1A girls volleyball: Merino’s three-peat bid off to good start and other news from Day 1

DENVER – The Merino girls volleyball team is well on its way to a three-peat, but it will have to go through a familiar foe.

The top-seeded Rams cruised through their second-round match against No. 8 Dove Creek, winning 3-0 during the opening day of the Class 1A state tournament at the Denver Coliseum.

But now the Rams will face No. 4 Fleming, after the Grizzlies also dominated their second-round match – sweeping No. 12 Stratton, 25-16, 26-24 and 25-8. The past two seasons, Merino (23-3) defeated Fleming (21-5) in the state title match, and this year the two will face off early on in the quarterfinals.

The two squads have already played twice this season, with Merino winning both matches 3-1.

“We don’t even know what to expect,” Merino’s coach Christine Sutton said. “We are just taking it one game at a time. Everybody is fighting for every single game, and it is going to be a battle every time out there.”

The Rams have been a powerhouse this season, with their only losses coming to Class 2A Wiggins twice and Class 3A Lamar once. Both Wiggins and Lamar are the top seeds in their respective classifications.

If Merino does accomplish the amazing feat of winning three in a row, it will be the first time that has been accomplished since Flager won the championship in 1994-1996. But Sutton said that isn’t on their minds.

“To be honest, we aren’t even thinking about it,” she said. “We’d love to get there, but it is a whole new season. I’m proud of our girls, they did a great job (against Dove Creek) of just sticking with it and playing with a lot of effort.”

On the other side of the bracket, No. 7 Simla upset No. 2 Kit Carson in the second round 3-0 and No. 3 McClave held off No. 11 Briggsdale in five sets.

In the first round of action, Stratton and Briggsdale each upset its opponents. Eagles rallied to beat No. 5 Idala in a tough match — winning 21-25, 25-13, 25-21 and 25-22, while the Falcons won 23-25, 25-21, 25-19 and 25-22.

Dove Creek beat No. 9 La Veta in four sets and Simla also defeated No. 10 Otis in four sets.

Day 2 of the Class 1A girls volleyball state tournament will resume on Friday at 8 a.m.