Rivalry bragging rights, league titles on the line for Colorado high school volleyball teams

That's no different in volleyball as several teams are trying to stake claims for league titles and important matches that will have RPI implications heading into regionals. The season has seen big swings so far as Rampart (Colorado Springs) has come on as a major power in Class 5A, while southern schools in Pueblo County and Pueblo West have done the same in 4A.

Over the next month there are several matches worth paying attention to on countless volleyball courts throughout the state. But here we took a look at some key showdowns in each classification.

Class 5A
Cherokee Trail (Aurora) at Grandview (Aurora), Oct. 11, 5 p.m.
The last remaining hurdle for Cherokee Trail to claim a Centennial League title comes on Friday night with a trip to cross-town rival Grandview. The Cougars have dropped just one match of the year and that was back in August when Legend took them down in four sets. Since then they've been on a roll, dropping just six sets in 10 matches. Junior Amaya Messier leads Cherokee Trail with 204 kills. IIsabella Sommers and her 47 blocks have been tough for opponents to deal with at the net. Grandview's lone league loss came against Eaglecrest on Oct. 7. A win over Cherokee Trail will put them right back in the league championship picture. They'll have to rely on Elsa Lamphere and her 180 kills to counter a steady Cherokee Trail offense.

Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) at Rampart, Oct. 15, 6 p.m.
The battle for the 5A Colorado Springs Metro League title will likely come down to a big rivalry game between the Rams and the Eagles. Pine Creek got the better of Rampart in five sets last year but a hungry – and talented – Rams team is looking to serve up some vengeance. Juniors Anjelina Starck and Riley Simpson have combined for 305 kills on the year. Senior Grace Wilkinson has been a leader on the court and her 169 digs have been crucial in the Rams setting up their offensive attack. Pine Creek's record is deceiving considering the non-league schedule was loaded with teams such as Grandview, Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) and Lewis-Palmer. Gabby Wilson leads the Eagles with 113 kills with Amelia Aigner right behind her with 95. Pine Creek has four other players with at least 40 kills, making them one of the most diverse offensive threats in the state.

Class 4A
Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) at Lewis-Palmer (Monument), Oct. 17, 6 p.m.
Lewis-Palmer hasn't been the dominant team it has been in years past. But that doesn't mean the Rangers aren't capable of winning yet another Pikes Peak Athletic Conference title. Danielle Norman has led a steady L-P offense with 144 kills, while Gianna Bartalo has been a rock defensively with 286 digs. Discovery Canyon is the most likely contender to knock off the Rangers' run atop the PPAC and will look to do it behind three solid hitters in Paityn Kramer, Tatum Umiamaka and Aaliyanna Codrington. Katie Sproul has done an amazing job of dishing out her team-high 323 assists to her three offensive options.

Durango at Montrose, Oct 26, 11 a.m.
A road trip to Durango didn't turn out the way Montrose was hoping. The Indians lone blemish on their Southwestern League record came in that five-set defeat on Sept. 21. Behind sophomore Kelsey Rocco's 106 kills and senior Madison Satterly's 38 blocks to go with her team-high 132 kills, the Indians will look to avenge that loss. Durango has proven tough at times this season despite suffering some unfortunate three-set losses. A solid front row has Paige Ammerman leading the team with 96 kills while she is complimented by Sydney Summers' 80. As a team, the Demons are among the best in limiting kills from their opponents as they have combined for 692 digs on the year.

Class 3A
Eaton at Sterling, Oct. 29, 6:30 p.m.
The battle for the Patriot League likely comes down to the final regular-season contest for Eaton and Sterling. The Reds are hungry after failing to win the 3A title last year and have only suffered losses to Pine Creek, Lewis-Palmer and Palmer Ridge (Monument) this season. Sydney Leffler leads Eaton with 150 kills, while fellow junior Abbey Hays adds 107. The Reds have 53 total team blocks and three different players have at least 100 digs on the year. Sterling's undefeated season includes impressive wins over Coronado (Colorado Springs) and Yuma and it started league play on a roll, winning its first five matches. Sydney Henry has been big offensively with 121 kills. Kaylee Johnson has 28 blocks this season and has proven difficult for opposing teams trying to rack up kills.

Faith Christian (Arvada) at Lutheran (Parker), Oct. 15, 6 p.m.
The potentially deciding match when it comes to the 3A Metro title will involve the defending state champions. The Lions have picked up right where they left off last season, averaging more than 11 kills per set with the scoring effort being passed around several different players. Payton Brgoch has been solid at the net with 28 blocks, but even if the ball gets behind her Bella Vezzani and her 156 digs have been right there to set up the Lutheran offense. The Eagles will try to break that multi-layered defensive attack with sophomore Caty Havekost. Her 95 kills leads the team and her 12 service aces are top-three for Faith Christian.

Class 2A
Denver Christian at Union Colony Prep (Greeley), Oct. 24, 6 p.m.
A looming battle of what many people believe are the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in 2A will have far-reaching implications. It will likely decide a league championship and could reshape the RPI heading into regionals. Junior Jacki Bogner and sophomore Emily Sullivan have been outstanding for the Thunder all season. Bogner's 144 kills are a team best, and Sullivan is keeping a steady pace of her own with 114. For Union Colony, Mayson Fago has been a nightmare for opposing blockers as she's racked up 196 kills on her own. She's been good at the net defensively, as well, totaling 80 blocks, while Kamryn Arnold is right there with her at 72.

Simla at Fowler, Oct. 22, 4:30 p.m.
Fowler has a couple of key non-league games left on its schedule, and the showdown with Simla is a big one that will go a long way to prepping the Grizzlies for postseason success. Sophomore Emily Flanscha has emerged as one of the top players in the classification as she averages three kills per set. Jayden Osborne has done a great job setting up Flanscha and the rest of the hitters as she has 382 assists. Simla has relied on defense in its wins as four different players have at least 50 digs. Taylor Warnecke leads the way with 82.Halle Lutz leads the team with 53 kills.

Class 1A
Fleming at La Veta, Oct. 25, 5 p.m.
A top-five showdown in 1A will conclude regular season play later this month. La Veta has had a banner season, having not dropped a match. Desi Ortivez and Nya Sciacca have put up nearly identical offensive numbers as Ortivez has 139 kills to Sciacca's 138. Fleming will counter with its own duo of heavy hitters. Freshman Kally Kirkwood has 133 kills and sophomore Whitney Chintala is right there at 124.

Kit Carson at Genoa-Hugo/Karval (Hugo, Colo.), Oct. 24, 4 p.m.
Defending state champ Kit Carson has a little bit of work to do if it's going to claim yet another title. Luckily for them, they'll head into the playoffs fresh off a tough battle against another highly ranked 1A team in Genoa-Hugo/Karval. Junior Cally Booker-Rady leads the Wildcats offense with 98 kills. Reyna Isenbart's ability to work the net defensively has been big as she has 36 blocks on the year. She'll need to be on her game against the Pirates as Ryely Smartt has been a big hitter all year with 206 kills. Combined with Glorya Carr's ability to score points directly off her serve (53 aces), the Pirates are looking to measure themselves against the standard of 1A volleyball the last several years.