Are the top-2 seeds headed toward a championship showdown in the 2A Conference volleyball tournament?

Horizon Honors and Scottsdale Christian have certainly proved their worth as the favorites this year. The teams crossed paths earlier this year, with Horizon Honors winning a five-game regular season marathon.

Other than that match, the teams haven’t lost a regular season, non-tournament match to a 2A team this season. In that five-game match, season highs in kills were tallied by Horizon Honor’s Alexa Smythe and Scottsdale Christian’s Lexi Shamadan, who combined for 43 kills.

But reaching the 2A championship match won’t be a cakewalk.

Thatcher, the No. 5 seed, is a two-time defending state champ, Veritas Prep, the No. 4 seed, also took Horizon Honors to five games this season and Tempe Prep defeated Horizon Honors during a regular season tournament. 

The two-day, 16-team 2A state tournament begins Friday. Central High will host the first three rounds, and North High will host the Nov. 5, 5 p.m. final.

The championship game will be streamed live on nfhsnetwork.com. The free state program for the 2A tournament is here. 

First round preview

No. 16 seed Desert Christian (16-12 overall) vs. No. 1 Horizon Honors (25-4): Seven of Desert Christian’s 12 players are either freshmen or sophomores. … Desert Christian won 11 of its final 13 regular season matches under first-year coach Fran Vavala. … Horizon Honors coach Kris Maglunog is 58-10 in his two seasons at the school. … “We take pride in playing as a team and being tough together,” Maglunog said. “We are not in the top-10 in any state (stat) leader board in the 2A Conference because we do not rely on just one or two players. The chemistry our girls have is phenomenal, having played together for 3-4 years on the same club team.” … Senior opposite/setter Alexa Smythe is leading the team with 217 kills, is near the top in assists and will play at Montana State University Billings next year. … Senior Michelle Ogle is the team’s leader in assists with 298. … Alexis Gomes (6-0) and sophomore Olivia Moran have a combined 109 blocks, and Giuliana Castronova has 361 digs.

No. 9 Glendale Prep (28-8) vs. No. 8 Trivium Prep (24-9): On Oct. 5, Trivium Prep defeated Glendale Prep 25-18, 25-21, 25-18 during their first and only meeting this season. … Glendale Prep only carries eight players, but the only senior on the team, setter Riley Roberge, doesn’t lack weapons. … “Issa Martell is the glues that keeps the team working,” Glendale Prep coach Jennifer Roberge said. “She is one of our most consistent athletes when it comes to serving, passing and kill percentage. Jessica Vargas leads with youthful energy. She has a strong swing and is leading the team in kills.” … Trivium Prep won the Charter Athletic Association D-I championship last season with a roster comprised of just sophomores and freshman. The school doesn’t have a senior class yet. “This was our first season in the AIA, so we had a lot to learn,” Trivium Prep coach Bett Wilson said. “The level of competition required some adjustments to our lineup and to our strategy, but the girls have stepped up to the challenge and continue to improve every day.” … Wilson on OH Anna Rosztoczy: She puts her whole heart into every minute of every game. The team feeds off her intensity. On OH Cassidy Bates: She’s consistent in all aspects of the game. Her court sense is impeccable and rarely gets rattled. On libero/setter Kylie Rusick: She has positive energy, can chase down just about any ball and directs the court.

No. 12 Parker (24-12) vs. No. 5 Thatcher (19-7): Marue Maya’s record at Parker is 236-68 since 2007. … Maya’s 2016 team is led by seniors Alicia Guevara, the go-to hitter with 388 kills and 344 digs, and middle blocker Julissa Alaniz (342 digs, 148 kills, 103 aces). … “Our biggest obstacle this season was not having a tested setter,” Maya said. “We had to make a change early in the season and take one of our hitters (Savana Flores) and maker her a setter. Our team has gotten back on track, and this is the reason we were able to do as well as we did.” … Thatcher dropped its first three matches of the season, including two five setters, but rebounded after that tough start. … Half of Thatcher’s roster is comprised of seniors. … “We have a target on our back, having won two championships in a row,” Thatcher coach Ellen Robertson said. “My coaching staff and I know these girls can do it a third time. We have great talent and depth.” The team hasn’t peaked yet, Robertson added. … 

Robertson on senior Danica Rowan: She commands the defense with her blocking skills, makes timely plays and will put the ball down for no one to touch. On senior Ashtyn Lunt: Like Rowan, a leader. Lunt’s connection with senior setter Macee Bingham is special since they have played together since middle school. On seniors Cammy Nicholas and Bingham: Bingham has improved the offense with her ability to set outside hitters from the opposite side of the court. Nicholas puts up a great block and can put the ball down for a kill. 

No. 13 Northland Prep (18-9) vs. No. 4 Veritas Prep (24-10): Northland Prep won six of its final regular season matches. … This will be the first meeting between Northland Prep and Veritas Prep this season. … Northland Prep’s roster has seven seniors. … Two freshmen, setters Ellie Coulter and Averi Miller, start for Veritas Prep. “Having two freshmen setters starting and playing all the way around may have given some coaches anxiety, but these two ladies know the game,” coach Emily Lindley said. “Their volleyball IQ is high and their club experience has helped make it an easy transition.” … Two sets of sisters, Katie and Ellie Coulter and Bella and Sophia Scott, play for Veritas Prep. … Lindley’s team eliminated its 10-plus serving and passing errors as the season progressed. … Lindley on junior libero Katie Coulter: She has the energy, works hard and owns the court. On junior OH Jackie Sharko: Leads with words and actions. Her attack will intimidate teams. She’s jumping out of the gym and is very coachable.  

No. 14 Tempe Prep (11-12) vs. No. 3 Chandler Prep (23-11): Chandler Prep swept Tempe Prep in their first match this season. But on Oct. 18, a much improved Tempe Prep team gave Chandler Prep a match during their second meeting. Chandler Prep won that match 20-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-20. … Six sophomores and two freshmen play for Tempe Prep. … The “anchors” of Chandler Prep are its senior leaders, Alycia Bukarteck, Taylor Sheppy, Leslie Cadien, Hannah Weber, and Bailey Hammonds. … Sheppy, a senior MB/OH, is hitting .315, averaging 4.2 kills per set and has a team-high 57 aces. … Cadien, the team’s leading blocker, and Bukartek each have more than 130 kills. … Weber is Anthem Prep’s leader in digs with 276 and is averaging 9.2 digs per match. … Sophomore setter Isabelle Miranda has 504 assists. … “We have a strong offense, and we are a very close-knit team that works hard and for each other,” Chandler Prep coach Sarah Baughman said. “A majority of our team returned this year, which allowed us to build on our success.”

No. 11 Tonopah Valley (18-7) vs. No. 6 Sedona Red Rock (23-5): Tonopah Valley head coach Edward Andersson has guided his program to six winning seasons in his seven years at the school. … Tonopah Valley senior middle blocker Christian Renteria is hitting .307, averaging 4.3 kills and 3.6 blocks per set, and teammate Caitlynn Williams, a senior, is second on the team with 119 blocks. Renteria’s 204 kills rank third in the state. … Sophomores Quinci Dailey and Taytum Brito and senior Naomi Dailey each have more than 320 digs for Andersson’s team. … This season, Red Rock rebounded from last year’s 13-12-1 season. It was only the second time in coach John Parks career that his program didn’t win at least 15 matches.   

No. 10 Round Valley (22-12) vs. No. 7 Phoenix Country Day (23-9): Round Valley put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in more than a decade. … Second-year coach Jamie Robinson is in her second season as Round Valley’s coach. …  Senior Karlee Coffeen (40 aces, 449 digs) and senior Bailey Kirkham (117 blocks) are each averaging more than two kills per set for Round Valley. … After back-to-back 10 win seasons, third-year Phoenix Country Day coach Kat Burrell guided her program to its second 20-win season in the past decade. … Senior OH Gillian Barfield, a 6-rotation player, leads Burrell’s team in kills. Junior setter/right side hitter Kylie Fisher, also a 6-rotation player, leads Phoenix Country Day in assists. “Both are captains, fiercely competitive and are the backbone of the team’s consistency,” Burrell said. … Nikasha Patel is one of the top ace collectors in the state. … Phoenix Country Day senior captain Emma Herold is a National Merit scholar. … “We have great chemistry and versatility,” Burrell said. “We have played close to 10 different lineups throughout the season, and each player is versatile and committed to team success over individual success.” … Only 10 players participated in Phoenix Country Day’s volleyball program this year.

No. 15 Leading Edge Academy (16-7) vs. 2 No. Scottsdale Christian (29-6): Leading Edge is in Gilbert and is a first-year Arizona Interscholastic Association member. Its roster consists of three seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. It started the season with a 1-4 record but won 11 of its final 13 regular season matches. … Joanna Settles, in her first season as a high school volleyball coach, guided Scottsdale Christian to its best regular season since its 2006 state championship season. … In charge of Settle’s team on the court are four seniors, captains Bekah Richardson, Caroline Schell, Emma Villasenor and Courtney Bush. “They have led our team through the preseason, two-a-day practices, wins and losses, dance parties, slumber parties and to the state tournament,” Settles said. … Junior Lexi Shamadan is ranked fifth in the state with a .391 hitting percentage. … Scottsdale Christian’s Lauren Ohlinger is ranked fourth in the state with 97 aces.