Bump, set, spike - Volleyball enters postseason

All of the Class “A” and “B” volleyball teams wrapped their respective regular seasons Tuesday night; post season play will begin next week across the state.
Each school will enter postseason play, with the power points each team has amassed during the regular season determining their seeding in regional tournaments. Points are given for each game during the regular season (41-50 for a win, 30-39 for a loss) depending on their opponents’ records. The total points, divided by the number of games played, gives a team its power points and determines who and where it plays in the post- season.
The same power points will have a hand in determining each team’s seeding for the state tournaments, set for Nov. 15-17 in Sioux Falls.
Class “A” teams will begin play Oct. 30.
In Region 1A, the Redfield-Doland Pheasants have cruised to a 19-6 record and will be the third seed in the region. The Pheasants will host sixth-seeded Sisseton in Redfield on Tuesday. The winner of that match will play the winner of the match between No. 2 Aberdeen Roncalli and seventh-seeded Tiospa Zina, on Thursday, and will move into the Round of 16 playoffs, where teams will be re-seeded.

In Region 6A, the Miller Rustlers have put the bow on a 26-2 regular season. The Rustlers have the highest power points average in Class “A,” at 45.786, and will be the top seed for as long as they remain in the playoffs. As the top seed in Region 6A, Miller has a first-round bye and will await the winner of fourth-seeded Mobridge-Pollock and No. 5 Stanley County.
The Rustlers are riding a 21-game winning streak, the longest in the state, at any level. They have not lost since Sept. 4, at Class “B” power Warner. The only other blemish is a season-opening loss to Winner, a loss they avenged mid-Sept. In their 26 wins, Miller has dropped a total of six sets.
Miller will be seeking a return trip to the State “A,” after finishing in 7th place at last year’s tournament.
Play in the Class “B” regional tournaments begins on Monday.
Region 1B — The lone Heartland team in Region 1B is the Clark-Willow Lake Cyclones. C-WL has put together a season record of 17-9 this fall, and will have the fifth seed in regional play, facing No. 4 Langford Area in a quarterfinal match on Tuesday in Mellette. Unfortunately for the Cyclones, Region 1B also is home to the two-time defending champion Northwestern Wildcats, as well as the Warner Monarchs, who finished second at last year’s State “B” tournament…to Northwestern. They are the only two teams in the state that have surpassed 47 power points this season. Northwestern lost to Miller, which lost to Warner. Northwestern downed Warner in the teams’ only meeting this season and both lost to Iowa power Western Christian last month in Sioux Falls.
Region 2B — The first-round matchup of Highmore-Harrold (No. 7) and Sunshine Bible Academy (No. 10) means that one of the two Heartland teams will be out after the two teams meet on Monday. The winner of the match will get to take on second-seeded Sully Buttes in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night.
Region 3B — Nearly all of the Heartland teams in Region 3B will be in action in the opening round Monday night in De Smet. James Valley Christian is seeded ninth in the region and will take on No. 8 De Smet in the opening game at 5 p.m. At 6:15, seventh-seeded Wessington Springs will take on No. 10 Lake Preston, followed by No. 6 Wolsey-Wessington and 11th-seeded Iroquois. The winners of those matches will move into the quarterfinals Tuesday, in Arlington and White. The De Smet/JVC winner will get top-seeded Arlington, The Springs/Preston winner will take on Deubrook Area while Estelline/Hendricks is waiting for the Wolsey-Wessington/Iroquois winner. Also in the quarterfinals, fourth-seeded Hitchcock-Tulare will face No. 5 Castlewood.
Region 4B — Sanborn Central-Woonsocket is the lone Heartland area team in Region 4B. The Blackhawks are seeded fourth in the region and will take on No. 5 Hanson Tuesday night in Madison. Looming on the horizon is a possible matchup with top-seeded Chester Area.
Round of 16 games, to determine who will move to the State Tournaments, will take place around the state on Nov. 6 for Class “A” and “B.”