AURORA | The city’s three teams will have to play deep into the Class 5A state volleyball tournament to run into each other this season based on seedings released Monday by the Colorado High School Activities Association.
All-Aurora matchups have been commonplace in pool play in recent years, but that won’t be the case for this season’s tournament — scheduled for Nov. 8-9 at the Denver Coliseum — as No. 1 Grandview, No. 6 Eaglecrest and No. 11 Cherokee Trail also ended up in separate pools.
City teams could meet for the championship, but the earliest two of them could meet would be in the crossover semifinals if Eaglecrest comes out of Pool II and Cherokee Trail emerges from rugged Pool III.
Grandview had the No. 1 seed going into the 5A regional round Nov. 2 and did nothing to lose it, as coach Patty Childress’ team swept through Dakota Ridge and Heritage on its home floor and remained in the top spot when the 12 state qualifiers were reseeded. The No. 1 position nets the Wolves an advantageous draw, with No. 8 Rampart and No. 12 Castle View rounding out their Pool I group.
It’s a big step up from last season, when Grandview entered the tournament as the No. 7 seed, but advanced to the state championship match before losing to Doherty.
By ending up in Pool I, the Wolves also are assured they won’t have to face the Spartans — who still feature 2012 Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year and Penn State commitment Haleigh Washington — or Centennial League runnerup and second-seeded Arapahoe until the state title match.
Eaglecrest hasn’t fared well at the state tournament in recent years when its had a high seed, as coach Tanya Bond’s team got eliminated in pool play in 2010 as the No. 1 seed and last season’s got swept in two matches as the No. 2 seed. Both losses, however, came after major injuries to one of the Raptors’ star players — Morgan Bohl in 2010 and Taylor Loyd last season.
But Loyd is back from a torn ACL and rounding into form — as she tallied 15 kills in a regional sweep of Bear Creek — for Eaglecrest, which goes into this tournament as the No. 6 seed.
The Raptors find themselves Pool III with No. 1 Fossil Ridge — which has the tournament’s best record at 24-1 — along with No. 10 Pine Creek, which Eaglecrest swept in the second match of the season.
It appears to be a better spot than last season, when the Raptors had to play neighborhood and league rival Grandview in pool play and ended up getting eliminated by the Wolves. The teams wouldn’t meet until the championship match, if at all, this season.
Cherokee Trail knocked off No. 11 Highlands Ranch in the Region 11 championship match to earn a second straight trip to the state tournament, and coach Terry Miller’s group enters as the No. 11 seed and a tough draw as part of Pool II.
Pool II includes not only No. 2 Arapahoe, which swept the Cougars 25-12, 25-21, 25-21 on Oct. 10 in Centennial League play, along with Doherty.
Seeded sixth last season, Cherokee Trail finished 0-2 and lost to Legend and Chaparral in pool play despite winning the first set in each match.
2013 CLASS 5A STATE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
Nov. 8-9 at Denver Coliseum
POOL I: NO. 1 GRANDVIEW (23-2), No. 8 Rampart (20-5), No. 12 Castle View (15-10); POOL II: No. 2 Arapahoe (22-2), No. 7 Doherty (20-5), NO. 11 CHEROKEE TRAIL (17-8); POOL III: No. 3 Fossil Ridge (24-1), NO. 6 EAGLECREST (19-6), No. 10 Pine Creek (19-6); POOL IV: No. 4 Mountain Vista (21-4), No. 5 Cherry Creek (20-5), No. 9 Fruita Monument (21-4)
NOV. 8 (POOL PLAY)
Match 1 (Pool I): No. 12 Castle View vs. No. 8 Rampart, 8 a.m.; Match 2 (Pool IV): No. 9 Fruita Monument vs. No. 5 Cherry Creek, immed. following; Match 3 (Pool I): No 12 Castle View vs. NO. 1 GRANDVIEW, immed. following; Match 4 (Pool IV): No. 9 Fruita Monument vs. No. 4 Mountain Vista; Match 5 (Pool II): NO. 11 CHEROKEE TRAIL vs. No. 2 Arapahoe, immed. following; Match 6 (Pool III): No. 10 Pine Creek vs. No. 3 Fossil Ridge; Match 7 (Pool II): NO. 11 CHEROKEE TRAIL vs. No. 7 Doherty; Match 8 (Pool III): No. 10 Pine Creek vs. NO. 6 EAGLECREST
NOV. 9 (POOL PLAY, SEMIFINALS, CHAMPIONSHIP)
Match 1 (Pool IV): No. 5 Cherry Creek vs. No. 4 Mountain Vista, 8 a.m.; Match 2 (Pool I): No. 8 Rampart vs. NO. 1 GRANDVIEW, immed. following; Match 3 (Pool III): NO. 6 EAGLECREST vs. No. 3 Fossil Ridge, immed. following; Match 4 (Pool II): No. 7 Doherty vs. No. 2 Arapahoe, immed. following
Semifinals (immed. following pool play): Pool I winner vs. Pool IV winner; Pool II winner vs. Pool III winner
Championship: Semifinal winners, approx. 7 p.m.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel.
