Volleyball playoff primer: Malad, West Side early district winners; other tourneys to start this weekend

EASTERN IDAHO — The 3A District 5 tournament is already underway, with top seeds Malad and West Side claiming first-round victories. All other District 5 tournaments are set to start in the coming days.

Here is what is to come for local high school volleyball squads:

1A

The top-seeded Rockland Bulldogs (17-3, 6-0) will host the 1A District 5 tournament, with games to start Thursday

Round-one matches will pit Rockland against Sho-Ban (0-8, 0-6) and the North Gem (13-6, 3-3) against Grace Lutheran (11-9, 3-3).

A champion, and the district’s lone state qualifier, will be crowned as early as Saturday, with an if-necessary match scheduled for Monday.

2A

The 2A District 5-6 tournament will get going later than any other, starting Monday at Watersprings High School.

Round one will see No. 2 Grace (13-9, 2-1) face No. 3 Challis (7-10, 0-4) for the right to battle No. 1 Butte County (18-4, 3-0) — also on Monday.

A district champion will be crowned on Tuesday, claiming the district’s one state bid.

3A

The 3A District 5 tournament is already underway, with the first round of games played at Malad High School on Tuesday.

No. 1 Malad (20-10, 8-0) swept No. 5 Aberdeen (1-17, 0-8) in the opening round, and No. 2 West Side (15-12, 6-2) did the same to No. 3 Marsh Valley (5-11, 3-5).

With the loss, the Eagles fell into a potential elimination match against No. 4 Soda Springs (5-11, 3-5), but beat the Cardinals 3-1 to stay alive.

Tournament play continues Thursday afternoon, with Malad and West Side facing off for a spot in the championship match.

Also on Thursday, Soda Springs will face Aberdeen in an elimination match, with the winner advancing to take on Marsh Valley.

A district championship will be claimed on Tuesday, as will a second-place finish, which comes with the district’s second state bid.

4A

The 4A District 5 tournament gets going Saturday at Bear Lake High School.

Beginning at 1 p.m., the top-seeded Bears (25-5, 6-0) will take on No. 4 American Falls (8-8, 0-6), followed by a matchup between No. 3 Snake River (18-12, 2-4) and No. 2 Preston (13-8, 4-2).

On the same day, the two winners will face off for a spot in Monday’s district title match, while the losers will battle in an elimination match.

A district champion could be crowned as soon as Monday, though an if-necessary match is scheduled for Tuesday.

The district tournament owns just one state bid.

5A

A massive 5A District 5-6 field will get going Saturday, with eight matches scheduled to be played at two venues.

Bonneville (20-11, 3-3) and Blackfoot (14-13, 3-1) are set to face off in a regular-season match on Thursday, with the outcome setting the district tournament’s final seeding.

One thing that is known, though, is that Idaho Falls (26-9, 7-0) will be the No. 1 seed and host half of the first two rounds of matches on Saturday.

A district championship will be decided on Monday, while the district’s second state bid will be up for grabs on Tuesday.

6A

As in the 5A division, final 6A District 5-6 regular-season matches will be played Thursday, determining tourney seeding.

However, Madison (23-5, 6-0) has already secured the top seed and right to host the tournament.

The district champion will be crowned Tuesday. The tournament’s runner-up will compete in the state play-in round.