Previewing Saturday’s state championships

On Saturday, Skyline High School in Mesa will host the conclusion of the Arizona high school boys volleyball season. Some programs are attempting to make history, while others are looking to continue championship streaks.

Ahead of six squads from three conferences clashing for a title, the Republic breaks down what you need to know about tomorrow’s title matches.

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A new conference champion will be crowned Saturday, as Perry’s chance at back-to-back titles ended Thursday.

The Pumas fell in three sets to second-seeded Highland, a fellow Gilbert program currently No. 11 in the MaxPreps national boys volleyball rankings. The Hawks failed to earn a championship berth when seeded No. 3 and No.1, respectively, in the past two state tournaments. That changed Thursday and now, Highland will have a chance to assert itself at the top of the state volleyball hierachy.

But standing in the Hawks’ way is No. 1 Sandra Day O’Connor, which beat them 3-1 on March 31. The Eagles went 17-0 in the regular season and won two tournaments, including the Best of the West Invitational,

which elevated them to No. 1 nationally in MaxPreps’ rankings.

Like Highland, the Eagles are coming off a huge win. They defeated No. 4 Brophy Prep 3-1 after beating their previous two opponents by a score of 6-0.

The teams previously met in the 2021 and 2019 postseasons, and split the matchups. As a result, tomorrow’s winner will not only have bragging rights over the other, but also some hardware to fill its trophy cases with.

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A 3-1 loss to Cienega in the state semifinals ended Gilbert’s 2021 season.

A year later, the Tigers will get anotehr chance against the Bobcats with the stake higher in the state championship.

The two teams took different paths to Mesa, as top-seeded Cienega dispatched No. 4 Sunrise Mountain 3-0 to clinch a championship berth. Meanwhile, No. 3 Gilbert had to face No. 2 Casteel, the defending state champion, and edged out a thrilling victory in five sets. The Tigers won the final frame 15-13.

While both squads have experienced success this postseason, the narratives of their matches have been quite different. The Bobcats have given up just one set -- to Catalina Foothills in the state quarterfinals -- the entire postseason, while Gilbert has won its last two matches 3-2. In both contests, the Tigers led 2-1 before dropping the fourth set and then rallying in the final frame.

Separated by more than 120 miles, the schools haven’t played each other since last year’s playoffs. However, they are a collision course once again, with a lot more at stake this time.

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Repeating as state champion is difficult. Repeating as state champion as the semifinals’ lowest seed is even harder.

But that’s what American Leadership Academy-Queen Creek may pull off after upsetting No. 1 Northwest Christian 3-1 on Thursday. The fourth-seeded Patriots are taking on a fellow American Leadership Academy school, ALA -Gilbert North, in the conference championship. The third-ranked Eagles earned their title spot by sweeping No. 2 Salpointe Catholic in straight sets.

Even though the programs split two regular season matches, ALA-Queen Creek defeated ALA -Gilbert North twice in the Desert Storm Invitational.

The ALA schools had the chance to meet in the postseason last year, but the Eagles fell in the state quarterfinals to AZ College Prep, who lost to the Patriots in the next round.

Now, they have locked in a meeting on the biggest stage possible.