Bellingham volleyball teams face district gauntlet this week

The regular season for local high school volleyball teams has ended, and the focus has shifted to the district tournaments that determine which squads advance to the state championship. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association divides the state into six regions, allocating a specific number of berths to each district every season. These numbers fluctuate based on statewide distribution, and individual districts host end-of-season events to claim those spots.

In the 1A classification, five teams compete in District 1. Because all participants played twice during the regular conference season, the tournament format changed from double-elimination to a single-elimination structure for the top seeds. Lynden Christian and Meridian, ranked first and second, play a winner-takes-all match. The victor moves directly to the district crossover. The bottom two teams, Blaine and Nooksack Valley, face off first. That winner then challenges the third-seeded Mount Baker for the final spot in the district crossover. The district crossover involves two winner-take-all matches between the top team from District 1 and the second-best team from District 2. The district matches started on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The final district representative will be decided at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5 at Meridian High School.

The 2A District 1 tournament offers two state berths to a field of ten teams. The bracket includes two loser-out play-in games before moving to double-elimination. Lynden entered as the top seed and defeated Burlington-Edison on Saturday, Oct. 31. They advanced to the semifinals to face Squalicum on Monday, Nov. 2. If Lynden loses that match, they must win one game in the consolation bracket on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday to earn a state spot. If they lose the district championship on Wednesday, they will play at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 in a winner-take-all game. The district championship is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at Meridian High School.

The 3A District 1 tournament takes place a week later because the state tournament for that classification is also delayed. Seeding for the 3A bracket was not released by Monday, Nov. 2. Four state berths are available in this double-elimination format. Both teams reaching the district championship advance to state, as do two consolation bracket winners. The district quarterfinals begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The semifinals are set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12 at Stanwood High School. The district championship will also be held at Stanwood on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 2:30 p.m.