Archmere has earned the second seed in the 2025 DIAA volleyball tournament, the highest of the four Catholic high school teams that are in the postseason. The Auks have a first-round bye, while Padua, Saint Mark’s and Ursuline all get started on Wednesday, Oct. 29, in the first round.
The Auks finished with a record of 13-2, with nine of those victories coming against tournament teams, as well as both losses. They won the Diamond State Athletic Conference with a four-set triumph over Newark Charter in the final match of the regular season. That win also gave them the tiebreaker over the Patriots for the second overall seed.
Archmere will play the winner of the first-round matchup between No. 18 Sussex Academy and No. 15 Concord on Friday at Moglia Fieldhouse at 6 p.m. The Auks did not play either the Raiders or Seahawks this season.
Padua’s exceptional schedule got the Pandas the 14th seed and a home game in the first round. The Pandas went 7-8 with a young roster against a schedule that included 10 Delaware tournament teams and three out-of-state powerhouses. Padua will host the 19th seed, Wilmington Christian, on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
If Padua wins, it will travel to No. 3 Newark Charter on Friday at 6 p.m. The teams met in early October, with the Pandas getting the five-set win.
Saint Mark’s went 11-4 and is the 16th seed. The Spartans will host No. 17 Indian River on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Saint Mark’s swept four teams seeded above them in the bracket (Smyrna, Appoquinimink, Cape Henlopen and Padua) and also has wins over Ursuline and Caravel.
With a win, Saint Mark’s will visit the top seed, Caesar Rodney, on Friday at 6 p.m . The teams did not play each other this season.
Ursuline earned the 20th seed and will begin play on the road at Appoquinimink on Wednesday at 6. The Raiders, who finished 7-8, played the second, third, fourth, seventh and ninth seeds this season, along with Saint Mark’s and Padua twice each. They also hosted New Jersey power Paul VI.
Should the Raiders advance, they will be at No. 4 Caravel on Friday at 6. Ursuline and Caravel met on Oct. 21, with the Bucs taking the 3-1` victory.
The quarterfinals will be played on Nov. 4, with sites and times to be announced. The semifinals and championship are scheduled for the Bob Carpenter Center at the University of Delaware. The semis will be Nov. 6, and the final on Nov. 10.
Tickets for all games through the quarterfinals are available only at www.gofan.co/app/school/DIAA. For the semifinals and championship, the website is www.bluehens.com.
For spectator policies and more information, go to education.delaware.gov/diaa.
