High school volleyball: No. 2 Cathedral Catholic headlines loaded 64-team field at the Durango Fall Classic

The Durango Fall Classic gets underway in Las Vegas starting Friday in what might be the biggest event on the high school volleyball calendar.

The 64-team field is loaded with talent from across the country, including 12 squads that have appeared in the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings at some point this season.

Pool play begins Friday at 1 p.m. PT and qualifying rounds begin Saturday at 8 a.m. with the championship match scheduled for 4:45 p.m. Saturday at Durango High School.

How to Watch
BallerTV: Log in for a live stream of every court
Semifinals and final: Tim Jensen and Stacy Sykora will broadcast those matches
Last season, Marymount (Los Angeles) blitzed through the Durango field en route to an unbeaten season and MaxPreps National Championship. This season's highest-ranked team at Durango is No. 2 Cathedral Catholic (San Diego). The Dons hit Las Vegas at 17-0 a week after capturing the Dave Mohs Tournament title. A win at Durango could be enough to supplant No. 1 Marian (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) from the top of the rankings.

Others eyeing a spot at the top of the podium include No. 4 Fayetteville (Ark.), No. 6 Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), No. 9 Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.), No. 17 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), No. 22 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) and the 23rd-ranked and defending champion Sailors.

Cathedral Catholic is led by All-American Julia Blyashov (Stanford), who also has competed for USA Volleyball over the last two summers. She's joined by Ryleigh Patterson (Harvard), Cate Schnell (Tennessee), Milan Bayless (Colgate), Jenna Hanes (Michigan) and Amanda Saeger (DePaul).

But Cathedral Catholic is far from the only squad with star power. Fayetteville features MaxPreps All-Americans Kennedy Phelan and Brooke Rockwell along with Regan Harp and libero Ashley Ruff.

Assumption been busy already this season with a lone loss in the final of last week's LIVT to No. 5 Mother McAuley (Chicago). Junior hitter Charlotte Moriarty leads four Rockets with more than 100 kills while Whitney Woodrow is tossing up 13 assists per set for Assumption.

Redondo Union, led by All-American Mele Corral-Blagojevich, enters Durango with a ton of momentum after downing Marymount on Monday in a five-set thriller.

Mater Dei, with a trio of preseason All-Americans, has the talent to compete with anyone on any stage but enter Durango at 8-3 on the season.

Here are seven pools featuring the seven teams ranked in the MaxPreps Top 25.

Pool 1
No. 2 Cathedral Catholic, Xavier College Prep (Phoenix), Branson (Ross, Calif.), Rancho (Las Vegas)

Pool 2
No. 4 Fayetteville, Coronado (Henderson, Nev.), Campolindo (Moraga, Calif.), Moapa Valley (Overton, Nev.)

Pool 3
No. 6 Assumption, Beckman (Irvine, Calif.), Marin Catholic (Kentfield, Calif.), La Salle (Pasadena, Calif.)

Pool 15
No. 9 Redondo Union, Queen Creek (Ariz.), Palo Verde (Las Vegas), Pleasant Grove (Utah)

Pool 8
No. 17 Mater Dei, Hockaday (Dallas), Bishop Manogue (Reno, Nev.), Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.)

Pool 4
No. 22 Sierra Canyon, Mercy (Louisville, Ky.), Lone Peak (Highland, Utah), Desert Oasis (Las Vegas)

Pool 6
No. 23 Marymount, Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah), Ontario Christian (Ontario, Calif.), Arbor View (Las Vegas)