3A State Preview W/ Predictions
In this article:
We are looking at the 8 teams from 3A who punched their ticket into the state tournament, how they got their, some players that have led them and make a prediction on who will come away with the title.
All of these school have less than 346 kids in their respective high schools. For comparison, the largest school in the state Broken Arrow has nearly 5,200 kids. Hats off to all the schools that give those kids a chance to play this awesome game. Not to mention, the coaches have worked so hard to build up their programs to allow them to be competitive and successful.
Class 3A
#1 Cascia Hall vs #8 Chisholm
Chisholm was the 3 seed in their region upset #11 Westville to give them a chance at the regional championship. They then upset #6 Choteau on the road in the 5th set. Cinderella story if we have ever seen one. Flipside, Cascia cruised through Braggs and Metro Christian to win their regional title. As great as a run as it was for Chisholm in the regionals, my prediction is the Longhorns season comes to end behind a powerful Cascia Hall Commando team that got dropped down to 3A and has been playing tough teams all season in preparation for this time of year.
#2 Community Christian vs #7 Southwest Covenant
Community Christian is currently 34-3 on the season, with 24 of those games against top 20 teams. They are seasoned on the year and having players like senior Channing Apel Channing Apel 5'10" | MB Community Christian | 2022 State OK and young gun Landry Braziel Landry Braziel 6'0" | OH Community Christian | 2024 State OK will only compound the difficulty Sw Cov will have on their hands. Hats off to Sw Cov and their upset over #10 Salina and #7 Erick in the regional championship. Community Christian eased through Snyder and Cement. My prediction is Community Christian continues their winning ways and stays focused on eyeing the title.
#3 Rejoice Christian vs #6 Okay
Here is two teams who only dropped 1 set between the two of them to make it to the state tournament. The Rejoice Eagles have played a much tougher schedule and I think this will give them a tremendous advantage in this first round matchup. Rejoice has played 11 top 5 matches and Okay has only played 4 and lost all 4 of those. Izzy Wilson for Rejoice continues to shine as a sophomore. She continues to get better each week as well as carry the load for the Eagles. Lexi Erb Lexi Erb 6'0" | MB Okay | 2022 State OK will be the linchpin for the Mustangs. If they can pass well and get her the ball early and often, they will have a chance. My prediction is Rejoice gets it done in 4 close sets. I picked against the Eagles last week and I wont make that mistake again.
#4 Oklahoma Union vs #5 Summit Christian
Coach Ott and company is no stranger to the state tournament. They didn’t drop a set in the regionals and beating both Sperry and Claremore Sequoyah. Coach Hopper and the Eagles of Summit beat out Wesleyan Christian School and Corn Bible to earn their way in without dropping a set either. My prediction is the serve and serve receive aspect will be the key here and the Cougars will execute this well giving them the win and spot in the final four.