State volleyball update: 11 local teams already in, 7 more looking to join state field with wins this weekend

EASTERN IDAHO — The state volleyball tournament unofficially starts this weekend when 26 teams across six classifications battle for the final 13 spots.

Once the final spots are filled, brackets will be set for tournament play, beginning Oct. 29 at venues across the state — including two here in eastern Idaho.

Seven of the teams set to play this weekend will do so representing eastern Idaho, looking to join the 11 local teams that have already secure their spots.

Here is what has been determined thus far, heading into this weekend’s play-in round.

1A, at Thunder Ridge High School

The Rockland Bulldogs (20-3) enter the state tournament as the top overall seed and will face either Coeur du Christ or District 4 champ Carey, depending on the results of Saturday’s play-in round.

Rockland swept its way through the 1A District 5 tournament, going 3-0 on three straight-set victories. The Bulldogs’ three losses came against the top two teams in the 2A classifications — Butte County and Valley. The Bulldogs have lost just 11 sets all season.

The Mackay Miners (26-2) posted their own dominant performance during the 1A District 6 tournament, finishing, like Rockland, without losing so much as a set.

According to the final MaxPreps rankings, Mackay is fifth among all 1A squads, and will face either Clark Fork or Nezperce in the opening round of the state tournament.

Over the last five matches, the Miners have lost just three sets — in a sweep by Rockland on Oct. 10. Mackay has not faced either of its potential first-round opponents this season.

2A, @ Madison High School

The Butte County Pirates (21-4) enter the state tournament as the 2A District 5-6 champion and overall top seed. The Pirates will face District 1 champs Lakeside.

Three of Butte County’s four losses this season have come against 6A teams, with the other coming at the hands of 4A Sugar-Salem.

The Grace Grizzlies (16-13) qualified for the state play-in round as the No. 7-ranked 2A team in the state. They will face Hagerman at Hagerman High School on Saturday, with the winner earning a spot in the state tournament.

3A, at Lewiston High School

The 3A District 6 champion Firth Cougars (21-4) and District 5 champion Malad Dragons (23-11) will enter the tournament as the 3- and 4-seeds, respectively.

Both teams’ first-round opponents will be decided after Saturday’s play-in round, which will include a showdown between No. 8 Ririe (12-7) and No. 7 West Side (16-14) at West Side High School.

Firth has won 20 matches in a row, after starting the season with a 1-4 record. The Cougars’ last lost set came on Sept. 22, when they beat Salmon 3-1.

Malad lost 3-2 to West Side on Oct. 15, but bounced back by beating the Pirates twice during last week’s district tournament. The Dragons are 10-1 since the ThunderBee Volleyball Classic on Sept. 19.

Ririe and West Side have not yet met this season.

4A, at Lake City High School

No. 2 Bear Lake (26-5), No. 8 Sugar-Salem (16-15) and No. 5 Preston (14-10) have all already secured a spot in the state tournament — Bear Lake and Sugar-Salem by winning their respective district tournaments, and Preston by an at-large selection.

No. 6 Snake River (20-14) will host a play-in game against Timberlake Saturday.

The Bears’ last loss came on Sept. 19, during the ThunderBee Volleyball Classic, against Kimberly — who carry the top seed into next week’s state tournament. Since then, Bear Lake has won 11 consecutive matches, losing just two sets over that stretch.

Preston finished third at the 4A District 5 tournament, behind Bear Lake and Snake River, but earned an at-large bid. Preston beat Snake River all three times the two teams faced off during the regular season, but lost to the Panthers at the district tournament.

The Diggers will be the 5-seed when the tournament starts, and will face Filer in the opening round. The two teams met less than a month ago, on Sept. 26, with Filer winning 3-0. The Wildcats are 4-0 against Sugar-Salem this season, losing just two sets across the four matches.

5A, at Post Falls High School

A hectic 5A District 5-6 tournament produced four potential state tournament participants, with No. 1 Idaho Falls and No. 2 Pocatello qualifying and No. 3 Bonneville and No. 5 Hillcrest earning spots in Saturday’s play-in round.

The Idaho Falls Tigers (29-9), who are undefeated this season against 5A competition, boast one of the highest strength-of-schedule ratings in the state. They will carry the top seed into the tournament and face either Bishop Kelly or Vallivue, depending on play-in outcomes.

Pocatello (22-13) will get either Bishop Kelly, if Vallivue beats Bonneville at Bonneville High School, or Wood River.

The Bees (21-13) have lost four of their last five matches, all against fellow members of the 5A High Country Conference, which boasts six teams among the state’s top 10.

Hillcrest (21-16) will host Lakeland.

6A, at Coeur d’Alene High School

Despite finishing the season as the state’s top 6A team, the Rigby Trojans (35-5) will need to beat Coeur d’Alene in a play-in game at Rigby High School in order to reserve a spot in next week’s state tournament.

The Madison Bobcats (26-5) stumbled in early October, going 1-4 against Utah opponents at the Best in the West Tournament in Millville, Utah. Outside of that stretch, Madison went 25-1, losing its season-opener at Bonneville. The Bobcats went 5-0 in head-to-head matchups with Rigby, including two wins at the 6A District 5-6 tournament — meaning Rigby is undefeated against all other teams.

If the Trojans win Saturday, they will slot into the tournament’s top spot, facing the winner of the other play-in game — between Owyhee and Lake City. Madison will be the 3-seed.