It has come down to this. One match to advance to the Class AA State Volleyball Tournament between two teams that appear to have a lot in common.

There promises to be a lot of excitement and energy inside Golden Eagles Arena this evening when Aberdeen Central hosts Sioux Falls Jefferson in a SoDak 16 match at 6 p.m.

From similar records to late-season outcomes these two foes enter this encounter on a similar path.

The eighth-seeded Golden Eagles, 16-10, have a better record than ninth-seeded Jefferson, 12-11, and also own a four-set win over the Cavaliers during the regular season.

“We beat Jefferson in September in four, which of course means nothing,” said Central coach Jackie Bindenagel, “because this is obviously six weeks down road, but we’re excited for the matchup, and kids are ready for it.”

It was a tight battle for seed points right down to the end. The Golden Eagles had a few chances to gain a little breathing room, while Jefferson had chances to overtake Central for the right to host the game.

“We do have a lot of similarities with Jefferson,” Bindenagel said.

In fact, the location for tonight’s contest wasn’t determined until last Friday night when Jefferson lost a hard-fought five-set match to Rapid City Stevens that ensured the Golden Eagles would host.

While having the home-court advantage does not provide Central any points on the scoreboard, it does provide the Golden Eagles a boost in more ways than one.

“I think we’ll have a great crowd here, which just matters emotionally. Our kids will play hard and respond to that,” Bindenagel said. “And just not having another bus ride. We’ve put 3,400 miles on the bus already this year. Just from an emotional standpoint, it’s nice to just settle in here for the whole week, not have to plan for that trip.”

Bindenagel said the key for tonight’s match will likely start behind the service line.

“We need to serve really well and that’s been our strength all season,” she said. “We just need to run a quick offense and be ready to defend a lot of different shots, because their outsides can get up and just do some nice things with the ball, and kind of put it where they want.”

While both teams came up short a few times down the stretch, they both appear to be hitting their stride and playing some of their best volleyball of the season.

“This time of the year everbody’s playing their best ball,” Bindenagel said. “That’s always the goal and I think that certainly holds true for both of our teams.”

Central, which played in back-to-back state tournaments in 2024 and 2025, missed qualifying for the state tourney a year ago.

“These kids really want to get back to that tournament. It’s been a goal all season,” Bindenagel said. “These kids have really come together in the last 4-6 weeks, just as a team, so that’s been fun to watch. So I hope we have another 10 days together.”

The state tournament runs Thursday through Friday, Nov. 19-21 at the Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.

Central was forced to move some players to new positions in the middle of the season due to injuries, but the Golden Eagles have adjusted and now are prepared for their biggest match of the season.

“We’ve had time to just settle in this season,” Bindenagel said, “and I hope they can play their best match (tonight).”