Monument Mountain, Wahconah Hit the Road, Lee, Mount Greylock Home in Tourney

When advocates of a statewide tournament system for high school sports in Massachusetts sold the plan to the majority of principals and ADs, they argued that cross-state contests in early rounds of the tournament would be possible but uncommon.

 

It happened Monday when the very first seedings were announced.

 

Monument Mountain's volleyball team is seeded 17th among 36 teams that qualified for the 32-team tournament in Division 4.

 

That means the Spartans' first round matchup is the division's No. 16 team ... Nantucket.

 

According to Google Maps, that's a trip of more than 5 hours from Great Barrington, including a ferry ride.

 

The winner of that contest likely will face top-seeded Ipswich, a mere 2 hour, 50 minute drive from Great Barrington.

 

Elsewhere in the D4 bracket, Wahconah received the No. 34 seed, which means a trip to No. 31 Whittier Tech for a play-in game -- a trip of 2 hours, 43 minutes, according to Google Maps.

 

In Division 5, fourth-seeded Lee and 14th-seeded Mount Greylock get the benefit of playing at home in the first round.

 

The Wildcats await the winner of Wednesday's play-in game between No. 36 Smith Vocational and No. 29 Fellowship Christian Academy of Methuen.

 

Mount Greylock will host No. 19 Sturgis Charter East in Hyannis ... a 3 hour, 45 minute commute to Williamstown.

 

No. 34 Lenox kicks of D5 tournament play on Wednesday when it travels to play Ware in a play-in game. The winner gets to face No. 2 Frontier in the Round of 32.

 

Prior to this year, the commonwealth was divided into four sections -- West, Central, North and South (the latter two comprising the eastern portion of the state) -- and the four sectional winners advanced to the state semifinals.

 

All MIAA brackets are subject to change for up to 24 hours pending appeals based on corrected results.