The Class 3A and 4A Alaska state volleyball tournaments begin Thursday at the Alaska Airlines Center with defending 4A champion South playing Ketchikan at 10 a.m. and defending 3A champion Mt. Edgecumbe of Sitka playing Monroe Catholic at 11:45 a.m.
South comes into the tournament after falling to Dimond in the Cook Inlet Conference championship. The Lynx upset the Wolverines 30-17 in the single-set, if-necessary championship match Saturday at Service to take the conference crown.
South and Dimond have won the last 10 4A state titles, with South taking the last two.
Mt. Edgecumbe enters the tournament having won three of the last four 3A state titles.
The championship matches are at 3 p.m. Saturday for 3A and at 6 p.m. Saturday for 4A. All matches are at the Alaska Airlines Center, which is in its second year of hosting the tournament.
Class 3A
Thursday's first round
Alaska Airlines Center
10 a.m. -- ACS vs. Nome
11:45 a.m. -- Mt. Edgecumbe vs. Monroe Catholic
1:30 p.m. -- Valdez vs. Homer
3:15 p.m. -- Kotzebue vs. Grace Christian
Thursday's winner brackets
5:15 p.m. -- ACS-Nome winner vs. Mt. Edgecumbe-Monroe Catholic winner
7 p.m. -- Valdez-Homer winner vs. Kotzebue-Grace Christian winner
Class 4A
Thursday's first round
Alaska Airlines Center
10 a.m. -- Ketchikan vs. South
11:45 a.m. -- West Valley vs. Wasilla
1:30 p.m. -- Dimond vs. Soldotna
3:15 p.m. -- Kodiak vs. East
Thursday's winner bracket
5:15 p.m. -- Ketchikan-South winner vs. West Valley-Wasilla winner
7 p.m. -- Dimond-Soldotna winner vs. Kodiak-East winner