Playoff Battles - Class 1 Sectional 1 & 2 Previews

Here we go! The Sectional rounds are set for Class 1, and the hopes of Advance making it a three-peat are still alive. Bernie has a proud tradition of 11 trips to the final four with five titles. Holcomb hasn't made the playoffs since 2008, and Oak Ridge has finally reached the playoffs, winning the school's first every-district championship in volleyball. The winners will meet in the quarterfinals, but who will it be? Could it be a matchup for the Hornets in the quarterfinals, or can the Mules or BlueJays spoil the party? Here's my preview for the Class 1 Sectional playoffs.   Sectional 1:   Bernie Mules 18-9-3 vs. Holcomb Hornets 23-10-1   How they got here:   Bernie had to fight like heck to get out of their district as the three seed. In the quarterfinals, they squeaked by Campbell 25-10, 21-25, 25-19, 16-25, 16-14. Then, next up was the second seed, Gideon, where Bernie pulled out a sweep 27-25, 25-19, and 25-18. In the district championship match against the top seed Clarkton, Bernie pulled the reverse sweep 18-25, 15-25, 25-14, 25-21, 15-9 to win the school's 23rd district title and first since 2015. Holcomb won their district semifinal over South Pemiscot in a sweep and then had to fight for a five-set win over North Pemiscot 25-23, 22-25, 19-25, 25-23, and 15-11, giving Holcomb the school 5th district title and first since 2008.   Key Players:   Bernie:   [player_tooltip player_id='737672' first='Bailey' last='Henry'] – 2025 – 5'9" – Outside   365 kills and 200 digs   Blair Pleimling – 2026 – 5'7” – Middle   227 kills and 99 digs   Rylie Powell – 2025 – 5'3" – Libero   424 digs   Holcomb:   Cholie Hendrix – 2025 – 5'9” – Middle   301 kills and 322 digs   Landynn Hodges – 2026 – 6'0" – Middle   267 kills and 58 blocks   Ava Gurley – 2026 – 5'3" – Setter   241 digs and 692 assists   Common Opponents: Bismarck, Bunker, Campbell, Clarkton, Gideon, Kennett, Malden, Portageville, Risco, Twin Rivers   Holcomb went 4-5-1, and Bernie went 6-3-1.   Prediction: The two opponents I'm looking at are the Gideon and Clarkton matches. Bernie knocked both off to win districts, and both teams swept Holcomb. This will be the season's first meeting for these two, and Bernie is on fire now. Bernie will get the 3-1 win to keep their final four hopes alive.   Sectional 2:   Advance Hornets 20-11-2 vs. Oak Ridge BlueJays 19-8-3   How they got here:   The two-time defending Class 1 champions Advance had little trouble in the semifinal win over Meadow Heights 25-22, 25-12, and 25-19, and in the finals against Leopold, held on for a 20-25, 28-26, 25-15, 25-18 win to districts for the 15th time. Oak Ridge knocked off Crossroads in the quarters before slipping by Crystal City in 5 and pulling the upset over top seed New Haven 25-22, 25-20, 23-25, and 25-21 to win the school's first-ever district championship.   Key Players:   Advance:   [player_tooltip player_id='170048' first='Addison' last='Carlton'] – 2025 – 5'5" – Outside   360 kills and 339 digs   [player_tooltip player_id='475335' first='Olivia' last='Kennedy'] – 2027 – 5'10" – Middle   251 kills and 75 blocks   [player_tooltip player_id='230385' first='Kyndall' last='Hitt'] – 2026 – 5'5” – Setter   842 assists   Oak Ridge:   [player_tooltip player_id='493074' first='Reagan' last='Howe'] – 2025 - 6'0" – Middle   101 blocks and 411 kills   [player_tooltip player_id='729450' first='Kaelyn' last='Deckerd'] – 2028 – 5'8” – Middle   267 kills and 386 digs   [player_tooltip player_id='729545' first='Kenadie' last='Ward'] – 2028 – 5'6" – Setter   735 assists   Common Opponents: Bell City, Greenville, Leopold, Meadow Heights, Oran, Saxony, Scott City, and Woodland.   Advance 6-2 and Oak Ridge 3-4-1   Prediction: When these two programs hooked up earlier this year, Advance pulled out a 23-25, 25-10, 25-23, 21-25, 15-8 win behind 15 kills from [player_tooltip player_id='170048' first='Addison' last='Carlton'] and 12 from [player_tooltip player_id='475335' first='Olivia' last='Kennedy']. [player_tooltip player_id='493074' first='Reagan' last='Howe'] put down 18 kills on .640 hitting, [player_tooltip player_id='729450' first='Kaelyn' last='Deckerd'] had 16 kills, and Jayleigh Price finished with 11. Oak Ridge led in every statistical category except one, and that was aces. Advance caused havoc on Oak Ridge, finishing at 21. Oak Ridge is in new territory but is the host, and Advance has a loaded roster of solid defenders and state championship experience. Oak Ridge will have the best hitter in [player_tooltip player_id='493074' first='Reagan' last='Howe'], but Advance has an entire team of experienced players who have been in this situation for the last two years. The Advance Hornets will sting the BlueJays in a 3-0 sweep.

Here we go! The Sectional rounds are set for Class 1, and the hopes of Advance making it a three-peat are still alive. Bernie has a proud tradition of 11 trips to the final four with five titles. Holcomb hasn't made the playoffs since 2008, and Oak Ridge has finally reached the playoffs, winning the school's first every-district championship in volleyball. The winners will meet in the quarterfinals, but who will it be? Could it be a matchup for the Hornets in the quarterfinals, or can the Mules or BlueJays spoil the party? Here's my preview for the Class 1 Sectional playoffs.