TORRINGTON – The three Goshen County volleyball teams wrapped up their regular seasons last weekend and are gearing up for their respective regional tournaments this weekend.
Torrington
The Torrington Lady Trailblazers finished the regular season with an 11-11 record. Their 4-2 record against quadrant opponents (Douglas, last year’s state runner-up, Wheatland and Newcastle) earned them the No. 2 seed out of the east, with the top seed going to Douglas and Wheatland and Newcastle finishing third and fourth, respectively.
The Lady Blazers’ first game comes against Worland, the third seed from the west. The Lady Warriors posted a 15-11 record this fall with a 2-4 record against quadrant foes. Torrington and Worland have played each other twice this year. They met at the Rawlins Tournament on Sept. 9, with Worland picking up the win in two sets (22-20, 21-13). The Lady Blazers turned things around when they took on the Lady Warriors in Worland on Oct. 7, winning in five sets (13-25, 26-24, 25-16, 14-25, 15-11).
Rawlins, Buffalo and Thermopolis round out the teams coming out of the western quadrant. Against Rawlins, Torrington fell in three sets (25-16, 25-14, 25-20). The Lady Blazers are 1-1 against Buffalo this season, most recently winning on Sept. 29 in four sets (25-14, 25-18, 19-25, 25-20). Torrington swept Thermopolis in their only meeting this year.
Against teams in their bracket, Torrington is 7-5 this season. From the Oct. 19 WyoPreps rankings, the Lady Blazers could see two out of the top-five teams in the state in No. 1 Rawlins and No. 2 Douglas.
Southeast
The Southeast Lady Cyclones locked up the top seed out of the southeast conference for the 2A East Regional Tournament. They went 16-8 in the regular season, but their 6-2 record was the most important stat, giving them the top spot. Southeast lost to Glenrock and Pine Bluffs, who are the second and third seeds, once this season. Lusk picked up the final seed from the southeast.
The Lady Cyclones square off against Upton to open the tournament. In their only matchup this season, Southeast beat Upton in two sets at the Lusk Tournament on Sept. 16 (25-21, 25-13). The Lady Bobcats finished the season 10-13 and their 4-6 record in the conference earned them the fourth seed out of the northeast.
The other three teams to come from the northeast have been tough this fall. Last year’s champion Wright, finished as the No. 2 seed from the north, only behind last year’s runner-up Sundance. Big Horn snagged the third seed from the north. Sundance posted a 22-4 record this year, while Wright finished 20-7 and Big Horn went 11-17.
Looking at the WyoPreps rankings released on Oct. 19, the top four teams in the rankings will be playing in the 2A East Regionals. Sundance sits at the top, followed by Wright, Pine Bluffs and then the Lady Cyclones.
Southeast lost its only matchup against Sundance, who will be hosting the tournament this weekend, in two sets (25-16, 25-22). The Lady Cyclones are unfamiliar with both Wright and Big Horn this season.
Lingle-Fort Laramie
The Lingle-Fort Laramie Lady Doggers put in the work during the regular season to finish 15-9, earning them the top spot out of the southeast for the 1A East Regional Tournament. Rock River snagged the second seed in the conference with a record of 14-8, while Hanna-Elk Mountain finished third at 12-8. Guernsey-Sunrise and Glendo met Monday to decide the final seed from the conference, with the Lady Vikings winning in three sets.
Against opponents from the southeast conference that reached regionals, L-FL is 2-0, winning against Guernsey-Sunrise twice. The Lady Doggers haven’t played Rock River or HEM this year.
Midwest, the fourth seed out of the northwest, is the first opponent due up for the Lady Doggers. The two teams met on Aug. 25 in L-FL’s first game of the season, with the Lady Doggers coming out on top in two sets (25-7, 25-7). The Lady Oilers went winless this season, finishing the year 0-22.
The Lady Doggers could advance in the tournament to take on northeast opponents Kaycee, Arvada-Clearmont and Hulett. Hulett secured the top spot with a 5-1 record against conference foes, despite a 6-17 overall record. Kaycee is second in the northeast with a 4-2 conference record and 10-13 overall record. Arvada-Clearmont finished 6-13 and 3-3 against northeast teams. The Lady Doggers handled both Kaycee and Hulett at the L-FL Invite on Aug. 25, beating both teams in two sets.
Based on the Oct. 19 WyoPreps rankings, the strength of 1A volleyball is in the west. L-FL is the only team ranked in the top-five (fourth), that will be at the east regional tournament this weekend.
*For a complete look at the brackets and matchup times, check out whsaa.org.
