title in the Western Slope, only losing three sets in the process. The Cowgirls have won their last 13 in a row, ten by sweep. They have four players with triple digit kills, six with more than 100 digs, and two setters with more than 200 assists. Sienna Gomez is on the verge of having 200+ assists, 150+ digs, and 150+ kills, needing nine of the latter to recording that line.
#20 THE VANGUARD SCHOOL (17-6)
The third place team in the Tri-Peaks, The Vanguard School won nine of its last 11 matches prior to regionals, including four straight. Seven of the nine were sweeps. Defense has been a big key for the Lady Coursers, with Aili Haisley and her 460 digs leading the way. That tally has her sitting third in the classification. As a team, they have more than 1500 digs.
#32 NORTH FORK (11-11)
North Fork lost six of its first eight outings, starting the season with a three-match losing streak. The Lady Miners finished off by winning nine of the next 14. That includes a 4-1 record down the stretch. Ellie Chavez (309) and Ryaunna Rhoades (308) are separated by just one dig atop the team’s leaderboard. Madison Nelson is third in the classification with 613 assists.
REGION SIX AT LAMAR COMMUNITY BUILDING (FRIDAY 3PM)
#6 LAMAR (21-2)
For the sixth time in the last seven non-COVID seasons, Lamar has reached the 20-win mark. The Thunder won the Tri-Peaks with an unbeaten run. The only set they lost in league play was against The Vanguard School. Brooklyn Robbins is third in 3A with 338 kills and is just 57 away from 1500 for her career. She also sits fourth with 84 aces. Tatum Milenski is fourth with 606 assists, and just 15 away from 1500 in the last two seasons.
#19 WINDSOR CHARTER ACADEMY (14-9)
The Lady Firebirds began the season with four straight victories, and wins in six of their first seven. They could only manage to pick up eight wins in their final 16. Windsor Charter finished the season with consecutive losses. Aubrianna Penfold has 200 assists, and Sophia Atkinson has added 169. Addison Corder leads the team with 111 kills.
#31 DSST: MONTVIEW (14-8)
Runner-up in the City, DSST: Montview had a five-match winning streak snapped by DSST: CG in the regular season finale. That match decided the league championship. Sofia Mitchell is far and away the top blocker in 3A, racking up 144 total, 87 of them solo. Second in the state has 89 total. She is just five away from leading the entire state.
REGION SEVEN AT RESURRECTION CHRISTIAN HS (SATURDAY 10AM)
#7 RESURRECTION CHRISTIAN (19-4)
Three of the four losses this season by the Lady Cougars came in Patriot play, with the lone outlier coming to 5A Loveland in tournament play. They won five of their final six, with a loss to Eaton two weeks ago. Kaylynn Pardue is tied for ninth in 3A with 64 total blocks, while Kylee Mayes is second with 732 assists.
#18 MIDDLE PARK (15-8)
Middle Park overcame an early four-match slide by winning the next six in a row. Following another loss, the Lady Panthers had another winning run of five, but they did not win two straight the rest of the way. Karla Diaz is ranked 10th in the classification with 518 assists, with a good chunk going to Peyton Fosha, who has 250 kills.
#30 ARRUPE JESUIT (14-9)
The Lady Generals enter postseason play having lost three straight and five of their last seven. Prior to that close, Arrupe Jesuit had won five in a row. Alexia Perea has 86 aces, ranking her second in 3A. She has also recorded 313 assists and 174 digs.
REGION EIGHT AT STERLING HS (FRIDAY 2PM)
#8 STERLING (18-5)
Sterling came out of the chute with eight straight wins, but then went through a stretch of three losses in four matches. The lone non-league loss for the Lady Tigers came against one of the top 2A teams, Colorado Springs Christian, in tournament play. The Lady Tigers swept St. Mary’s Academy early in the season. Ady Santomaso leads five Lady Tigers with more than 100 kills, racking up 210. Shayleigh Ulrich is top-10 in the class with 587 assists.
#17 ST. MARY’S ACADEMY (15-7)
That early loss to Sterling snapped what had been a 3-0 start to the season, and it started a three-match losing streak. The Lady Wildcats finished the season with seven consecutive wins. Ellen Porter (289) and Vera Porter (205) are closing in on 600 combined kills, and the Lady Wildcats have two more players within nine of reaching 100. Hannah Records is two assists short of 498.
#29 STEM SCHOOL HIGHLANDS RANCH (19-4)
STEM HR had a pair of four-match winning streaks, and finished the regular season riding a streak of 11 in a row. Three of the losses by the Lady Spartans came early in the season at the D’Evelyn tournament. Three Lady Spartans have served up more than 50 aces, led by Amelia St. Martin with 60. Kiki Kingman is two back, and Sera Close is has 54.
REGION NINE AT PEAK TO PEAK HS (SATURDAY 10AM)
#9 PEAK TO PEAK (18-5)
Peak to Peak won the title in the Metro, losing only one contest. Showing how competitive that league was, only one of their 10 league matches was decided in a sweep. The Lady Pumas won six of seven five-setters in league play. Alexandra Eschmeyer is four kills away from 300 on the year, and she went over 500 career earlier in the season. She’s also seventh in 3A with 73 total blocks. Lhadze Olsen is seventh with 350 digs.
#16 CEDAREDGE (16-6)
Cedaredge went through a three-match slide in early October, but closed the regular season by winning six of the final eight. The Lady Bruins finished second in the Western Slope, two back of Gunnison. Addison Travis will hit 300 assists with her next one, and Carley Malinowski is just outside the top-10 in the classification with 61 total blocks.
#28 ASPEN (12-10)
Another Western Slope squad, Aspen dropped its head-to-head contest with Cedaredge in four-sets during league play. The Lady Skiers had a number of two-match slides, but never lost three in a row. Without complete stats being entered, Ava Braley was already over 400 assists on the year. Belle Sinclair led four Lady Skiers in triple digit kills with 134.
REGION TEN AT STARGATE SCHOOL (SATURDAY 10AM)
#10 STARGATE SCHOOL (19-4)
Seeking the first state tournament in the brief history of the program, Stargate School lost two of its last three matches to end the regular season. Those were both in the Metro, sending the Lady Eagles to a third place standing. Freshman Reese White has made her presence felt by serving 79 aces, good for sixth in the classification. For good measure, White also leads the team with 435 assists.
#15 BAYFIELD (14-9)
Runner-up in the Intermountain, Bayfield was just 3-6 early in the season. The Lady Wolverines then went on to win five straight and nine of the next 10 to secure a spot in the bracket. With four players in the attack in triple figures, Tanna Owen (308) and Avery Shipman (237) have combined for more than 500 assists. Christiana Sutherlin is closing in on a team-leading 150 kills.
#27 COLORADO ACADEMY (12-11)
Despite a record just over .500 on the season, the Lady Mustangs finished third in the very competitive Metro. A late five-match slide accounted for half of the losses suffered by Colorado Academy. They were swept by Stargate during that run. Kendall Anderson needs five kills to reach 300 on the season, and the sophomore is just 30 shy of 500 for her career. Josie Hicks is in the 200/200 club this year, with 207 kills and 262 digs.
REGION ELEVEN AT BENNETT HS (SATURDAY 10AM)
#11 BENNETT (18-5)
The third place team in the Frontier, Bennett nearly had a 13-match winning streak to end the regular season. After winning 11 straight, the Lady Tigers dropped a five-setter to Fort Lupton, and then won their last two. With her 249 kills this season, Jessica Venneberg went over 500 for her career. Raquel Thorpe (269) and Emilee Venneberg (265) are just four assists apart.
#14 THE ACADEMY (15-8)
The ability to avoid an extended losing streak was huge for The Academy, who lost consecutive matches four times, but never lost a third in any of those runs. The Lady Wildcats put together a 7-2 stretch at the end of the regular season, including a run of six straight wins. Olivia Luxner (333) and Eva Rodriguez (328) have more than 650 assists between them, setting up an attack that features four hitter over 100 kills on the season. Ava Gallegos leads that group with 176.
#26 CENTAURI (8-15)
With the worst record in the field, Centauri played a loaded schedule. Nearly every match played by the Lady Falcons was against a regional qualifier in various classification. A win over Pagosa Springs in the finale broke a five-match skid. Despite not having stats from the entire season entered, with about 2/3 completed, freshman Aubree Ullery already had over 300 assists.
REGION TWELVE AT STRASBURG HS (SATURDAY 2PM)
#12 STRASBURG (14-9)
The fifth member of the Patriot league to host a regional, Strasburg won six of its last eight to rebound from a four-match losing streak that included losses to three top-two seeds between 2A and 3A. With three kills, Peighton Marrero would not only reach 300 for the season, but also 750 for her career. She’s already topped 2000 assists and 1000 digs, and is also just nine aces away from 300 of those in her career. She leads the Lady Indians in all four categories this season.
#13 THE CLASSICAL ACADEMY (17-6)
TCA won the title in the CSML North, and saw half of its losses come in a three-match slide early in the season. From the end of that streak, the Lady Titans went 14-2 the rest of the way. With several matches missing from the stat sheet, Maggie Johnson was just shy of 350 assists on the season. At the same point, Ashlyn Delaney was the lone player on the team with more than 100 kills, registering 170 at the time.
#20 PROSPECT RIDGE ACADEMY (13-10)
Finishing eighth in the deep Metro, Prospect Ridge Academy still finished the regular season with a winning record. Winning their final five matches helped the Lady Miners climb over .500 for the year. Natalie Rooks sits inside the top-10 of the classification for assists with 546. She’s gone over 1000 in her three year career. Not even two full years into her career, Genevieve Forsman is already over 500 digs, racking up 350 so far this year.
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