Seven boys volleyball teams from Southern Arizona qualified for the 16-team Division II state tournament, three of which will host first-round matches on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The last time a Tucson-area team won the title was in 2011 when there were two divisions. Fast forward five years and a second bracket is back.
The group of seven local qualifiers is led by undefeated No. 2 Cienega, one of two unbeaten teams in the division. The Bobcats, along with No. 6 Mountain View and No. 7 Sahuaro, will all be hosting on Saturday.
No. 11 Salpointe Catholic, No. 12 Ironwood Ridge, No. 14 Rincon/University and No. 15 Canyon del Oro round out the area’s participants. All but I-Ridge are on the same side of the bracket.
No. 18 Sierra Vista Buena and No. 19 Tucson just missed the cut. Tucson was the only team from last year’s state qualifiers teams not to make it while Catalina Foothills finished No. 24.
Here’s a look at Saturday’s first-round matchups with Tucson-area teams:
No. 15 Canyon del Oro (13-4) at No. 2 Cienega (16-0)
Cienega has dropped just two sets all season. This could be the Bobcats’ best chance to make the final, which is something they’ve never done, despite having been a postseason participant for more than a decade. Canyon del Oro managed to make it in for the second year in a row, even with a regular season ending loss against No. 11 Salpointe. The two did not see each other in a five-set match this year, but Cienega beat CDO in a tournament early last month.
No. 11 Salpointe Catholic (13-4) at No. 6 Mountain View (16-1)
Mountain View is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2011 and has won 13 straight matches. This will be the Mountain Lions first time hosting. Their only loss in regular-season plate came against No. 14 Rincon. In head-to-head action this season, Mountain View beat No. 11 Salpointe 3-2 in its regular-season opener but lost to the Lancers 2-0 a month later in tournament play. No. 11 Salpointe has won nine of its last 10 and all four of its losses were to Division II qualifiers. The Lancers reached the Division I quarterfinals in 2013 but missed the postseason in each of the last two years.
No. 10 Peoria Centennial (13-4) at No. 7 Sahuaro (14-2)
Sahuaro has won its last six matches, including a 3-1 victory over No. 14 Rincon in it regular-season finale. A perfect 9-0 at home, the Cougars only losses came at the hands of No. 2 Cienega and No. 13 Phoenix Northwest Christian on the road. Along with Cienega, Sahuaro has reached the postseason every year for more than decade.
No. 12 Ironwood Ridge (12-5) at No. 5 Gilbert Mesquite (14-4)
Ironwood Ridge heads into the postseason coming off a loss to No. 8 Gilbert Williams Field. A win might have earned the Nighthawks a home-match but, nonetheless it’s I-Ridge’s sixth straight season in the playoffs. No one has had a tougher final three weeks scheduling-wise than the Nighthawks. I-Ridge beat Tucson, Salpointe and Catalina Foothills to separate its self from the pack. All five losses this season were to playoff-bound teams, including two to top 10 teams in Division I.
No. 14 Rincon/University (11-6) at No. 3 Phoenix Ironwood (15-2)
Rincon, along with I-Ridge, were the only two Southern Arizona teams a year ago to win in the first round of the single 24-team tournament. Making their fourth consecutive postseason appearance, the Rangers head into this year’s playoffs having lost their last two matches. To be fair, the losses came against No. 7 Sahuaro and No. 2 Cienega. In fact, all six on Rincon’s losses have been to playoff teams. The Rangers did sweep No. 6 Mountain View back in March.
