The Ohio high school volleyball postseason opened this week across East and Southeast Ohio, with the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s sectional tournaments running Oct. 19 through Oct. 24 and district play set for Oct. 26 through Oct. 31. Brackets released by the OHSAA and district boards set out the matchups for Divisions III through VII, all starting at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
In Division III’s East and Southeast bracket, Chillicothe faces Chillicothe Unioto and Thornville Sheridan faces Jackson in first-round play on Tuesday, Oct. 20, while Washington Court House Miami Trace faces The Plains Athens. The winners move toward a sectional final on Thursday, Oct. 22, where top-seeded Marietta awaits the Chillicothe-area winner — a schedule set in advance, with no results reported for matches not yet played.
In the East District’s Division IV bracket, Zanesville Maysville faced Carrollton in a first-round match listed for Monday, Oct. 19, with the winner advancing to a sectional final Wednesday, Oct. 21, against second-seeded Indian Valley. Other Wednesday sectional finals in that bracket include Minerva against Duncan Falls Philo, St. Clairsville against Harrison Central, and West Muskingum against John Glenn.
Division V and VI brackets add more Southeast and East schools this week. In Division V, first-round and quarterfinal rounds run Oct. 19 and Oct. 21 for schools including Adena, Alexander, Fairland, Huntington, Ironton, Meigs, Minford, Portsmouth, Wellston and Zane Trace, according to the Southeast District. In the East’s Division VI bracket, Hiland and Garaway hold the top two seeds, with Ridgewood and Newcomerstown meeting in first-round play.
The Southeast District said it uses RPI rankings for seeding in most divisions, with schedules and scores reported through MaxPreps. That system is why some of the region’s strongest regular-season teams open at home as better seeds, while lower seeds travel for first-round matches early in the week.
For families following along, the rhythm of the next two weeks is set: sectional matches this week at the better seed’s court, district semifinals early next week, and district championships on Oct. 28 through Oct. 31, depending on division. The OHSAA state tournament calendar then runs regionals Nov. 2 through Nov. 7 and the state tournament Nov. 12 through Nov. 14.
Fans should confirm match sites and start times with their school, since the better seed hosts early rounds and schedules can shift. What is already clear is the shape of the road: every Southeast and East District team still standing after Saturday will be two wins from a regional semifinal, and the brackets now give each school its exact path.
Photo: K.M. Klemencic, CC BY