The girls volleyball state tournament begins Thursday with six area schools heading to the Denver Coliseum for the opportunity to hoist a title in the championship match, which takes place Saturday.

Below is a synopsis of each school and how they look entering the tournament:

5A

Pine Creek (22-3), No. 6 seed

Overview: To say the Eagles enter the state tournament on a heater is an understatement. After a 7-3 start this season, Pine Creek has won 15 consecutive games and swept its regional tournament.

The Eagles last lost to Pueblo West on Sept. 24 and, since that defeat, have only lost one set. Fittingly enough, the set the Eagles dropped came against Cherokee Trail, Pine Creek’s first-round opponent.

Players to watch: Morgan Holloman, Olivia Moffett. Holloman leads 5A in hitting percentage (.430) and finished with 18 kills and a game-high six aces when the Eagles beat Cherokee Trail 3-1 on Oct. 26.

Moffett leads the team with 70 aces and 692 assists for the Eagles.

Road to state: Should the Eagles win in the first round, No. 3 Mountain Vista awaits Pine Creek. The Eagles last played the Golden Eagles on Oct. 28, 2023, and won 3-1.

4A

Lewis-Palmer (19-6) No. 2 seed

Overview: During their regional tournament, the Rangers didn’t allow either of their opponents to score double-digit points.

The Rangers hope that success spills into the state tournament. After a decade of domination where Lewis-Palmer advanced to the title game 2012-19, the Rangers have not played in the championship match in four years.

Players to watch: Brooke Gennerman, Madi Crow, Kyah Munguya. Gennerman and Crow are the Rangers’ top two hitters and have a combined 625 kills. Munguya is the Rangers’ top passer and leads the team with 396.

Road to state: The Rangers have a first-round bye and await the winner of No. 7 Timnath and No. 10 University.

Cheyenne Mountain (17-8) No. 6 seed

Overview: The Red-Tailed Hawks began the season 0-4 following a gauntlet of contests.

Since that start, Cheyenne Mountain has a 17-4 record and didn’t drop a set at their regional tournament.

Players to watch: Anna Blamires, Landry Roberts, Makena Parthen, Camryn Noleen. While Blamires recently eclipsed 1,000 career kills, Roberts and Parthen each have over 200 kills for the Red-Tailed Hawks.

The reason the trio have compiled a slew of kills is in part to Noleen, who has 567 assists this season.

Road at state: The Red-Tailed Hawks open the first round with a match against the defending state champs, Palmer Ridge, which earned the No. 11 seed and will face Cheyenne Mountain at 11 a.m.

Palmer Ridge (14-11) No. 11 seed

Overview: The defending state champions had an interesting 10-match stretch to close the regular season and regionals.

Palmer Ridge lost five of six to end October and start November. However, the Bears enter the state tournament on a four-game winning streak and have dropped just three sets in their previous four contests.

The Bears boast a 5-1 record at neutral sites entering the tournament.

Players to watch: Amelia Hansen, Makenzie Pears, Lauren Clawson. Hansen leads the Bears with 283 kills, 210 digs and 65 aces.

But Pears and Clawson are the wall the Bears need to succeed in the tournament. Pears (71) and Clawson (70) have 141 blocks combined this season.

Road at state: The Bears open against No. 6 seed Cheyenne Mountain in the first round at 11 a.m. Palmer Ridge earned a 3-0 sweep of Cheyenne Mountain on Oct. 3, but the Red-Tailed Hawks evened the series with a 3-1 victory over the Bears on Oct. 22.

3A

Village (22-3), No. 3 seed

Overview: The Mountaineers have showed no mercy in their inaugural season. Village has dropped just 11 sets all year and has not lost to a Colorado team since a 2-0 loss to Cherry Creek on Aug. 30.

Since their loss to Westminster Academy (Florida) on Oct. 5, the Mountaineers have dropped just one set, which came in a 3-1 win against Palisade, the No. 3 seed in the 4A tournament.

Players to watch: Isabel Carew, Dylan Teague, Lillian Edwards, Olivia Plentl, Erika Sayer. The latter three hold the top three spots in hitting percentage in 3A, but the Mountaineers will need to remain well-rounded at the state tournament.

Teague leads the team in digs with 166 and is second in aces with 51. Carew will lead the team’s passing game and has 513 of the Mountaineers’ 763 assists.

Road at state: The Mountaineers have a first-round bye and will face the winner of No. 6 Lamar and No. 11 Bayfield.

2A

Colorado Springs Christian (21-4) No. 5 seed

Overview: CSCS’ hunt to end its volleyball title drought has gone well so far. The Lions have won six consecutive contests and have dropped just one set during the streak.

Players to watch: Abigail Perry, Mattea Homan. Perry leads the team in assists, aces and is second on the team in kills. Homan continues to thwart opponents and has 40 blocks this year.

Road at state: The Lions open with a 9:30 a.m. match against No. 12 Sanford.