Washington volleyball: Seeding on line in district tournaments

Whatever happens at today’s District 8 4A volleyball tournament, one state-caliber team will be eliminated.

Greater Spokane League champion Central Valley (23-1-1) hosts today’s tournament, which features a supremely balanced field. Any of the four teams would figure to compete well at next week’s regional and beyond.

Three teams will advance to regional against Mid-Columbia Conference representatives Richland and Pasco, starting with Tuesday’s elimination game at MCC No. 2 against the GSL’s No. 3. The rest of the tourney is Nov. 8 at MCC No. 1.

Today’s 11 a.m. district openers are CV against fourth-seeded Mead in the main gym and No. 2 University (24-3) vs. Gonzaga Prep (16-10) in Gym No. 2. Winners qualify for regionals and play for seeding at 2 p.m. in the main gym. At the same time, first-game losers will meet for the third regional seed in Gym No. 2.

Although CV and U-Hi separated themselves from the rest of the league and played for the league title Tuesday to cap the regular season, the road to that match was difficult. CV needed five games to hold off Mead and G-Prep in league play, and U-Hi just avoided a fifth game with G-Prep by winning the fourth 25-23.

G-Prep and Mead also went five games in a GSL match won by Prep.

After Tuesday’s match to decide the league title, which CV won by rallying from a 21-16 fourth-game deficit, CV coach Amanda Bailey and U-Hi’s Mike Summers fully expected to meet again at district.

“We’re going to play them again right away and they’re going to make adjustments and so it should be a good match,” Bailey said.

“Obviously, our goal is to win districts and take the No. 1 seed to regionals,” Summers said. “I’m pretty sure that’s CV’s goal as well. And we can’t throw G-Prep out of the mix, either.”

District 8 3A

Top-seeded Mt. Spokane (13-13-2), the host team, will play for the district title and regional seeding at 3 p.m. The Wildcats will meet the winner of the 1 p.m. match between No. 2 Shadle Park and No. 3 Rogers.

Mt. Spokane and Shadle played a five-game GSL match on Tuesday.

The No. 1 seed will host regionals Nov. 8 against the MCC’s Southridge and Kamiakin.

District 7 2A

Great Northern League champion East Valley hosts the five-team tournament and plays at 4 p.m. for the district title and regional seeding.

All other matches are loser-out. No. 2 Pullman plays No. 5 West Valley at 10 a.m.; No. 3 Cheney meets No. 4 Clarkston at noon; and the winners play at 2 p.m.

EV and the other regional qualifier will play for state berths on Nov. 8 against Central Washington Athletic Conference teams at Selah.