State volleyball tournaments at a glance
All tournaments today through Saturday
6A
In recent years, any handicapping of state volleyball at the big-school level begins with the question: Which division is Skyview playing in this year? The Hawks of Nampa have won six state titles since 2016 — three in 5A (basically now 6A) and three in 4A. They’ve won state titles the last four years — two in 5A, then the last two in 4A. And Skyview has been runner-up four other times since 2011. Starting with the 2015 season, the Hawks have played in the state championship match each of the last nine seasons. ... Skyview seeks out tough tournaments in the West, so its record sometimes has a few more blemishes. But two of its losses this year have come to Idaho schools — Owyhee, which opens vs. Coeur d’Alene today at noon PDT at the Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls, and Madison of Rexburg, the two-time defending (5A) state champion. The Bobcats have six state titles total. Both were in five sets. ... Owyhee, which opened in 2021, is at state for the third straight year. The Storm were fourth last year, their first trophy.
5A
Top-seeded Lakeland, the 2020 champ (in 4A), opens vs. eighth-seeded Twin Falls today at 4 p.m. PDT at the Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls. The Hawks, fourth last year have brought home trophies in three of their last five trips to state, after not competing at state since 2005. Twin Falls won the title in 2021, and tied for fifth each of the past two seasons. ... Bonneville, runner-up to Skyview last year, is the fourth seed this year. Pocatello, third last year in its first trip to state since 1993, is the No. 2 seed, and Idaho Falls, at state for the first time since a runner-up finish in 2016, is the third seed.
4A
Bonners Ferry, the No. 7 seed, opens against defending (3A) champion and No. 2 seed Fruitland today at 3 p.m. at Lake City High. Bonners Ferry beat Timberlake last week to capture the District 1 title. It was supposed to be a best-of-3 series but, in a league rule change, since Bonners defeated Timberlake in the two Intermountain League matchups, the Badgers were crowned district champions after their victory in the first match of the best-of-three series for the district title. Bonners is at state for the third straight year, seeking its first trophy since 1994. ... Kimberly, third last year and the champions in 2022, is the No. 2 seed. Bear Lake, which tied for fifth in 2A last year, is the No. 1 seed ... Snake River, last year’s runner-up, is the sixth seed.
3A
Grangeville, which won the District 1-2 tournament, is the No. 5 seed, and faces No. 4 Nampa Christian in its opener tonight at 7 at Memorial Gym in Moscow. ... Melba, the two-time defending (2A) champion, is the top seed. Malad, runner-up last year, is the No. 2 seed.
2A
This is the old 1A Division I; the four bigger divisions basically moved up a number. ... Genesis Prep, in its first trip to state in program history, is the eighth seed and opens vs. top-seeded and three-time defending (1A D-I) Troy at 4 p.m. PDT at Jerome High. Troy has won 14 state titles since 1995, and 15 overall.
1A
This is basically the old 1A Division II, where Horseshoe Bend, the three-time defending champion, is the No. 2 seed. St. John Bosco, which beat Coeur du Christ in a state play-in match last Saturday, is the eighth seed, and opens today vs. top-seeded Rockland at Canyon Ridge High in Twin Falls. Rockland beat Clark Fork in a state play-in match last year, then finished tied for fifth.