FARMINGTON – This is the first of a two-part series of articles previewing the upcoming high school volleyball season. Today’s piece will highlight the District 1-3A titleholders at Navajo Prep, as well as a pair of local teams in the hotly-contested District 2-5A race.

The Navajo Prep Eagles, who finished 11-1 last season and won the District 1-3A title with an overall record of 17-9, will be hoping to expand its run in the postseason after losing two of three matches in the Class 3A state tournament held at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

Led by fourth-year head coach Jolynn Joe, the Eagles nearly swept their district rivals last season, their only loss coming at home against Thoreau. In the state tournament, Navajo Prep lost in the opening round to Ruidoso before beating Cottonwood Classical Academy and then being eliminated by Santa Fe Indian School.

For the Eagles, last season was the first district title since the 2019 campaign. Navajo Prep has reached the state championship match three times, but lost in 2007, 2008 and again in 2014 to Texico High School. The Wolverines own the record for the most state volleyball titles at 16 dating back to 1980.

The Eagles will open the 2023 season on the road Aug. 24 against Kirtland Central before their home opener on Aug. 28 against Chinle (Arizona). The district campaign is scheduled to get underway Oct. 17 on the road against Crownpoint.

For more information about the Navajo Prep Eagles volleyball team, visit their official page at MaxPreps.com.

The task is tough enough as a team trying to knock off a defending champion at a particular sport.

That task takes on even greater difficulty when the team being chased has won four of the last five state titles.

Farmington and Piedra Vista’s volleyball teams each ended last season with losing records, both in District 2-5A and overall. Meantime, La Cueva High School, not only won the district title with an unblemished mark within the district, but never lost a match during the season. The Bears captured the Class 5A state title with a record of 27-0 and having lost only 10 of the 91 sets they played during the season.

Finishing fourth in their district last season, Scorpions (4-6 District, 11-12 overall) head coach Lars Baker knows all too well that kind of record makes it tough to advance to the postseason.

“Our district is one of three in the state that are the real standards,” Baker said. “There are three good teams in each of those districts and when we finish fourth, that leaves us in a tight spot to get into the top 12 teams and advance to state.”

Baker has been emphasizing summer workouts for the Scorpions as they prepare for the upcoming season, which will open Aug. 29 on the road against Durango. The Scorpions have been busy attending camps across the region to prepare for the upcoming campaign.

“We have a senior-heavy team coming back this year, but not a lot of experience,” Baker said. “Our summer has been important getting ready for the season. We’ve been at camps at Adams State University and we’ll do camps at Fort Lewis and Rio Rancho as well.”

Among some of the top returning players for Farmington will be Jayla Yoder, who earned honorable mention among district all-stars as a junior starter last season.

Linsey Yazzie and Oschyn Henry are also expected to be valuable on the court for the Scorpions this season.

“(Yazzie) led the team in kills and will probably also lead the team in blocks this season,” Baker said. “(Henry) is an outside hitter and a real team leader.”

For more information on the Farmington High School volleyball team, visit MaxPreps.com.

For Piedra Vista High School volleyball, recent seasons have been tough. After three consecutive seasons of reaching the state championship match from 2012 through 2014, the Panthers have had four losing seasons and have a record of 2-18 in district play in the past two seasons.

Coached by Rebekah Eaves, the Panthers will be looking to rebound off a 2-8 campaign last season in which the team’s only wins came against West Mesa.

Eaves, a Piedra Vista graduate entering her second season as head coach, played volleyball for Arizona Western College as well as William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

The Panthers will be looking to replace a number of top players who have moved on through graduation, including Addysen Boognl, who led the team in kills, and Sophia Coleman, who led the team in service aces.

Looking to step into their place will be Karissa Loudermilk and Adyn Dale, both of whom are coming off strong seasons last year.

The Panthers will open the season Aug. 31 at home against Bloomfield.

For more information on the Piedra Vista volleyball team, visit their official team page at MaxPreps.com.

Our next volleyball preview will focus on the race for the top spot in District 1-4A, in which Aztec will be going for their second straight district title.