Local teams fight to survive and advance during second day of girls volleyball state tournaments – Greeley Tribune

A half-dozen local teams got off to an eventful start during the opening day of the Class 1A-5A girls volleyball tournaments Thursday at the Denver Coliseum.

That action raged on Friday, all leading up to Saturday’s final day of the double-elimination tournaments.

Windsor and University qualified for the 4A state tournament, Briggsdale will be in action in 1A, while a trio of local teams will compete for the 3A title: top seeds Eaton and Platte Valley, as well as the defending state champion, Resurrection Christian.

Much of Friday’s action came after Greeley Tribune print deadlines. Read Sunday’s Tribune and check greeleytribune.com for the rest of Friday’s results.

In early-round action Thursday, Windsor, the ninth seed in 4A, got off to a strong start, defeating No. 8 Lutheran 3-1 (25-20, 12-25, 25-20, 25-22) in the first round. The Wizards advanced to a second-round meeting with top-seeded Thompson Valley on Thursday afternoon, where they lost 3-1 (25-27, 25-21, 27-25, 25-14).

Windsor (19-9) dropped to the bottom bracket, but still had a chance to fight back to the finals heading into a second-round match in the lower bracket, scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m., against No. 11 Palmer Ridge (15-12).

The Wizards kept their season alive with a 3-0 win (25-15, 15-18, 25-18) against No. 7 Timnath in a lower bracket first-round match early Friday.

University, seeded 10th in the 4A state tournament, picked up a decisive first-round victory early Thursday, beating seventh-seeded Timnath 3-1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-14, 25-13). The Bulldogs also defeated the Cubs in four sets during the league season a month ago.

University fell inches short of a major setback late Thursday night in the second round, falling in five sets (25-21, 25-14, 19-25, 21-25, 15-9) to second-seeded Lewis-Palmer.

The Bulldogs (19-8) saw their season end with a 3-0 loss (25-18, 25-21, 25-12) to No. 8 Lutheran in the first round of the lower bracket Friday morning.

In 3A action, seventh-seeded Resurrection Christian won a hard-fought first-round match against No. 10 Strasburg early Thursday, 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-11).

The Cougars couldn’t keep that momentum going as they were swept by second-seeded Platte Valley (25-18, 25-19, 25-13) in the second round later Thursday.

Resurrection Christian fell to the bottom bracket and earned a 3-1 victory (25-17, 22-25, 25-7, 25-18) against No. 9 Peak to Peak on Friday. The Cougars punched their ticket for a lower division second-round game against No. 6 Lamar or No. 5 Gunnison on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Platte Valley received a bye in the first round before defeating Resurrection Christian in the second round on Thursday. The Broncos (23-3) were scheduled to play a third-round game against No. 3 The Village (23-3) on Friday at 3:30 p.m., after the Tribune’s print deadline. A win in the third round would punch Plate Valley’s ticket to the semi-finals on Saturday at 2pm.

Eaton, 3A’s top seed, also suffered a first-round bye on Thursday before beating No. 8 Sterling (25-14, 27-25, 25-16) later in the day. The Reds (24-2) took on No. 4 Alamosa (22-4) in the third round on Friday, but that match was not completed by the Tribune’s print deadline.

Despite a strong start Thursday, Briggsdale fell 3-1 (17-25, 25-13, 25-16, 25-11) to sixth-seeded Stratton in the first round of the 1A state tournament. The 11th-seeded Falcons (16-8) played No. 4 Otis in the first round of the lower bracket early Saturday morning.

Briggsdale (17-9) showed great determination and defeated the Bulldogs (19-7), 25-23, 28-26, 25-14 to keep the season alive. The Falcons advanced to a lower division second-round matchup against No. 9 Sargent/No. 10 Cheraw, scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m.

Originally published: November 15, 2024 at 2:35 PM MST