CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL REPORT – REGIONALS by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL REPORT – REGIONALS

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

Twenty-four teams have reached the regional round in Class 1A, and by the end of the day on Saturday, the field will be cut in half. The twelve regional winners will advance to next week’s state tournament.

REGION ONE AT MERINO HS (SATURDAY 11AM)

#1 MERINO (21-2) VS #24 FRONT RANGE BAPTIST (15-8)

Merino won the LPAA title, losing only two sets in league play. The Lady Rams enter the regional round on a six-match winning streak. Jaylyn Lynch leads the team with 305 kills, while Jade Powell and Delaney Piel follow with 234 and 177, respectively. Lynch also tops the net defense with 48 total blocks, and Powell has added 41. Six Lady Rams have triple figures in digs, led by D. Piel with 431. Powell (304), Lynch (206), Kya Piel (190), Lauren Lorenzo (147), and Riley Pope (128) round out the group. Pope is the top setter with 707. No one else has as many as 20.

Front Range Baptist got the automatic spot from the 5280 and the Lady Baptists won their final two matches of the regular season. They enter with wins in seven of their last eight outings. Emma Gerrard tops a trio of hitters with more than 100 kills, posting a team-leading 180. Leni Dorfeld has 161 and Hadyn Woods adds 155. The Lady Falcons have 42 total blocks as a team, 25 by Gerrard.

REGION TWO AT MCCLAVE HS (SATURDAY 10AM)

#2 MCCLAVE  (21-2) VS #23 KIOWA (13-9)

McClave dominated the High Plains league, winning all 15 sets against league opponents. Avery Hemphill has posted a 200/200 season, leading the Lady Cardinals with 276 kills and adding 214 digs. Abrielle Gomez has a triple-triple season going, posting 239 kills, 137 blocks, and 276 digs. Ashlynn Steinbrunn has chipped in 131 kills and 271 digs, while Addison Vallejos makes it four players with 200 or more digs, recording exactly 200. Yesenia Almanza could join that crew, as she enters regionals with 190. Almanza also has 639 assists.

Kiowa claimed the final at-large berth into the postseason bracket after finishing third in the Black Forest. The Lady Indians won four of their final six regular season matches. They have two big hitters, with Kiley Kuhn putting away 256 kills, and Bernice Summers adding 142. Kiowa also has a strong back row defense, with three players recording more than 200 digs. Kuhn leads that trio with 267. Emery Kelly follows with 242, and Summers has tallied 219. Rylee Wyer adds 177.

REGION THREE AT FLEMING HS (FRIDAY 6PM)

#3 FLEMING (20-3) VS #22 GENOA-HUGO/KARVAL (12-11)

All three losses this season for Fleming, the North Central champion, came against top-ranked teams. Two were to Merino and the other was against 2A Simla. Two of them were in the final four matches of the regular season. Four players have recorded more than 100 kills for the Lady Wildcats, led by Ashley Bornhoft with 272. The senior also has a team-leading 64 blocks. Quincy Stull has added 183 kills, while Ciana Lousberg and Hadley Stull have tallied 175 and 114, respectively. Brooke Schaefer paces the defense with 330 digs. The Lady Wildcats have also gotten triple digits from Lousberg (164), Hayley Chamberlain (159), Bornhoft (140), H. Stull (137), and Emoree Lousberg (112). Chamberlain has registered 423 assists, and C. Lousberg has tallied 270.

Genoa-Hugo/Karval finished 4-1 in its final five matches of the regular season, and was the fifth place finisher in the mixed Union Pacific. Ten of the 11 losses by the Lady Pirates were to regional qualifiers. Like Fleming, the Lady Pirates also have four players with more than 100 kills. Kazlei Vaughn and Alexis James lead the team with 164 and 162, respectively. Rylee Corn is right there with that duo, having put down 159. Amy James rounds out the group with 121. Corn’s 35 blocks lead the team, while Jira Kissell paces the back row with 401. Not far behind is Amy James with 397. Rhegan Sitzman (201), Rylee Kelly (190), and Vaughn (187) are also in triple digits. Kelly (296) and Sitzman (291) share the setting duties.

REGION FOUR AT FLATIRONS ACADEMY (FRIDAY 6PM)

#4 FLATIRONS ACADEMEY (21-2) VS #21 AKRON (9-14)

The second place finisher in the Mile High, Flatirons Academy had its 10-match winning streak snapped in its finale by 2A Heritage Christian. Brylin Gomer leads the attack with 240 kills, and she’s followed by Jenna Nehrbass with 143, and Claire Friedman with 125. Sydnie Mangel needs six to join them in triple digits. Nehrbass and Gomer both have just over 50 blocks apiece. Tessa Miller is the team-leader in digs with 182, while Friedman has added 141. Lexi Richman has a team-high 647 assists and 60 aces.

All nine members of the mixed LPAA qualified for regionals in either 1A or 2A, including eighth place Akron. The Lady Rams had nine matches go five sets, including a stretch of six in a row early in the season. They were 2-7 in such contests. Kaydence Headden (211) and Molly O’Neil (202) lead the attack, and Akron has also received 124 kills from Rayna Fountain, and 113 more from Madison Woods. O’Neil ranks among the classification leaders with 81 total blocks, and she’s one of six Lady Rams with more than 200 digs, having accumulated 253. Kashlee Randel leads that category with 391, and the rest of the group includes Woods (277), Headden (259), Payton Marshall (242), and Fountain (210). Randel is also tops on the squad with 539 assists.

REGION FIVE AT GRANADA HS (FRIDAY 1PM)

#5 GRANADA (20-2) VS #20 PRIMERO (18-5)

It’s been a real break-out season for Granada, who finished second in the High Plains behind McClave. The Lady Bobcats only lost one set in league play outside of the loss to the Lady Cardinals. They enter the postseason riding a nine-match winning streak. Freshman Camryn Coleman burst on the scene, recording 327 kills, 72 total blocks, and 318 digs, all of which lead the team. Emersen Hernandez has tallied 135 kills, and Dayzriana Quintana owns 121 so far. Emri Marquez is seven away from reaching triple digits. Quintana is second on the squad with 292 digs, while Marquez (232) and Hernandez (215) are also over 200. Kinsley Williams has recorded 185 digs, 633 assists, and 82 aces. The latter two lead the team. Leila Pizarro has added 152 digs.

Primero won the Fishers Peak, but had to get into the bracket via wild card, as the league does not reach the requirement of having at least five teams to earn an automatic spot. The Lady Bulldogs won two straight, and four of five, to end the regular season. Jaleysia Atkins heads up the attack with 211 kills. She’s followed by Jaelie Bowie with 159, and Isabella Maldonado with 102. Isabella Shew leads the Lady Bulldog defense with 368 digs. Atkins is next with 250, and Jocelyn Rivera is also over 200, having popped up 204. Primero has also received 180 from Bowie, and 172 from Maldonado. Rivera handles the setting duties, and has registered 483 assists.

REGION SIX AT STRATTON HS (SATURDAY 10AM)

#6 STRATTON (17-6) VS #19 OTIS (12-11)

Stratton won the mixed Union Pacific with an unbeaten mark in league play, but the Lady Eagles are just 1-2 in their last three matches. They own a victory over Otis in four sets earlier in the season. It’s primarily a two-pronged attack for Stratton, with Sophia Isenbart hammering 298 kills, and Kinsleigh Brachtenbach adding 184. Camory Wedel is the third option, registering 82. Wedel leads the team with 329 assists, and is one of five players with more than 100 digs. Her 152 are third behind Isenbart (192) and Brachtenbach (179), and ahead of Kaylynn Brandon (136) and Kamryn Talbert (132). Elle Bohnen joins them with four more digs on the season. Brandon shares the setting duties with Wedel, having recorded 206 assists.

Otis lost six of its last eight after Aedyn Tribelhorn went down with a knee injury in a five-set loss to Prairie. Still, the Lady Bulldogs clinched the YWKC league title. Tribelhorn had 192 kills at the time of her injury. That number is still second on the squad, trailing only Kensley Packer‘s 213. Lydia Willeke is one kill away from 100, and Hailey Juhl needs a dozen to get there. Juhl leads with 38 digs, and Ashton Gross has notched 31. Madison Reynolds leads the back row with 293 digs, while Willeke has 231. Raya Grimes-Routh adds 140; Crysten Goble, 119; and Packer, 112. Goble has 499 assists and went over 1000 for her career during the season.

REGION SEVEN AT HI-PLAINS HS (SATURDAY 11AM)

#7 HI-PLAINS (18-5) VS #18 SOUTH BACA (19-4)

The second place finisher in the YWKC, Hi-Plains won its last six matches of the regular season, the final four in sweeps. Cambria Seaman leads the Lady Patriots in kills (303) and digs (320), while Brianna Rueb follows with 220 kills and a team-high 56 blocks. She’s also recorded 162 digs. Addison Henschel adds 154 kills and 287 digs and Taylor Hartman is one kill away from 100, and is second with 31 blocks. Alexis Harvie is tops with 519 assists and has 215 digs. Maggie Gorton has registered 180 digs and 176 assists, and Alyssa Rueb has tallied 114 digs.

For the second straight year, South Baca plowed its way through the Ark Valley without losing a match. The Lady Patriots enter the regional bracket white-hot, having won 13 in a row. Their big two of Sarah Elmore and Abigail Anderson lead the team in kills and blocks. Elmore has 370 kills, 59 blocks, and 211 digs. Anderson has tallied 253 kills, 36 blocks, and 165 digs. Mary Brewer is the team-leader with 242 digs, and the Lady Patriots have gotten 145 from Eliana Gutierrez, and 141 from Brielle Bond. Gutierrez guides the attack with 437 assists.

REGION EIGHT AT SARGENT HS (SATURDAY 10AM)

#8 SARGENT (21-2) VS #17 LONE STAR (14-9)

Sargent went unbeaten in the Southern Peaks, with the Lady Farmers not dropping a set in league play. They only lost nine sets all season, six coming in their two losses. The Lady Farmers won their last three regular season matches. Sargent does not have full stats available.

Lone Star finished third in the YWKC, trailing Otis and Hi-Plains. The Lady Longhorns went 2-3 in matches that went five sets. Jade Kuntz heads up the three-pronged attack for Lone Star, putting down a team-leading 229 kills. Paityn Forry adds 157, and Audrey Wade follows with 144. Wade has also recorded 77 total blocks. Forry leads a scrappy back row defense with 322 digs. Grace Cochran and Kuntz both have 270, while Peytyn Kuntz and Bryn Cook have tallied 233 and 214, respectively. Cochran is four assists away from 500 on the season. She’s closing in on 1000 for her career.

REGION NINE AT EVANGELCHRISTIAN ACADEMY (FRIDAY 5PM)

#9 EVANGEL CHRISTIAN (19-4) VS #16 CHERAW (14-9)

By virtue of its loss to Pikes Peak Christian, ECA finished second in the Black Forest. Following that loss, the Lady Eagles won their final four matches in sweeps. Ellie Wagner is eight kills from 400 for the season, and Mia Castro has been a great complement, racking up 249 kills. Castro leads with 301 digs and is second with 62 aces. Alyssa Costain is tops with 72 aces and 607 assists. Kate Hetzel paces the net defense with 41 blocks, while Bailey Roberts and Wagner help the back row with 267 digs and 215 digs, respectively.

Cheraw finished third in the High Plains, trailing McClave and Granada. The Lady Wolverines lost four of their last seven matches in the regular season. They used a balanced attack during the season, with four players recording at least 100 kills. Tinley Leake led the group with 169. The freshman was followed by Adisyn Miell (138), Bristyl Barratt (134), and Lili Ontai (102). A. Miell and Leake shared the setting duties, racking up 239 and 192 assists, respectively. Emi-Lee Marquez topped the back row defense with 252 digs, followed by A. Miell (204), Tristyn White (195), Leake (189), Brilyn Miell (158), and Barratt (102).

REGION TEN AT PRAIRIE HS (FRIDAY 5PM)

#10 PRAIRIE (17-6) VS #15 FLAGLER (15-8)

Prairie ended the campaign as runner-up in the North Central behind Fleming. The Lady Mustangs went 3-4 down the stretch, nearly dropping out of the top-10 in the process. Hannah Kugler, Tanna Bailey, and Macie Jaeger have been a strong 1-2-3 punch for the Lady Mustangs. Kugler leads the attack with 303 kills, followed by Bailey with 286, and Jaeger with 205. Shaylee Dolan is six away from 100. Bailey is tops on the squad with 60 aces and 74 total blocks, while Jaeger (49), Kugler (48), and Nicole Ludgate (46) all have more than 40 total blocks on the season. That quartet are all over 200 digs on the season, a category led by Kali Sutter with 267. Ludgate has piled up 823 assists on the season, and the senior has topped 1500 for her career.

Flagler won five of its last six during the regular season, and the Lady Panthers finished fourth in the mixed Union Pacific, behind regional qualifiers Stratton, 2A Burlington, and Genoa-Hugo/Karval. The attack is led by Rylie Berry, who has picked up 287 on the year, and Sydnie Berry who adds 185. Lexi Witt is third with 81. R. Berry has notched 40 total blocks, and is eight digs away from 300. S. Berry leads the latter of those stats with 348 digs. Witt follows that duo with 256, while Kenzie Schulte and Jenna Schier have added 227 and 205, respectively. Schulte (341 assists) and Witt (268) share the setting responsibilities.

REGION ELEVEN AT PLATEAU VALLEY HS (SATURDAY 12PM)

#11 PLATEAU VALLEY (21-1) VS #14 EADS (13-6)

Plateau Valley finished second in the Western Slope, losing its only match of the season to Vail Christian. The Cowgirls opened the season with a 10-match winning streak, and followed that lone loss with an 11-match streak to close out the regular season. They are paced on the attack by Kyanna Himes with 178 kills. Presley Hawkins has 118 to her credit, and Macy Bevan is one back. Ava Johnson owns 90 on the year. Bevan’s 43 blocks lead Himes, who has 35. Lili Taylor‘s 345 digs are more than the next two defenders on the team, combined. Siena Fino has 171, while Lexi Taylor has added 163. Lexi Taylor and Morgann Miller have split the setting duties, recording 283 and 238 assists, respectively.

Eads got off to a strong start in the regular season, but a late stretch that saw the Lady Eagles drop four of five all but ended their hopes of hosting this round. The fourth place team in the High Plains, Eads did bounce back to win its final three matches. Anna Wollert (181) and Kara Wilson (169) have 350 kills between them. Bailey Sierra adds another 106. Wollert leads the net defense with 42 total blocks, while Sierra is among the state leaders on the back line with 430 digs. Peyton Eder adds 266 digs, and Emma Wollert and Wilson are separated by one, checking in at 261 and 260, respectively. Aspen Nelson is two away from 250. Nelson has been the primary setter, registering 266 assists. Wilson has added 122.

REGION TWELVE AT PIKES PEAK CHRISTIAN HS (FRIDAY 6PM)

#12 PIKES PEAK CHRISTIAN (20-2) VS #13 CALICHE (14-8)

With its win over Evangel Christian, Pikes Peak Christian locked up the title in the Black Forest. The Lady Eagles are one of the hottest teams entering the postseason, as they won their final 12 matches of the regular season. Annaliece Fisher (152) and Megan Ferguson (141) are the only players on the squad in triple digit kills, but Sophie Heck has added 82. Fisher leads the team with 38 digs, while Ferguson has a team-leading 62 aces. Eden Lopez paces the back row with 278 digs, and Ferguson gets to 200 with two. Lexi Stretch adds 172 digs, while Savannah Heath and Teagan Villa have 145 and 116, respectively. Heath is tops on the team with 394 assists.

Caliche finished fifth in the loaded mixed LPAA. The Lady Buffs started the season 9-0, but after that hot start had troubles against top competition. They went 2-8 down the stretch against regional qualifiers. Four players stacked up more than 100 kills on the season, led by Ryann Svoboda with 207. Hallie Lewis followed with 177, while Alexis Breidenbach and Faye Lueck added 138 and 102, respectively. Hailey Sommerfeld is closing in on 100, entering the postseason with 83 as the fifth option. Svoboda has recorded 64 total blocks to date, and has 182 digs. Lewis tops the latter of those categories with 246. Breidenbach has tallied 226; Lueck, 210; Hayden Walker, 192; and Lily Armstrong, 188. Armstrong has racked up 477 assists as the primary setter.