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Four Corners volleyball teams heading to regionals

in this file photo, Hailey Higgins of Mancos attempts go get the ball past Carlie McClellan and Elise Galbraith in Cortez. Both teams are headed to the regional playoffs. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)
Montezuma-Cortez surges at end of season; Bluejays make their first appearance since 2014

For some area volleyball teams, making the regional tournament is an annual tradition. For Mancos, qualifying for the field of 36 has been anything but easy.

However, in a year that has seen tremendous promise for a young Jays squad, head coach Brianna Yeomans-Allison has her team back in the 2A regionals for the first time since 2014.

Mancos will join Montezuma-Cortez, Dove Creek, and Dolores as teams that have surged in the last few weeks of the season to send all four squads into regional tournaments.

The Jays (11-10, 4-7, 2A/1A SJBL) posted their first winning regular season since 2014, thanks to a four match winning streak to cap off the regular season. Wins over Creede, Nucla, Ridgway and Center saw Mancos skyrocket in the 2A RPI rankings, moving up from the 40s into No. 31.

Mancos will take its first regional assignment in seven years on the road in Meeker, where the Jays will face the No. 2 seed Cowboys (22-1, 11-0 2A/1A WSL) on Friday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. Mancos also will see Sanford, ranked No. 23 to end the season, in Region 2. Mancos is familiar with the Indians (13-9, 7-1 2A/1A Southern Peaks), having topped them just a few weeks ago in a nonconference matchup.

Montezuma-Cortez libero Cheyenne Castillo-Calvillo gets down for a dig against Bayfield earlier this season. (Joel Priest/Special to the Herald)

Montezuma-Cortez, meanwhile, put a tumultuous month of October behind them, and rallied to take three out of four matches in Pueblo, as they topped Pueblo East and Pueblo Centennial, along with Lincoln to finish the regular season 14-6.

The Panthers enter the postseason as the No. 17 squad in the 3A RPI rankings, hoping they can work their way back to the state tournament for the second consecutive season. It also marks the fourth straight regional appearance for the orange-and-black.

Making the longest trip of any local school, M-CHS will head to No. 7 seed Eaton for Friday night matches in the northeast corner of the state. The Reds (13-10, 6-4 3A Patriot) and Panthers also will face No. 30 Peak to Peak (12-11, 5-6 3A Metro), with action slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 5.

After sealing another outright San Juan Basin League title, Dove Creek continued to dominate in its final weekend of action in Gunnison. The Bulldogs posted three victories, overcoming Olathe, Sargent and James Irwin en route to another 20-win season. Not counting their shortened 2021 spring campaign, the Bulldogs have posted 20 or more wins in their previous three full slates.

Head coach Lacey Murphy looks to guide the Bulldogs program to its first state appearance since 2018.

Their road to state will head through Cheraw, the state’s No. 8 squad, as the Bulldogs landed the No. 9 seed, and will face the host Wolverines (19-4, 5-0 1A High Plains) along with No. 17 Simla (14-9, 7-0 1A Black Forest) on Friday, Nov. 5, with action from Cheraw kicking off at 10 a.m.

Erin Brown spikes the ball against Ignacio. (Sam Green/Special to the Journal)

Dolores joined Dove Creek in Gunnison and swept its four matches, including a 2-1 win over the Bulldogs, to cap a 14-9 regular season. Wins over Jefferson, Norwood and James Irwin accompanied their rivalry victory, and Dolores sits 19th in the final RPI rankings in the 2A classification.

The Bears have qualified for the regionals every season since 2016 and hope to add another state tournament appearance, to go along with their trips in 2017 and 2019.

Much like Mancos, the Bears will head to the north-central part of Colorado for their regional pairings. No. 5 seed Soroco (16-3, 8-2 2A/1A WSL) will play host to No. 32 Colorado Springs School (10-10, 3-2 2A Black Forest) and Dolores this weekend.

Winners from the 3A and 2A regionals will advance to the state tournament the following weekend, while the 1A will take all eight regional winners and four wild card entries to fill out their 12 team field. The Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs will host the state championships for all classifications from Nov. 11-13.