The Patagonia Lobos earned the No. 6 seed in the Class 1A state volleyball tournament and will host Joseph City in a first-round matchup on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
The Lobos went 14-3 during the regular season and then won two of three matches at the 1A South regional tournament on Friday in St. David, defeating ASDB and Valley Union and losing to St. David 17-25, 16-25, 18-25 in the title game.
Joseph City, seeded 11th, went 10-7 in the regular season, finishing in fourth place in the 1A North, and lost their only game in the 1A North regionals to Ash Fork.
The two teams shared one common opponent: Fort Thomas. Joseph City defeated Fort Thomas 25-11, 25-19, 25-21, while Patagonia beat Fort Thomas 22-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-22. The Lobos also defeated Fort Thomas in the Cochise Classic early season tournament.
This is the third consecutive state tournament appearance for the Lobos, who have improved their state ranking each year from 13th to seventh to sixth, but they have lost in the first round each of the last two years. Joseph City has also qualified for the past two state tournaments, winning both of its first-round games and losing in the quarterfinals.
