Cincinnati high schools have claimed three of the last four Division I Ohio high school boys volleyball state championships, but in 2021 at least one new Division I team and some Division II competitors are threats to hoist the trophy at season's end.
Regional championships will be decided on May 29 and will lead into the state tournament. Pickerington Central hosts the state tournament played over two days on June 5 and June 6.
Division I
South 1
After a five-set thriller at Elder on May 14, Moeller topped the state's No. 1 team and was decided as the region's top seed.
More:Moeller and Elder's boys volleyball match a sign of the tournament to come
The Crusaders will open the tournament with West Clermont on May 27, Heavily favored, Moeller should be a shoo-in to play the regional final at Princeton on May 29. Moeller's opponent in that match is the more undecided variable.
No. 4 seed Walnut Hills made itself a team to watch in 2021. A 15-3 record, the Eagles lost only to Moeller, St. Xavier and Elder, the teams which comprised the state's top three teams for the entire season.
Walnut Hills will play the winner of No. 5 Loveland and No. 6 Sycamore. Loveland, who was just outside the state's top 10 in the final poll, beat Sycamore in three sets in its last regular-season game. On May 4, Loveland took Walnut Hills to five sets, but took a loss to the Eastern Cincinnati Conference champions.
If the seeds remain true and Moeller meets Walnut Hills in the regional final, the Crusaders might not be as heavy a favorite as assumed. Walnut Hills lost in four sets to Moeller in its first match of the year, but with a full season under its belt won't be a team to back down.
South 2
All eyes in Ohio will be on the second portion of the south bracket.
Only one of the Greater Catholic League South's three-headed monster could draw the top seed and escape the other two. Moeller won the top prize, leaving Elder and St. Xavier to battle for a trip to the state tournament.
No. 2 Elder will host the winner of No. 8 Mason and No. 9 Oak Hills while No. 3 St. Xavier will host the winner of No. 7 Fairfield and No. 10 Milford.
Those games should result in the third meeting of the year between the Panthers and the Bombers. St. Xavier took the first two meetings in 3-0 sweeps while Elder took the last with a 3-1 decision.
With both South No. 1 and South No. 2 on separate side of the state bracket, an all-GCL South state championship could happen for the 11th time in the sport's tournament history.
West 1 and 2
Lakota West, Lakota East, Hamilton and Middletown get placed into the west portion of the bracket.
Lakota West hosts Hamilton on May 24 and the winner visits Beavercreek, ranked No. 4 in the state, two nights later. Lakota East needs just one win against visiting Huber Heights Wayne to reach the regional final.
Middletown will play state top 10 team Centerville on May 24.
Division II
South
The south region of Division II is Badin's to lose. The second-ranked team in the state, Badin took the top seed in the region and will play the winner of Roger Bacon and Royalmont Academy on May 27.
The Rams will have their eyes set on the No. 2 seed La Salle, the team that had ended Badin's season in the last two tournaments.
La Salle will host either McNicholas or Taylor in the regional semifinal before a potential meeting with Badin with a trip to the state tournament on the line. Badin topped La Salle in four sets earlier in the year.
West
Not just the top seed in the west region, but state No. 1 Fenwick has an opportunity to play for its second state championship in school history, but it will need to face some familiar foes to get there.
The winner of Chaminade-Julienne and Chillicothe visits Fenwick in the regional semis. Should Fenwick advance again, a GCL Coed opponent could be waiting on the other side.
Alter against Edgewood and Carroll against Westfall will provide the semifinal matchup opposite Fenwick's. Both Alter and Carroll play Fenwick in the GCL Coed that Fenwick won in 2021.
Carroll beat Alter twice in the regular season but fell to Fenwick in both of its regular-season meetings.
The west and south regions are placed on the same side of the state bracket, meaning a potential all-Cincinnati battle in the state semifinals, but not in the final.
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