Brackets released for 1st OHSAA boys volleyball postseason tournament

Boys volleyball postseason brackets have been released for the first time as a sanctioned sport under the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Life as an OHSAA sport has also thrown a new format for the Division I tournament that will eliminate all-Cincinnati state championship games.

In previous tournaments, the Division I tournament had two champions from each region that would be seeded on different sides of the state tournament bracket, allowing for two teams from the same region to meet in the state final. Under the OHSAA, just one winner from each region advances, cutting the state tournament pool in half and adding even more significance to regional play.

With the first round kicking off on May 10, here's a look at the postseason.

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Division I, Region 3

While the majority of Region 3 features Dayton and Columbus-area programs, two Southwest programs were also placed in the bracket.

Joining No. 1 seed Beavercreek will be No. 8 Edgewood and No. 7 Middletown.

Edgewood will host No. 9 Dublin Coffman where the winner will meet either No. 3 Dublin Jerome or No. 11 Centerville. Middletown hosts No. 12 Kettering Fairmont, and a win would mean a meeting between the winner of No. 2 Hilliard Darby and No. 16 Hilliard Bradley.

Division I, Region 4

The last four overall and five of the last Division I state champions have come from this region, including the back-to-back titles from defending state champions Moeller.

The St. Xavier Bombers took the top seed of the region after winning its first 17 games of the year while claiming the Greater Catholic League South title. St. Xavier hosts No. 16 Lebanon in the first round.

Sharing a side of the bracket with the Bombers will be No. 4 Elder who handed the conference rivals their first loss on April 28. The rivals would meet for the third time May 17 in the regional semifinals. For that, Elder would need to get by No. 15 Oak Hills in round one and the winner of No. 6 Walnut Hills and No. 13 Mason after. The winner of St. Xavier and Lebanon meets No. 7 La Salle or No. 14 Princeton in round two.

No. 10 Fairfield and No. 12 West Clermont have a play-in game on May 8 for the chance to meet No. 3 Sycamore. The Aviators, who clinched their third-consecutive Greater Miami Conference championship, have dropped just two matches this season. One of those losses was a five-set decision to No. 2 Moeller April 12. A rematch would have to come as the second portion of the regional semifinals on May 17.

The Region 4 finals will be 2 p.m. Saturday, May 20, at Mason.

Division II, Region 8

Fenwick and Badin won the last two Division II state championships and the two will more than likely have an early-tournament meeting in the regional tourney.

As the top seed, Fenwick has a bye for the first round but will see the winner of No. 5 Badin and No. 13 Thurgood Marshall in round two on May 13. Fenwick won the Greater Catholic League-Coed with a 9-1 record in the conference, but the lone loss did come to the Rams in five sets on March 23. Fenwick won in four sets in the rematch on April 13.

Carroll, another GCL-Coed school that lost both regular-season matches with Fenwick and split the series with Badin, drew the No. 3 seed and opted for the side of the bracket with Fenwick and Badin.

No. 5 McNicholas started the year with a 7-1 record but went just 4-9 the rest of the regular season and will need to play No. 12 Mount Healthy in the first round with the winner visiting No. 4 Taylor.

The Taylor Yellowjackets started the season 5-5 but have gone 10-1 since for the best season in the growing program's history.

No. 2 Roger Bacon ended the regular season with a 13-8 record, but just one of those losses came to a Division II team in the five-set regular season finale loss to Fenwick on May 2. The Spartans, with a first-round bye, will meet the winner of No. 7 Chaminade Julienne and No. 9 Dayton Meadowdale.

The Region 8 final will be at noon, Saturday, May 20, at Mason.

2023 OHSAA state tournament

The inaugural OHSAA boys volleyball state tournament will be on Saturday, May 27, and Sunday, May 28, at Wittenburg University.

Region 4's winner will meet the Region 2 representative in the state semifinals on May 27 at 3 p.m. with the Division I state finals the following day at noon.

For Region 8, the winner will meet the champion of Region 6 at 5 p.m. on May 27 with the Division II state championship at 3 p.m. the next day.