5 questions ahead of Arizona girls high school volleyball state tournaments

State tournaments at the highest levels of Arizona girls high school volleyball were scheduled to tip off Thursday night, before intensifying with the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Here are five questions to watch for:

Can anyone in 6A challenge Corona del Sol?

Before the season, the question was whether anyone in 6A could challenge Hamilton. Now, it’s whether anyone can challenge Corona del Sol. If the AIA’s rating system is to be believed, the answer is no. The Aztecs are tabbed as the best team in the state with a rating of 30.1. The gap between them and No. 2 Hamilton is bigger than the gap between Hamilton and No. 12 Highland.

But being better in the AIA’s algorithm doesn’t necessarily mean Corona del Sol can walk to a title. Hamilton’s Neomi Beach is the most explosive player in the state, averaging 5.4 kills per set. She has the ability to carry the Huskies to a third-straight title. And in its first year in 6A, Gilbert looks the part of a contender. Corona del Sol needed five sets to knock off the Tigers two weeks ago.

Is there a surprise team in 6A?

In a sense, Hamilton or Gilbert winning the 6A title would qualify as a surprise. But there are teams deeper down the seed chart that have a chance of making a run, too.

Avery Burks makes No. 4 Perry a threat in every match. No. 5 O’Connor was in the Super 10 for much of the year and has a few big wins. No. 6 Liberty was the star of the Rise N’ Roar Classic last month, where the Lions knocked off Corona del Sol and 5A No. 2 Horizon. No. 7 Sunnyslope also has a win over Corona del Sol under its belt. Even No. 9 Xavier Prep — a traditional power in a slightly down year — has shown the ability to make some noise.

In other words, don’t be surprised to see a deep run from a high seed.

Are Millennium and Horizon on a 5A collision course?

5A, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to be as balanced. Millennium and Horizon are 2-2 against each other. Outside of those battles, they’ve only lost a combined two matches against 5A competition. Plus, they have the type of players who can take over a state tournament, in Eryn Jones from Millennium and Kendal Murphy and Teraya Sigler from Horizon.

That doesn’t mean the rest of the conference is incapable. Verrado, Notre Dame Prep and Cactus Shadows have all looked strong at various points throughout the season. They just might not have what it takes to hang with Millennium and Horizon — two schools that also faced off in last year’s 5A title game.

How do Tucson teams compare to Valley teams?

In 5A and 6A, all the top teams have already faced each other, some multiple times. The slew of in-season tournaments ensure that. 4A is a little different. Many of the top five schools haven’t played each other at all, while most of those who have did so back in September.

That makes it difficult to compare teams like No. 1 Tucson Salpointe Catholic and No. 2 ALA-Gilbert North. Salpointe Catholic has dominated its competition in Tucson — including No. 4 Canyon del Oro from Oro Valley — but how do those teams match up against Phoenix-area teams? The real team to watch out for may be No. 3 Estrella Foothills, which comes in with a 28-1 record and two wins over Salpointe Catholic in September. But again, we haven’t seen the Wolves against elite competition in a long time.

Does the Open need to come to volleyball?

Last year’s volleyball state tournaments ended with a feeling that we didn’t get to see the best of the best face off. Hamilton faced little resistance on its way to the 6A title and Horizon romped to the 5A crown. It was just as easy for Notre Dame Prep in 4A. In an ideal world, those teams would have gotten to face off.

If this year is more of the same, calls will intensify for the introduction of an Open Division in volleyball, following the system’s implementation in boys and girls basketball this winter.

Theo Mackie covers Arizona high school sports and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He can be reached by email at theo.mackie@gannett.com and on Twitter @theo_mackie.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Five questions ahead of high school volleyball state tournaments