Not since 2017 has a Class 5A girls volleyball state tournament taken place without at least one Aurora area qualifier, but it will happen this season.
Twelve teams advanced from 12 different regional sites to the Nov. 13 -15 5A state tournament at the Denver Coliseum, but none hail from Aurora as No. 19 Cherokee Trail, No. 27 Eaglecrest and No. 32 Vista PEAK Prep failed to make it through road regionals.
Coach Amber Cornett’s Cherokee Trail team aimed to return to the state tournament after it qualified in 2024 and had to make it through two teams at the Nov. 7 Region 6 tournament at Ralston Valley to do so. It was not to be as the Cougars were able to down 31st-seeded Golden 25-13, 28-25, 25-11, but lost in four sets (25-18, 20-25, 25-20, 25-13) to the host and sixth-seeded Mustangs. Cherokee Trail’s finished with a 15-9 record.
Fresh off a runner-up finish in the Centennial League Challenge, Eaglecrest tried to put an end to a state tournament drought that stretched back to 2018, but finished 0-2 Nov. 8 in the Region 10 tournament at Pine Creek.
The host and 10th-seeded Eagles swept coach Sarah Nance’s Raptors (14-11) in the first match (25-18, 25-19, 25-17), while No. 15 Monarch outlasted them 25-17, 14-25, 25-23, 24-26, 15-9 in the second.
Additionally with a loss by No. 25 Cherry Creek in the Region 12 final, the Centennial League was held out of the 5A state tournament completely. League champion Mullen is the No. 6 seed in the 4A tournament, however.
Vista PEAK Prep remains in search of its first-ever state tournament berth in any classification as it lost two matches at the Nov. 8 Region 5 tournament at Rampart.
Coach Simon Moorwood’s Bison — playing in regionals for the first time since 2022 — lost to the host and fifth-seeded Rams 25-18, 25-16, 25-13 and then to fellow City League program and 20th-seeded Northfield 25-20, 25-17, 27-25. Despite the loss, VIsta PEAK Prep led Aurora area teams in wins and finished 16-9.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
