Teams gunning for berths in SoDak 16 state-qualifying games on Nov. 10

Watertown and Aberdeen area Class A and B volleyball teams begin their quests this week to qualify for the 2026 South Dakota State High School Volleyball Tournament.Region play runs No. 2-5 for the state's Class A and B teams. The top two teams in each region advance to SoDak 16 state-qualifying matches on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Winners of those matches qualify for the state tourney Nov. 19-21 at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls.Here's a quick look at which teams could advance out of region play this week:Region 1AGroton Area has advanced out of the region four years in a row and Roncalli each of the past three years so it's hard to bet against top-seeded Roncalli or second-seeded Groton Area. Junior outside hitter Jillian Ellwein and junior libero Elyana Roach are two of the leaders for a Roncalli team that has only one senior. The Cavaliers split two regular-season matches against Groton Area but otherwise have beaten every other team in the region.Sophomore outside hitter Tevan Hanson (243 kills) and senior middle hitter Taryn Traphagen (242 kills & 61 blocks) lead the attack for Groton Area, which also has junior libero Sydney Locke (462 digs). Standing in the Tigers' way could be No. 3 seed Britton-Hecla. Groton Area did win the regular-season matchuip 3-1.Pairings —Nov. 3 at Groton: No. 2 Groton Area (18-13) vs. No. 7 Sisseton (4:20), 5 p.m.; No. 3 Britton-Hecla (16-6) vs. No. 6 Redfield (6-19), 6:30 p.m. and No. 4 Webster Area (12-11) vs. No. 5 Milbank (9-16), 8 p.m. Nov. 5: Webster Area-Milbank winner at No. 1 Aberdeen Roncalli (21-5) and Groton Area-Sisseton winner vs. Britton-Hecla winner at highest seed. Times to be determined.AREA VOLLEYBALL: No. 5 SF Washington tops No. 4 Watertown in battle of rated AA teamsRegion 2AClark-Willow Lake is the No. 4 team in the state Class A polls and the top seed in the tourney, followed by Hamlin. Hamlin took fourth in last year's state tourney, beating Clark-Willow Lake in the first round. The Cyclones went 27-2 last season with both losses to Hamlin and returned a talented cast led by 6-foot-1 sophomore middle hitter Shelby Begeman. The Cyclones have only lost to No. 2-rated Dell Rapids so far this season.Hamlin, with 6-1 junior hitter Addie Jensen (276 kills, 54 blocks) and senior setter Issie Steffensen (546 assists) leading the way, is looking to qualify for state for the fifth time in seven years. Third-seeded Sioux Valley is 20-7, but will need to avenge a 3-0 regular-season loss to the Chargers.Pairings— Nov. 3:No. 5 Deuel (10-13) at No. 4 Elkton-Lake Benton, 7 p.m.; No. 7 Florence-Henry (4-21) at No. 2 Hamlin (19-3), 7 p.m.; and No. 6 Great Plains Lutheran (10-16) at No. 3 Sioux Valley (20-7), 7 p.m. Nov. 5: ELB-Deuel winner at No. 1 Clark-Willow Lake (22-1), 7 p.m. in Willow Lake and Hamlin-FH winner vs. SV-GPL winner at highest seed, 7 p.m.Region 6AMiller came out of this region last fall along with Platte-Geddes, but the Rustlers have moved down to Class B. Winner, a SoDak 16 qualifier out of region 7 last fall, has moved in and enters as the top seed ahead of Platte-Geddes.Third-seeded Mobridge-Pollock fell in five-straight SoDak 16 matches from 2019-2023, but has advanced out of the region the past two years. The Tigers need two wins, including one over Platte-Geddes, to return to the SoDak 16 this year. They didn't play Platte-Geddes during the regular season.Pairings —Nov. 3:No. 5 Stanley County (8-18) at No. 4 Chamberlain (8-17), 7 p.m. and No. 6 Cheyenne-Eagle Butte (4-26) at No. 3 Mobridge-Pollock (17-15), 7 p.m. Nov. 5: Chamberlain-SC winner at No. 1 Winner (19-9), TBD and MP-CEB winner at No. 2 Platte-Geddes (20-10), TBD.Region 1BYou might as well go back 30-plus years and just pencil in No. 1 Warner and No. 2 Northwestern with coaching legends Kari Jung (Warner) and Nora Groft (Northwestern) as the top teams in the region. Warner is the No. 1 team in the state, gaining the position after beating Chester Area (a team that has defeated the Monarchs in the state B championship each of the past three years).Warner and Northwestern battled for years when only the region champion qualified for state. Junior outside hitter Jaycee Jung spearheads a talented cast for Warner, which has won eight state titles since 2007. Northwestern, which lost a five-set match to Warner in the semis and settled for third place at state, also has a a talented roster that includes senior setter Lila Johnson.No. 3 Aberdeen Christian has enjoyed a solid season, but has been swept twice by Northwestern this fall.Pairings — Nov. 2:No. 9 Wilmot (5-16) at No. 8 Tiospa Zina (8-20), TBD and No. 10 Leola-Frederick Area (4-16) at No. 7 Waverly-South Shore (11-16), TBD. Nov. 3:TZ-Wilmot winner at No. 1 Warner (30-3), TBD; No. 5 Hitchcock-Tulare (16-15) at No. 4 Langford Area (15-13), TBD; LFA-WSS winner at No. 2 Northwestern (30-5), 6 p.m.; and No. 6 Waubay-Summit (10-14) at No. 3 Aberdeen Christian (20-9), TBD. Nov. 5: Semifinals at top remaining seeds, TBD.PREP POLLS: Top-rated teams hold their ground in state's football & volleyball ratingsRegion 2BThis is a region that isn't quite so easy to call. Top-seeded Wolsey-Wessington has earned the favorite's tag, but the Warbirds did open the season with a 3-0 loss to No. 5 seed Arlington. No. 4 Castlewood was the second team behind Wolsey-Wessington to qualify for the SoDak 16 last fall but both teams are in the same side of the bracket this fall.The coin flip comes with No. 2 Estelline-Hendricks and No. 3 Deubrook Area. The two teams have split two regular-season matches so far this fall. Senior setter Presly Bury of Estelline-Hendricks and senior outside hitter Kylee Johnson of Deubrook Area are just two of many key contributors for their respective squads.Pairings — Nov. 2: No. 9 Oldham-Ramona-Rutland (6-19) at No. 8 De Smet (6-10), 7 p.m. and No. 10 James Valley Christian (7-17) at No. 7 Iroquois-Lake Preston (8-22), 7 p.m. in Lake Preston. Nov. 3 at Wolsey: DS-ORR winner vs. No. 1 Wolsey-Wessington (24-5), 6 p.m.; and No. 5 Arlington (14-15) vs. No. 4 Castlewood (15-11), 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at Estelline: JVC-ILP winner vs. No. 2 Estelline-Hendricks (21-5), 6 p.m. and No. 6 Wessington Springs (13-16) vs. No. 3 Deubrook Area (21-7), 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5: Semifinals, site and times TBD.Region 6BMiller, as previously mentioned, has moved into this region this fall after dropping down from Class A, and has the top seed heading in. The battle could come down to No. 2 Faulkton Area and No. 3 Highmore-Harrold for the other SoDak 16 spot. Faulkton Area won the regular-season matchup.Herreid-Selby Area placed seventh in the state tourney last fall. The Wolverines, however, enter as the No. 5 seed in the region and will have an uphill climb to advance.Pairings — Nov. 2:No. 9 Tiospaye Topa (9-19) at No. 8 Sunshine Bible Academy (10-16), 7 p.m.; No. 10 Sully Buttes (3-23) at No. 7 Gettysburg (12-18), 7 p.m.; and No. 11 Wakpala (3-22) at No. 6 North Central (13-14), 7 p.m. at Eureka. Nov. 3:TT-SBA winner at No. 1 Miller (19-9), 7 p.m.; No. 5 Herreid-Selby Area (13-17) at No. 4 Ipswich (16-11), 7 p.m.; Gettysburg-SB winner at No. 2 Faulkton Area (18-11), 7 p.m.; and NC-Wakpala winner at No. 3 Highmore-Harrold (17-10), 3 p.m.Nov. 5: Semifinals at highest seeds, TBD.Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.comThis article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Teams gunning for berths in SoDak 16 state-qualifying games on Nov. 10