Spike-Block

{span}Palmer Ridge High School’s Amelia Hansen, left, taps a ball over the net past Lewis-Palmer’s Brooke Lordino during their volleyball game on Tuesday at Lewis-Palmer High School. {/span}

 MARCUS HILL, the gazette

The state volleyball tournament starts at 8 a.m. Thursday at the Denver Coliseum as seven area teams compete for state titles.

Lewis-Palmer, the No. 1 seed in 4A, and Palmer Ridge, Class 4A’s No. 3 seed, each earned first-round byes and will compete Thursday afternoon in second-round matches.

Class 5A

Pine Creek was the lone area 5A school to secure a spot in the tournament and clinched the No. 6 seed. The Eagles, who finished the season 23-2 and only dropped eight sets all season, play No. 11 Ralston Valley at 11 a.m.

The winner advances to the second round to face No. 3 Rock Canyon at 5 p.m.

Class 4A

Lewis-Palmer earned the top seed for the first time since 2018 when the Rangers finished the year 28-1 and won the state crown, its third of four consecutive titles.

The Rangers face the winner of 4A’s opening matchup between No. 8 Holy Family and No. 9 Cheyenne Mountain.

Cheyenne Mountain, which finished the season 16-9, has not won a title since 2015 when the Red-Tailed Hawks beat the Rangers in straight sets to earn the school’s sixth volleyball championship.

Palmer Ridge, which ended the year 19-6, won its only title in 2020. The Bears closed this season on a four-game winning streak including a victory against Lewis-Palmer.

The Bears hope to end their two-match skid in the Final Four, where Palmer Ridge’s season has ended in back-to-back years.

The No. 10-seeded Classical Academy will play No. 7 Eagle Valley at 12:30 p.m. TCA finished the year 21-3 and will return to the state tournament for the first time since 2020 when the Titans had a 14-2 record.

Class 3A

Colorado Springs Christian School finished the year 21-4 and ended the season on a 14-match win streak en route to the No. 10 seed.

The Lions return to the state tournament for the first time since they advanced to the Final Four in 2019. CSCS will face No. 7 Resurrection Christian at 12:30 p.m.

Class 2A

St. Mary’s earned the No. 12 seed to clinch the final spot in the postseason and closed the year with a 14-11 record. The Pirates face No. 5 Plateau Valley at 9:30 a.m.