EDITOR'S NOTE: For a full preview of the AIA volleyball state championship program, click here.

Three programs have dominated the 3A volleyball landscape for nearly a decade, and this fall looks to be no different.

Since 2016, either Snowflake, Northwest Christian or Valley Christian have appeared in the state finals and in the past four seasons, two of the three have represented the 3A in a championship match.

In that timeframe, Northwest Christian has won three state championships (2018-2020), while Valley Christian claimed the crown in 2021 and Snowflake hoisted the trophy a season ago, their first since 1996 and the program’s fifth overall (’80, ’81, ’91).

On the outside looking in, but barely, Fountain Hills won two titles in 2016 and 2017, but hasn’t made an appearance in the state playoffs since their Elite 8 loss to Northwest Christian (3-0) in 2018.

CRUSADERS

Northwest Christian (30-11, 12-0 3A North Central) claimed a region title this season are a No. 4 seed in this fall’s state playoff bracket.

Senior Alyssa Symanski has worked hard to be one of the best middle blockers in the state (70 in 2023), and said her journey has been “fun.”

“I’ve gone through the freshman team, to varsity and now a starter. It’s been a huge blessing for me,” Symanski said a few hours before her club played Chino Valley on Oct. 19, adding her team is looking to reclaim the title this November.

“I think we’re looking at Snowflake and Valley Christian. Fountain Hills is also a strong team, but I think we’re up there with them,” Symanski said.

The Crusaders have lost to Snowflake in each of the past two seasons, first a 3-1 loss to the Lobos in the quarterfinals in 2021, then a 3-0 loss to the same club in the 3A state championship a season ago.

Cadence Roberts, a sophomore with 373 kills, said this season has gone well so far, but they want to do more.

“I think [this season has been] better than expected, considering how many seniors we lost from last year,” Roberts said.

Junior Brooklyn Blumentritt, who leads the team with 378 digs, said the Northwest Christian community has been a big reason for their success this season.

“The community at Northwest is amazing. The volleyball program has been amazing. We have fluctuations, but we come out fighting no matter what,” Blumentritt said.

Head coach Chuck Hunter said any team that shows up to play “has an opportunity to do great things.”

“It’s high school volleyball, you never know,” Hunter said, adding that the Crusaders are young but they believe.

“We have no strong ‘Queen Bee’ leader in the program, so we have to, truly, as a team, believe in each other,” Hunter said.

Northwest Christian standouts Alyssa Symanski, left, Cadence Roberts, middle, and Brooklyn Blumentritt look to lead the Crusaders to another 3A state championship. The program won three in a row between 2018 and 2020. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365)

LOBOS

Snowflake (28-11, 11-0 3A East) won their region championship and are slated at No. 2 for the state playoffs.

The Lobos beat Northwest Christian on Oct. 4, 3-1, and twice more in two different tournaments this season, but head coach Jamie Robinson is taking nothing for granted.

“I feel any team in the Top 16 will be a contender and a serious opponent,” Robinson said via email to AzPreps365.com on Oct. 31. “We just need to take one day and one game at a time.”

Players to watch include seniors Livi Schneider (322 kills), Macey Gardner (62 blocks) and Braxton Jones (273 digs) this postseason.

TROJANS

Valley Christian (28-8, 8-0 3A South Central) won their region title and went an impressive 17-0 in power point matches this season, sweeping Snowflake and Fountain Hills 3-0, while coming out on top against Northwest Christian 3-2 on Sept. 20.

The Trojans were ranked No. 1 this season, and are the overall No. 1 seed for state.

Head coach Tyler Trathen said his club will need to stay “true to our goals and plans” for the season if they are to come out on top.

“We have worked really hard to establish our culture and build our team together with a fight and resiliency,” Trathen said via email. “I think we have learned a lot this season and really challenged ourselves to fight in all of our games.”

Trathen added Snowflake and Northwest Christian are on his radar.

“I think that Snowflake always produces stellar teams and always battle to make it far in the tournament. I also think that Northwest Christian always prepares well against teams and makes a push in the playoffs.”

Players to watch are junior Kelsey Brooks (291 kills), freshman Sadie Wahlin (102 blocks) and senior Avery Schmidt (373 digs).

DARK HORSE

The only other club to go undefeated in power point matches (17-0) this season was Monument Valley (30-3, 14-0 3A North) and enter this playoff bracket as the No. 3 seed.

In fact, the Mustangs swept nearly every power point match they played in 2023 with the exception of two, a 3-2 win over Chinle on Sept. 26, and a 3-1 win over Alchesay on Oct. 7.

Despite being No. 3 in state, Monument Valley didn’t play any of the Top 5 teams in state this season, which include Snowflake, Northwest Christian and Valley Christian, however they are formidable.

“[We must] stay mentally strong with the help of being consistent with our passing and serving,” Mustangs head coach Rennell Gilmore said. “We have players with experience, which has played a huge role this season.”

Players to watch include sophomore Tehya Yazzie (241 kills, 65 ace serves) and senior Niaomi Benally (36 blocks).

UP NEXT

The 3A volleyball state championships are scheduled to get underway Saturday, Nov. 4, at Marcos de Niza and Mesa high schools. The state semifinals are Tuesday, Nov. 7, at Marcos de Niza and the finals are Nov. 10 at Arizona Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in downtown Phoenix.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.