Discovery Canyon, Legend, Valor Christian and Eaglecrest Advance in Boys Volleyball Championship

AURORA – Although the day started with a leak in the roof, forcing a change in the day’s schedule and running matches late into the evening, No. 1 seed Discovery Canyon, No. 3 seed Valor Christian, No. 4 seed Legend and No. 7 seed Eaglecrest all advanced to the quarterfinal round following the first day of the 2023 Boys Volleyball State Championships at Overland High School in Aurora.

Discovery Canyon was the first team to advance, knocking off No. 8 seed Castle View, 3-1 (25-19, 24-26, 25-21, 25-17) in the first match of the day.

Legend then narrowly swept No. 5 seed Douglas County by scores of 25-23, 25-19, 29-27, before Eaglecrest snuck by Cherokee Trail, using three two-point victories to upset the tournament’s No. 2 seeded team. Eaglecrest won the first set 29-27, before falling in the second, 21-25. Following a 25-23 victory in the third set, Eaglecrest secured the upset with a 26-24 victory.

Valor Christian capped off the day with a thrilling 3-2 victory over No. 6 seed Bear Creek. Valor Christian claimed the first (25-17) and third (25-20) sets, while Bear Creek evened the match with a 25-23 second set win before using a 25-19 victory in the fourth to force a deciding game. A back-and-forth fifth set, starting after 11 p.m., saw the score tied as late as 10-10. Valor Christian would go on to claim five of the final seven points to secure the 15-12 victory, though.

With their wins, Discovery Canyon will now face Legend, while Valor Christian will take on Eaglecrest in Friday’s quarterfinal round. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

In the consolation bracket, Castle View will face Douglas County and Cherokee Trail will play Bear Creek. Both matches are scheduled for 3 p.m. The winners of those two matches will advance to the second round of the consolation bracket, and play at 7 p.m.

Follow all the action through the live scores on the bracket.