Bracket set for district volleyball tourney

The Class 3A Western Slope League girls volleyball district tournament bracket was finalized late Tuesday, setting the stage for play Friday and Saturday at Central High School in Grand Junction.

The Aspen team (6-4 in league play) is seeded fifth in the tourney and plays No. 1 seed Olathe in the opening game of districts at 11 a.m. Friday.

Basalt lost a pigtail match to Hotchkiss Tuesday night (15-13, 15-12) that eliminated the Longhorn team (2-8 in league play) from the eight-team tournament field.

After Aspen’s match against Olathe, a team the Skiers beat decisively in two games during the regular season, Aspen will play fourth-seed Gunnison at 2:45 p.m. Friday. Aspen is scheduled to take on ninth-seed Meeker at 5:15 p.m. Friday.

If Aspen emerges Friday evening as one of the top two teams in its four-team pool, the Skiers will play Saturday for a shot at the district championship. Only the top two teams from districts – the champion and runner-up – will advance to the regional tournament.

Saturday’s championship round begins at 10 a.m. The finals are scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.