ORDER GAME PHOTOS

State is here!  State is here!  We say this with a lot of emotion and excitement as the short and sweet season of high school volleyball is coming to a close for the year.  The Idaho High School State Championships will be held up north this year, and we want to congratulate every team that qualified.  There is so much excellent volleyball being played all over the state right now, so we know we are in for a treat this Friday and Saturday.  Here's a classification-by-classification look at all of the state volleyball action this weekend:

CLASS 5A

At the 5A level, Coeur d'Alene came up clutch in their district championship.  They were able to defeat one of their toughest rivals, Post Falls.  This was no easy task as this was a five-set victory that came down to the last point.  These two split in the regular season, but Coeur d'Alene pulled together in the most important moment of their season. 

Post Falls isn't done, though.  The Trojans battled their way back from the loss to earn their ticket to state after defeating Lewiston and Middleton.

Meanwhile, Madison and Eagle are the crowned champions of their respective districts.  Madison has remained at the top of 5A volleyball this season and the defending champs know that every game at the state tournament will be a fight, as competitive challenges lie ahead.  Madison and Eagle faced each other earlier in the season at a tournament and it was a five-set victory for the Mustangs.  The tight matchups are going to fun for the 5A division as the competition is fiercely focused this year.  Many players on almost all of the eight teams competing are going on to play college volleyball after this year.

CLASS 4A

The tight matchups will continue in the 4A division.  Pocatello made it to state for the first time in 30 years!  The Thunder have talented seniors leading the way in Addie Evans and Naomi Shipley.  They've been preparing for this moment for a long time and hard work pays off!  Pocatello earned the District 5 trophy are is laser focused on its next set of goals.

Pocatello will face Skyline in the first round and again, these two are very familiar with one another as they met not just at tournaments, but also non-conference play this season.  Skyline was able to get the win over Pocatello the last time they faced off, so it's definitely another intriguing game to watch.  Skyline did not win District 6, however, as a resilient Bonneville squad won the High Country Conference as they have many times over the past two decades!  Bonneville was also calculated as the number one seed going into the 4A State Tournament.  They are strong with focused efforts and great team chemistry! 

Although they didn't come in as the number one team according to MaxPreps, Skyview is another team to watch as they played top teams from all over the country and competed with them.  They haven't lost to a team from Idaho and they are also the defending state champs.  Needless to say, there are a superb opponent for anyone.

CLASS 3A

The 3A volleyball bracket had some surprises, as McCall-Donnelly came in as the number one seed there.  We've seen many polls, rankings, and other results that previously showed Snake River and Kimberly at the top.  Kimberly is the defending state champion and will still be in the hunt after working through some early season challenges.  The Panthers, meanwhile, have been powerful all season.  Snake River is led by their skillful seniors, of which they have many.  They will be up for the fight, though, as the rankings just give you the first match up.  The rest of your journey is up to you as a team.

Although McCall-Donnelly may be a bit of a surprise at first, when you look into their schedule, you'll see that they've earned wins against high quality opponents, including Fruitland.  You'll find, like we did, that it's not that much of a surprise as they are rising at the right time and they are finding their rhythm as a team, resulting in more consistency.

This division is going to be fun to watch and we can't wait to see what the future holds as many teams have been steady and consistent throughout the season, ended up winning their district tournament, and are willing to work for the win!

CLASS 2A

More surprises abound as we look into the 2A division.  This one is interesting as we see Cole Valley Christian enter as the number one seed and  Melba check in at number four.  The Mustangs are the defending state champions and beat Cole Valley twice in the regular season, as well as in the District 3 championship.

Kellogg and Malad come in as the number two and three seeds, respectively.  This seems consistent with what we've seen all season long, and both are district champions.  There are so many factors that come into play with the rankings and algorithms used to set this up, but most importantly, teams have the opportunity to play in a true double-elimination tournament.  The state champion will be the ultimate survivor and deserving of the win in the end.

CLASS 1AD1

As we get to the 1AD1 division, Troy and Grace enter as the one and two seeds and this is no surprise.  Troy is 20-1 with the only loss coming to an out-of-state opponent from Washington.  Grace is 26-4, with two losses coming from outside the state, ad the other two coming from district foe Butte County.  The Pirates beat Grace once in the regular season and once at districts, but Grace came back through the consolation side of the bracket to defeat Butte County twice in a row to claim the District 5-6 title.  The Grizzlies truly earned their spot at state, as their league only awarded one bid.

This seems unreal as the final MaxPreps rankings revealed: Troy and Grace are first and second in 1AD1 volleyball, with Butte County finishing third.  However, the Pirates will not have the opportunity to compete at state.  Again, this provides some insight into the rankings and how things aren't always clear from the rankings or district tournament results.

Muratugh finished right behind Butte County and enters as the number three seed at state.  The Red Devils won the District 4 championship over Oakley.

CLASS 1AD2

Last, but certainly not least, we have the 1AD2 division.  At the top, we see Horseshoe Bend, a team that boasts several seniors who have all earned a state volleyball championship or two, as the Mustangs are the two-time defending state champs.  Horseshoe Bend is full of experience and that's what we expect to see this weekend.

There are some newcomers to the tournament, as Grace Lutheran qualified for state for the first time in school history.  The Royals won the District 5-6 title and are the second seed overall coming into state.  Both the Mustangs and Royals are undefeated on the season, and the third seed, Council, has only lost to Horseshoe Bend this year.  There will again be close matches here and that's what state is all about!

It all comes down to this.  Rankings and previous matchups aside, now is the time to prove what you can do.  We want to wish every team good luck and we want everyone to make the most of this last week of Idaho high school volleyball season.  Sadly, it's the beginning of the end.