CIAC tournament pairings were released today for girls' volleyball with no surprises in Class LL, L, M or S.
Although Newtown is a formidable No. 1 ranked opponent, Class LL looks extremely wide open with at least three New Haven area schools poised to make a huge run to the final on Nov. 17 (site, time TBA).
The favorite on paper has to be No. 2 Amity-Woodbridge with its talent, depth and experience led by captains Janice Ehorn, Courtney Brinton and Katherine Vuolo. Amity coach Paul Thees believes Ehorn is one of the best players int he state. One of it's toughest matchups could come in the quarterfinals where it could potentially meet last season's championship runnerup and familiar SCC foe Shelton led by Dorothy Sliwonik, Kristi Ibsen, Shannon Beach and Alex Loh.
No. 4 seed Cheshire can go far as long as the team stays focused. After a recent loss to Shelton, Cheshire coach Sue Bavone said when the team doesn't take a night off and plays as a unit it can play with anyone in the state. With some breaks the Rams, led by captains Taylor Abelli and Brittany Grenus plus Meryl Schorr, Colleen Dacey, Courtney Malloy, Nora Baghat and Bri-Anna Watson, could advance at least to the semifinals, if not further.
In Class L, No. 1 seed Darien, which moved up to L after winning the Class M title in 2006, defending champion No. 2 Bristol Eastern and No. 3 East Lyme, last season's runner-up, look formidable. But watch out for No. 4 Maloney-Meriden who is the sleeper to win it all with its talent and outstanding coaching of Pam Cloutier. No. 9 North Haven and No. 10 Hand-Madison should advance at least to the quarterfinals.
Class M looks wide open with defending champion Darien in another class. No. 1 RHAM has taken no prisoners this season with an 18-0 record. But watch for talented No. 2 Woodland-Beacon Falls to get at least to to the semifinals with an easy path to that point. No. 3 Barlow-Redding and No. 6 Berlin will likely get to the semifinals and be tough outs for Woodland.
The wild card in all this is No. 4 Law-Milford who lost 3-2 to Darien in the final last season. The Lawmen, led by Casey Dulin, Michelle Nantel and Chelsea Rohrig, are experienced, talented and tournament tested. With the right breaks they could be the last man (er, lady) standing when the tournament is done.
In Class S, No. 3 seed Haddam-Killingworth, which lost 3-0 to this year's No. 1 seed Coventry in the 2006 final, appears primed for another big post-season run. HK is led by middle hitter Erin Moriarty, outside hitter Ally Pratt, setter Hannah Danadio and middle hitter Laura Brayfield.
No. 4 Morgan-Clinton has a long post-season history with 15 appearances in the final and 11 titles with the last coming in 2005. That experience is usually good for at least a couple wins in Class S. The Huskies are led by outside hitters Kara Fillion and Caitlin Jones, libero Brit Dahlberg, setter Minika Kadlof and defensive specialist Alex Mauzy. The potential key game: Morgan could possibly face Coventry in the quarterfinals on Nov. 9. Get by Coventry and it could be championship appearance No. sweet 16 for the Huskies.
Good luck to all!
For complete pairings click here http://www.casciac.org/gvb.shtml

CIAC pairings were released today for the Class L, M and S tournaments with no surprises when it comes to the seedings.
With only two New Haven area teams in Class L, this tournament looks destined for a Simsbury vs. FCIAC team (pick one) in the final. Simsbury should have an easy go of it in the upper bracket. In the lower bracket, although both teams are extremely well coached with their share of talent, Amity-Woodbridge and Cheshire will be hard-pressed to advance past the first round. No. 12 Amity faces host and No. 5 Stamford in the first round and No. 11 Cheshire faces host and No. 6 South Windsor in the first round. If Cheshire gets by South Windsor, then it has to travel to No. 3 McMahon-Norwalk in the quarterfinals.
I am looking forward to Class M because we could easily see a rematch of the 2005 state final with Hand-Madison vs. Branford in this year's final on Nov. 17 at Wethersfield High. In 2005, Branford defeated Hand 1-0 for the title.
I see the Tigers, motivated by runner-up finishes in the 2005 and 2006 finals, taking no prisoners with forwards Lyndsay Dolan, Lauren Cardarelli, midfielder Andrea Bringardner, goalies Brittany Parker and Ali Birnbaum and defensive standouts Kellie Morrissey, Shannon Callinan and Shawn Flanagan dominating front to back. Branford has its share of talent and depth as well led by forwards Chelsea Sheehan, Amanda McLean and Kirstin Auer, goalie Tori Redding and back line standout Val Milici, one of the top defensemen in the state. Pomperaug, Darien and defending champion Wilton (beat Hand 2-0 in the 2006 final) are no slouches either. Potential interesting matchup: Hand gets a bye in the first round and will host the winner of the Wilton-Nonnewaug game in the quarterfinals on Nov. 8.
In Class S, top seed Granby, No. 2 Canton and No. 3 Avon are always talented and tough. But watch for defending champion No. 5 North Branford and 2006 runner-up No. 6 Haddam-Killingworth to make a serious run at getting back to the final. North Branford beat HK 1-0 in OT to win the 2006 title.
The Cougars are led by one of the most prolific scorers in the state with forward Leslie Zules with additional scoring coming from Kellie Moskey, Lindset Griswold, Danielle Page and Jess Hall. The Thunderbirds also have a balanced scoring attack led by Jennifer Walker, Fallon Pfeiffer, Mary Dematteo and Christina Riccitelli.
For complete pairings click here http://www.casciac.org/gfh.shtml