CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW – EARLY WEEK
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
What an incredible slate of action this week has in store for fans across the state, starting with a Tuesday schedule that has all of the top-10 teams in this week’s MHPR rankings on the court. That includes a pair of ranked vs ranked match-ups, and there are a couple more big clashes on tap on Thursday.
TUESDAY
#1 SIMLA (11-1) VS PIKES PEAK CHRISTIAN (4-5)
Simla picked up a pair of sweep victories over ranked teams in the last few days, starting with a 25-16/15/11 decision at #4 McClave last Saturday. Carlee Cox put down 15 kills, and Trenna Kochera tacked on 10 kills and 14 assists. Kinlee Cox recorded 11 digs and 26 assists. That was followed by a 25-16/20/13 win over 2A #9 Lyons on Monday. The Lady Cubs have not lost a set in their current 11-match winning streak. Pikes Peak Christian enters this Black Forest contest having dropped a four-setter to Primero last Thursday. The Lady Eagles won the first set in that match, but then lost the next three. Simla has dominated the series with PPC, winning all 16 meetings since 2007. All but two of those were sweeps. This is the first match-up between the two since 2023.
#2 SWINK (8-0) VS #5 CHERAW (8-1)
This is a showdown between the co-leaders in the High Plains, and the winner takes sole possession of the lead. Swink earned a tough five-set win over McClave last Friday to keep its share of the lead. The Lady Lions trailed 0-1 and 1-2 before winning the final two sets 25-23 and 18-16. Emma Gacnik tallied 22 kills, and Daisy Heberlie recorded 12 kills. Kashlyn Blasingame registered 38 assists, and Lauren Taggart had a team-leading 19 digs. Cheraw used a four-set win over #7 Granada on Friday to stay unbeaten in league play. That was another tight contest, with the Lady Wolverines getting the win 25-20, 24-26, 25-23, and 27-25. Tinley Leake and Bristyl Barratt had 16 kills apiece, and Tristyn White added 11. Raimy Sisson chalked up 37 assists. Swink has won nine of the last 10 matches with Cheraw, but the Lady Wolverines took a 3-2 victory last season.
#3 SARGENT (8-0) VS 2A MONTE VISTA (6-3)
Sargent passed two big tests last weekend, beating 2A #8 Evangel Christian in five on Friday, and then sweeping 3A Florence on Saturday. The Lady Farmers lost the first two sets to ECA, and then rallied to win the last three, including a 15-10 fifth. Kandace Pargin hammered 22 kills, and was part of a busy defense with 14 digs. Kimberly Pargin led with 20 digs, Denver Holman added 16, and the duo of Audrina Knorr and Aubree Ullery tacked on 15 and 14, respectively. Ullery had 29 assists in that win, and added another 27 against Florence. Monte Vista is coming off a five-set victory over Center on Friday, in which the Lady Pirates used a 17-15 fifth to claim the win. Jessamy Pacheco (17), Reminee Mascarenas (15), and Mazi Hinds (11) all finished with double digit digs. Abbi Ortega picked up 26 assists, and Hinds added 13. Sargent has won seven of the last 10 against Monte Vista, including the last three, but the most recent match was in 2023.
#4 MCCLAVE (7-4) VS SOUTH BACA (6-2)
McClave endured a tough weekend, with the five-set loss to Swink on Friday, and the sweep by Simla on Saturday. The Lady Cardinals had won six straight prior to the weekend. Avery Hemphill (27) and Blaire Howe (13) combined for 40 kills against Swink. South Baca pushed its winning streak to four with a five-set victory over Wiley last Tuesday. Sarah Elmore (16) and Abigail Anderson (14) tallied a combined 30 kills in that win. Brielle Bond and Mary Brewer led the defense with 22 digs apiece, and Elmore recorded 20. McClave has won 12 straight and 14 of 15 against South Baca, with last year’s victory coming in a sweep.
#6 PRAIRIE (7-2) AT PEETZ (4-6)
Prairie notched its sixth straight victory with a four-set decision over #8 Caliche on Saturday. The Lady Mustangs won the first two sets, dropped the third, and then closed things out with a 25-16 fourth. Hannah Kugler registered 24 kills and 13 digs, while Macie Jaeger tallied 12 kills, 10 digs, and six total blocks. Kali Sutter had 28 digs, and Molly Walker added 10 digs and 35 assists. Coming off a huge sweep of Fleming last Tuesday, Peetz nearly knocked off Briggsdale on Friday, eventually falling in five sets. Nataleigh Kalb led the Lady Bulldogs with 18 kills, while Ella Pejsa and Joslynn Pennington put away 11 apiece. Jaidynn Reiman added nine, to go with a team-high 30 digs. Since 2007, Prairie has won 31 of 40 against Peetz, including nine straight, all by sweep. Two of those were last year.
#7 GRANADA (7-1) VS #10 HI-PLAINS (7-1)
Granada fell from the ranks of the unbeaten last Friday with its tough four-set loss to Cheraw. Three of the sets were decided by two points. Camryn Coleman turned in a monster performance, registering 23 kills, 12 total blocks, and 12 digs. Nicole Melendez led the back row with 17 digs, while Dayzriana Quintana and Leila Pizarro added 13 and 11, respectively. Kinsley Williams racked up 33 assists. Hi-Plains also carried an unbeaten record into the later portion of last week, before falling to #9 Flagler in four sets on Thursday. Cambria Seaman recorded 25 kills and 26 digs, while Taylor Hartman chipped in 15 kills and 12 dig. Addison Richards supplied 46 assists and 18 digs. The Lady Patriots bounced back from that loss to sweep Idalia on Saturday. Hi-Plains and Granada have played three times since 2021, with Hi-Plains winning each in four.
#8 CALICHE (8-4) AT 2A YUMA (5-4)
The loss to Prairie on Saturday snapped a four-match winning streak for Caliche. Two of those wins were in LPAA action, and this one with Yuma is also a league match. Alexis Breidenbach recorded a double-double of 11 kills and 13 digs, while Faye Lueck led the attack with 13 kills against Prairie. Hayden Walker topped the defense with 28 digs, and Lily Armstrong (18) and Aniston Marostica (17) combined for 35 assists. It’s the first league match for Yuma, who went 3-0 last Saturday at the Bennett tournament, with wins over Ellicott, Skyview, and Bennett. The Lady Outlaws had a balanced attack, getting 24 kills from Taryn Sheffield in the tournament, and 23 apiece from Berkley Nighswonger and Lindsey Hermosillo. Yuma has won 14 of 19 against Caliche, but the Lady Buffs have won the last two. They needed five sets to get the decision last year.
#9 FLAGLER (7-4) AT 2A BYERS (4-7)
Flagler’s four-set win over Hi-Plains last Thursday was the third straight overall for the Lady Panthers, who got 22 kills, 12 digs, and three total blocks from Rylie Berry in the match. Sydnie Berry added seven kills, four aces, and 19 digs. Elexx Lahm tallied 18 digs and 10 assists, while Kenzie Schulte chipped in 18 assists and 12 digs. Jenna Schier finished with 15 digs, and Clara Hermes registered 10. Byers has dropped two straight, including a four-set defeat at Burlington last Friday. The Lady Bulldogs won the opener, but then lost the last three by a total of eight points. Byers has won six straight in this Union Pacific league series to grab a 10-6 advantage. Last year’s match went five sets.
THURSDAY
#5 CHERAW VS KIT CARSON (1-9)
Kit Carson rides a three-match losing streak into Tuesday’s non-league affair at 2A Rocky Ford. The latest of those was at home to Lone Star in four last Thursday. The Lady Wildcats lost the second and fourth sets by 25-22 scores. Kit Carson owns a 20-6 mark against Cheraw in the MaxPreps era, but three of the wins by the Lady Wolverines have come in succession. Last year was a four-set win by Cheraw.
#9 FLAGLER AT 2A LIMON (4-3)
It’s another Union Pacific tilt when Flagler goes to Limon. The Lady Badgers got a 3-0 win in league play last Thursday, as they handled Deer Trail. Madison Witt led the way with nine kills and eight aces. Chloe Stone registered 10 digs, and Braelyn Malcom added 19 assists. Limon has a home match with 2A #5 Merino on Tuesday. Flagler won last year’s match with Limon in a sweep, giving the Lady Panthers a 12-4 lead in the recent history of the series.
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