Salpointe's quest to earn a top-four seed in the state playoffs was bolstered by a 3-0 win over Tucson on Thursday night. Teams seeded in the top four have a chance to host two matches in the playoffs depending, of course, on a victory in the opening round.
Safford and Empire met in a high stakes match Wednesday for a shot at the Division III playoffs and the Bulldogs came away with a 3-0 sweep to win Section III. Safford (9-7, 8-0 in section play) came in ranked 33rd while Empire (10-6, 7-1) was 37th. With only 16 teams making the playoffs, it was obvious the loser would be out.
It's been ten years since Patagonia qualified for the state playoffs. That's a decade of frustration that will certainly end next week but The Gregory School made sure the Lobos would have to wait a bit longer to celebrate after beating Patagonia 3-2 (23-25, 26-24, 12-25, 25-22, 18-16) Monday night.