The state volleyball tournament begins for all five classifications at 8 a.m. Friday at the Denver Coliseum. Cherokee Trail and junior outside hitter Shannon Webb could make it tough on the favorites.
File photo by Matt Daniels
Looking for upsets at the state volleyball tournament?
It could happen, but if regionals were any indication, the favorites have no intention of letting off the gas pedal. As brought to view by CHSAANow.com's Ryan Casey, the host seeds in Class 5A, 4A and 3A went a combined 70-2 on Saturday.
Both non-hosts to advance were in 5A, where No. 17
Chatfield (Littleton) escaped Region 8 at Douglas County and No. 14
Highlands Ranch, via tiebreaker, emerged from Region 11 at Ralston Valley.
While there were no further upsets to speak of, that doesn't mean it can happen now as the state tourney for all classes gets underway Friday at the Denver Coliseum. Why? Because now it's the best of the best playing against one another, rather than regional hosts beating up on teams without state pedigree.
Last week we examined the favorites in each classification and alluded to 5A's southern-metro-area flare. So, while the favorites are of no mystery, here's a look at a few upset-minded teams to watch that could crash the bracket in each classification.
Class 5A
Two to keep tabs on here are
Cherokee Trail (Aurora) and
Legend (Parker). Seventh-seeded Cherokee Trail was the only team outside of the top four to sweep each of their matches in regionals. That means the Cougars (17-7-1) and junior
Shannon Webb are coming in hot.
Legend, meanwhile, is a school that is growing up quick in all sports and firmly establishing itself as an across-the-board contender. The Titans (15-10) ousted a difficult, host-worthy Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) squad in five games to advance to state. Junior
Laura Willems and her teammates have grown up in a challenging Continental League and won't be intimidated.
Class 4A This might be the toughest classification to pull off an upset, mostly because ultra-dominant
Lewis-Palmer (Monument) resides at the top. Not only that, but each of the top six seeds clearly mean business. All of them swept each of their regional matches. Two teams that could make a compelling run though – or at least be a team to watch – are
Battle Mountain (Edwards) and
Air Academy (US Air Force Academy).
Battle Mountain (22-3), the No. 9 seed, is perhaps the biggest unknown commodity, because the Huskies played a large portion of their schedule west of the Continental Divide. Junior
Jordan Brandt is a heavy hitter, and will the unfamiliarity of her and her teammates be an advantage?
Air Academy (15-10) gets the nod for the opposite reason. Is there any shame in finishing third in a Pike's Peak League that also features Lewis-Palmer and
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs)? The 12th-seeded Kadets will be battle-tested and ready.
Class 3A This is another where the top seeds will be tough to unseat, as six of the top seven seeds swept their regional matches (No. 3
Bayfield won 3-0, 3-1). That means squads such as
Pagosa Springs and
Coal Ridge (New Castle) won't get much attention, but maybe they should.
Pagosa Springs (19-6) comes in on fire, having won five straight and nine of 10. Talented setter
LaShae Smith and her teammates are aiming to keep it going as the No. 10 seed.
Coal Ridge, meanwhile, played the most dramatic, heart-stopping match to get into the bracket and enter state charged up. The No. 11 Titans (19-6) defeated a solid Eagle Ridge Academy (Brighton) squad in five games, triumphing 15-12 in the finale.
Class 2A Simla already pulled off one upset to get into state, and the Cubs figure they are going to keep playing until someone tells them they can't. They became the lone outsider to win one of the classification's eight regions when they went into
Byers and knocked off the host Bulldogs 3-1 to capture the Region D crown. With 2A's format a bit different than the larger three classifications (district winners have a guaranteed spot), Byers still entered the state bracket at No. 9 while Simla checks in at No. 10.
Class 1A Otis and
Weldon Valley (Weldona) were the lone visiting teams to win a region, but Otis (20-3) can hardly be considered a dark horse as the No. 3 seed. No. 9 Weldon Valley (19-7), which came to Arvada and ousted host Rocky Mountain Lutheran, is one to keep an eye on. The 2012 champs fell back to the pack last season with an 11-15 mark, but once again are in the thick of things. Coach Jerry Spooner's Warriors are youthful, with only two seniors and the rest freshmen and sophomores.
