Originally posted to the web in Sports, on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 4:56 PM CDT.
Lady Wrangler host region contest today
After finishing the regular season tied for second place in the 3A West Region standings, Wickenburg High School’s girls volleyball team will begin post-season region tournament play by hosting last-place South Pointe at 6 p.m. today (Wednesday, Oct. 24).
The Lady Wranglers (12-5 for the season and 8-4 in region) won a coin flip to determine the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the tournament (Sedona Red Rock settling for the No. 3 slot) - earning the local girls the right to host the last-place Lady Griffins of South Pointe (3-13 for the season and 1-11 in region).
A victory tonight would send the Lady Wranglers into the region tournament’s Final Four at Parker Saturday. They would face the winner of the Sedona Red Rock-River Valley first-round match at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Another victory in the semifinals Saturday afternoon would give Coach Ray Wrublik’s girls the right to play in the region tournament championship game - probably against Parker - at 5:30 p.m.
The top three teams from the tournament will earn automatic berths in the Arizona 3A state tournament next week. The fourth-place team from the tournament also could qualify if it has ranking better than 16th in the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s Power Points system.
Wickenburg has been as high as No. 4 in those statewide Power Point rankings but dropped to No. 8 after losing its final regular season match last week to host Estrella Foothills, 3-2.
That final loss last week, as it turned out, didn’t adversely impact the Lady Wranglers’ seeding for the region tournament.
Parker, meanwhile, is ranked No. 2 in the state in the Power Point system and is the defending 3A West Region champion. The Lady Broncs (16-1), who defeated the Lady Wranglers twice in region competition this year, are picked to reach the state championship game against undefeated Monument Valley from the North Region.
If the Lady Wranglers manage to reach the region tournament championship game and then upset heavily favored Parker, they would earn the No. 2 seed in the state tournament. Otherwise, they will probably enter the state tournament as the No. 8 seed and would probably face No. 9 Tuba City from the North Region in the first round.
As the No. 8 seed in the state tournament, however, the Wickenburg girls would probably face Monument Valley in the state quarterfinals - if they slip past their first-round opponent.
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