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Boys volleyball playoff preview: 5A state title up for grabs

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Boys volleyball playoff preview: 5A state title up for grabs


Class 5A boys volleyball teams enter the state tournament with a fair amount of knowledge about their opponents.

Most of the top teams have played each other at least once, whether going through the rigors of league play or facing off in tournaments.

And if those regular-season results revealed anything, it’s that the 5A state title is truly up for grabs.

The boys volleyball playoffs begin Monday with 4A state first-round matchups. The 5A and 3A playoffs begin with state quarterfinals Tuesday.

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Here’s a breakdown of how the playoffs shape up:

Class 5A

League champions: Green Valley (Desert), Coronado (Mountain)

The favorite: Coronado

Coronado emerged as the league champion out of the challenging Mountain League on a tiebreaker over Palo Verde. Outside hitters Dexter Brimhall and Dane Galvin and middle blocker Jayden Bell lead a balanced attack.

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The Cougars haven’t lost to a Nevada team since a four-set defeat to Palo Verde on March 26. They avenged the loss with a four-set win April 17.

Dark horse: Palo Verde

Palo Verde was the runner-up in last year’s title game, losing to Shadow Ridge in five sets. The Panthers have beaten most of the other 5A playoff teams.

Palo Verde could face a semifinal matchup with Green Valley, which beat the Panthers in a two-set sweep in a tournament March 30.

Potential first-round upset: No. 3M Arbor View over No. 2D Shadow Ridge

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Arbor View finished third in the Mountain League and has to start the playoffs on the road. The Aggies swept Shadow Ridge, the two-time defending 5A state champion, on March 28 and ended the regular season with a sweep of Desert League champion Green Valley on April 30.

Class 4A

League champions: Mojave (Desert), Del Sol (Mountain), Basic (Sky)

The favorite: Mojave

The Rattlers dropped just six sets as they rolled to a 12-0 Desert League record to claim the league title and No. 1 seed with a first-round bye. By being at the top of the bracket, Mojave would avoid Del Sol or Basic until the state title match.

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Dark horse: Bishop Gorman

Gorman lost a five-set thriller to Basic in its regular-season finale, which dropped the Gaels to the No. 2 seed and out of a first-round bye. The Gaels have a few of the state’s top outside hitters. Drew Dennis is third in the state with 453 kills, and TJ Woodson is third with a .370 hitting percentage.

Potential first-round upset: No. 4S Cimarron-Memorial over No. 2D Tech

Cimarron-Memorial defeated Tech twice in tournament play, in a two-set sweep March 2 and three sets April 13. The Spartans finished fourth in the more challenging Sky League, and one of their best wins was a five-set win over Basic on March 28.

Class 3A

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League champions: Virgin Valley (Desert), Boulder City (Mountain)

The favorite: Boulder City

The Eagles look poised to win their third straight 3A title. Boulder City dropped one set in league play, and its only losses have been to 5A, 4A and out-of-state opponents. Travis Hess leads the state with a .515 hitting percentage and is third with 88 blocks.

Dark horse: Coral Academy

Coral Academy is the only team to win a set against Boulder City and would not have to face the Eagles until the title match.

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Potential first-round upset: None

Boulder City, Virgin Valley, Coral Academy and Valley should all roll in their quarterfinals.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.

Boys volleyball playoff schedule

State tournaments

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All games at 6 p.m. at higher seed

Class 5A

Tuesday

State quarterfinals

No. 4M Desert Oasis at No. 1D Green Valley

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No. 3D Centennial at No. 2M Palo Verde

No. 4D Sierra Vista at No. 1M Coronado

No. 3M Arbor View at No. 2D Shadow Ridge

Class 4A

Monday

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State first round

No. 3M Las Vegas High at No. 3S Sky Pointe

No. 4D Legacy at No. 2S Bishop Gorman

No. 4M Chaparral at No. 3D Durango

No. 4S Cimarron-Memorial at No. 2D Tech

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Wednesday

State quarterfinals

Las Vegas-Sky Pointe winner at No. 1D Mojave

Legacy-Bishop Gorman winner at No. 2M Spring Valley

Chaparral-Durango winner at No. 1S Basic

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Cimarron-Memorial-Tech winner at No. 1M Del Sol

Class 3A

Tuesday

State quarterfinals

No. 4M Western at No. 1D Virgin Valley

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No. 3D Moapa Valley at No. 2M Coral Academy

No. 4D Mater East at No. 1M Boulder City

No. 3M Canyon Springs at No. 2D Valley





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Nevada

IN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada

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IN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada


A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.

Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.

What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.

The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.

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So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.

I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.

Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.

Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.

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Las Vegas High beats Coronado in 5A baseball — PHOTOS

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Las Vegas High beats Coronado in 5A baseball — PHOTOS