Breaking down High Desert League tournament

JOHN DAY – For volleyball fanatics, the gym in John Day this Saturday will be the place to be. Starting at 9 a.m., seven matches will determine the champion of the High Desert League and three bids to the state tournament.

The great deal about tournament play is even a team with a difficult season can step up, forget the past, and shock the favorites.

For those with a large cup of coffee, two games start early in the morning to kick off the tournament. Game one will feature Dayville/Monument (3-4 league) taking the court against Prairie City (4-3 league). The Panthers took the lone meeting of the two teams this season, 3-0 in the last match of the regular season on October 18.

The second court pits Jordan Valley (5-2) against Huntington (2-5). The Mustangs swept the Locomotives, 3-0, on September 28.

Adrian (6-1) will meet the winner of the Jordan Valley/Huntington match and the regular season champion Crane Mustangs (7-0) will take on the winner of the Dayville/Monument-Prairie City game.

The victors of these matches will then decide the champion in the final match of the day.

The top three teams from the tournament will advance to the 24-team bracket of the state tournament. The third seeded team will be on the road for the first round of the state playoffs, traveling to the second seeded team from Old Oregon League. The second seed from the High Desert League will host the third seed of the Mountain Valley Conference.