MileHigh Prep Report

CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW – WEEKEND

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

As the weekend rolls around, there are some very interesting match-ups on the slate in Class 1A. While each day has some great head-to-head matches, Saturday is littered with tournaments. All rankings are from this week’s MHPR poll.

FRIDAY

#1 SIMLA (2-1) VS HAXTUN (2-1)

Simla bounced back from a 2-1 loss to 2A #5 Vail Christian in the Wiggins tournament last weekend to pick up sweep victories over 2A #11 Flatirons Academy and #2 McClave. Carlee Cox racked up 35 kills in the tourney, 15 in the opening loss. Kinlee Cox tallied 49 assists, and Trenna Kochera had 35 assists and 21 kills. Haxtun competed in the Sedgwick County tourney last Saturday and finished with a 2-1 mark. The wins came in three against 2A Wray and in four over Briggsdale, with the loss going 3-0 in favor of 2A #2 Sedgwick County. Leah Edwards led the team with 31 kills and 40 digs in the three matches. Haylie Carpenter (44) and Scarlett Crossland (38) combined for 82 assists. Simla won the 2024 meeting with Haxtun at the 2A state tournament in four tight sets.

#7 CALICHE (1-1) VS #16 OTIS (4-1)

Caliche responded to its tough four-set loss to #4 Granada last Saturday by sweeping Lone Star (25-13/11/12) on Tuesday. Faith Lueck led a balanced attack with seven kills, while Ellie Willis and Alexis Breidenbach added six apiece. Aniston Marostica recorded 15 assists and Lily Armstrong had 14. Otis enters the match on the heels of two sweep victories this week. The Lady Bulldogs took out Wray 25-14/23/19 on Tuesday, and followed that with a 25-23/14/14 win over Cheyenne Wells on Thursday. Otis has won the last seven meetings with the Lady Buffs, including a hard-fought five-setter last year. Caliche led 2-0, but only won 19 total points over the last three sets.

#10 PLATEAU VALLEY (1-0) VS 2A OLATHE (1-0)

It’s an early showdown in the Western Slope, with both Plateau Valley and Olathe coming in at 1-0. For the Cowgirls it was a 25-11/9/16 sweep of Vail Mountain last Saturday. Vivian Arthur paved the way with a dozen kills, while Morgann Miller tallied 17 assists. Siena Fino reached double figure digs with 11. Olathe downed Soroco 25-19/14/14 in its league opener last Saturday. Masyn Patterson registered 16 digs, and Jasmin Ramirez added 14. Plateau Valley has won the last two meetings in five sets.

#11 STRATTON (0-0) AT SPRINGFIELD (0-2)

Stratton gets its season started on the road against Springfield, and the Lady Eagles are seeking a seventh straight state tournament appearance. Springfield was swept by Granada on Thursday, with the Lady Longhorns falling by scores 16-25, 15-25, and 8-25. Cobi Mackey and BriLynn Jackson had seven kills apiece to lead the attack. Stratton and Springfield have not played in the MaxPreps era.

#12 EADS (2-0) AT #18 FLAGLER (2-2)

Eads rolled to a 3-0 sweep of Genoa-Hugo/Karval on Tuesday, taking the win 25-18/13/14. Jordynn Turcotte put together a night with six kills, 10 digs, and 12 assists. Aspen Nelson added six kills and 11 digs. Bailey Sierra led with 16 digs. Flagler is seeing its first action since going 1-2 in the Kit Carson tournament last Saturday. After losing their first two matches, the Lady Panthers came back to sweep Kit Carson 25-17 and 25-13. Rylie Berry and Sydnie Berry put up double figures in kills and digs, with Rylie going for 11 and 10, and Sydnie adding 10 and 14. Elexx Lahm also had a double-double of 10 digs and 13 assists. Eads and Flagler have not played since 2021, a three-set win for the Lady Panthers.

SATURDAY

#5 SWINK (2-0) AT LA VETA (2-2)

Swink picked up a 3-0 win over 2A Las Animas on Tuesday, allowing a total of 29 points against. The Lady Lions look to remain unbeaten with a trip to La Veta, who beat Deer Trail in five on Thursday. The Lady Redhawks led 2-0, but could not close out until a 15-12 fifth. Swink and La Veta have not played since 2019.

#10 PLATEAU VALLEY VS 2A TELLURIDE (2-2)

Plateau Valley steps out of the Western Slope on Saturday to host Telluride out of the San Juan Basin.  The Lady Miners needed five sets to get past Crested Butte on Thursday. Grace Blakney had a solid all-around night, posting eight kills, six total blocks, 15 digs, and 12 assists. This is the first meeting between Plateau Valley and Telluride in the MaxPreps era.

#12 EADS AT 2A #8 EVANGEL CHRISTIAN (2-0)

Eads is back on the road for a non-league tilt with Evangel Christian, and it looks like a dandy on paper. ECA has won its first two matches in sweeps, including one over Kiowa on Tuesday. Ellie Wagner is averaging nine kills per match, and Alyssa Costain has racked up 41 assists. These two have split a pair of matches over the last two seasons, with Eads winning in four in 2025, and ECA doing the same last year.

NJC SPECTACULAR

As always, the NJC Spectacular put together another great field. Pool A includes #7 Caliche, #8 Fleming, 2A #6 Merino, and 2A #13 Holyoke. Pool B has Idalia, Peetz, Haxtun, and 2A Dayspring Christian.

CENTER VIKINGS INVITATIONAL

Center hosts its tournament, with #15 Nucla in the field. Norwood, Creede, Ellicott, Salida, and the hosts round out the field.

MONDAY

#9 PRAIRIE (1-1) AT 2A #17 AKRON (4-0)

Prairie lost its opener to 2A #16 Highland in four sets on Tuesday, but the Lady Mustangs were able to put that loss in the rearview mirror and sweep 2A Union Colony Prep on Thursday. Hannah Kugler put down 16 kills against Highland, and Macie Jaeger added 11. Molly Walker tallied 32 assists. Coming off winning the title in the Kit Carson tournament last weekend, Akron swept Briggsdale on Tuesday. The Lady Rams will also have a trip to Calhan on Friday. Prairie has beaten Akron in each of the last two seasons. The Lady Mustangs took four sets to get the win in 2024, and then trailed 2-1 last year before getting the victory in five.

#17 PIKES PEAK CHRISTIAN (1-2) VS DENVER JEWISH DAY (1-1)

A five-set loss to Elbert on Thursday will send Pikes Peak Christian into this match-up on a two-match slide. The Lady Eagles tied the match with a tough 25-21 win in the fourth, but Elbert took the fifth 15-6. Denver Jewish Day had the opposite result in its match with Campion Academy on Tuesday, with the Lady Tigers coming back from down 1-2 to win 25-20 and 15-9 in the final two sets. These teams have met in each of the last four years, with PPC winning all four in sweeps.