The 52nd annual AHSAA volleyball Elite 8 state championship tournament starts on Tuesday with 56 teams competing for championships in seven classes.

Class 5A, 4A, 2A and 1A will play quarterfinal and semifinal matches at the Birmingham Crossplex on Tuesday with championships scheduled for the Bill Harris Arena on Wednesday.

Class 7A, 6A and 3A play quarterfinal and semifinal matches on Wednesday with title matches set for Thursday.

RELATED: See the complete schedule

Quarterfinal and semifinal rounds for each class will be played on four courts at the Birmingham Crossplex.

Below are the top storylines from the tournament along with championship predictions.

CLASS 1A

No team has won more small school titles than Addison. The Bulldogs won Class 2A each of the past two seasons and have 13 total championships with six in Class 2A and seven in Class 1A.

Addison should cruise past Kinston in the first round while Spring Garden, which also dropped down from Class 2A this season, beats Pleasant Home on one side of the eight-team bracket.

Covenant Christian will beat Brantley while University Charter, which opened in 2018 and is making its first Elite 8 appearance, will play Meek in a tough matchup. Expect upstart University Charter to prevail in a tight match.

Addison will beat Spring Garden and Covenant Christian will down University Charter in semifinal action.

Of Addison’s 10 losses this season, most have come to teams in the top three classifications. In the school’s only Elite 8 appearance in 2020, Covenant Christian was swept 3-0 in first round play.

CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIP PICK

Addison 3-0 over Covenant Christian

CLASS 2A

Five of the eight Class 2A teams have won state titles with Donoho’s 12 championships leading the pack. Pleasant Valley has five titles, but none since 1997, while Bayshore Christian won the 2020 Class 1A title, beating Donoho. G.W. Long won the 2019 Class 2A championship and Pleasant Home won Class 1A in 2018.

All 12 of Donoho’s championships have come in Class 1A, but the Falcons moved up to Class 2A this season.

Look for G.W. Long to down Lindsay Lane in first round play while Donoho beats Washington County, which is making its second straight Elite 8 appearance.

Pleasant Valley will beat Tuscaloosa Academy, which moved from AISA play to AHSAA, and South Super Regional winner Bayshore Christian should beat Fyffe.

Donoho has too much experience for G.W. Long and should win the semifinal matchup to reach its fourth straight championship. Expect Bayshore Christian to down Pleasant Valley to reach its third straight title match, the previous two in Class 1A.

Donoho downed Bayshore Christian to win Class 1A last season.

CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIP PICK

Donoho 3-2 over Bayshore Christian

CLASS 3A

There will be a new champion in Class 3A since defending winner Trinity moved up to Class 4A this season.

Prattville Christian has Elite 8 experience with a loss to Trinity in semifinal play in 2020 and falling to Geraldine in 2019 first round action while Geraldine finished runnerup in 2019 and won its only title in 2001, coming in Class 2A. It should be a good first round matchup with Prattville Christian squeaking by.

Ohatchee earned the North Super Regional No. 1 seed and should beat Opp, which is making only its second appearance in the Elite 8.

Plainview fell to Trinity in the 2020 Class 3A title match and lost to Montgomery Catholic in last year’s semifinal round. The Bears should win their first round against Houston Academy, which fell to Plainview in the 2020 semifinals and Geraldine in 2019 semifinal action.

South top seed St. Luke’s will ease by Susan Moore, which is making its first appearance in the Elite 8.

St. Luke’s won Class 2A titles in 2016 and 2017, but failed to earn a spot in the past two championship tournaments. The Wildcats lost to Montgomery Academy in 2019 semifinal action and should prevail over a good Plainview squad this season while Ohatchee will beat Prattville Christian in semifinal play.

Ohatchee has strong front line play, but St. Luke’s is better all around.

CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP PICK

St. Luke’s 3-2 over Ohatchee

CLASS 4A

Trinity won two straight Class 3A titles before moving up this season and should down Madison County in first round play while North top seed Deshler will beat Satsuma.

Orange Beach has earned three straight trips to the Elite 8 and should beat Priceville, making its second appearance in the Elite 8.

South No. 1 seed Montgomery Catholic will beat West Morgan in the first round.

Trinity will struggle with an athletic Deshler team, but should prevail while Montgomery Catholic will down Orange Beach in another close match.

Montgomery Catholic, coached by Sellers Dubberley, fell to Trinity, coached by wife Sarah, in last year’s Class 3A title match.

Montgomery Catholic beat Trinity three-of-four meetings this season.

CLASS 4A CHAMPIONSHIP PICK

Montgomery Catholic 3-2 over Trinity

CLASS 5A

Jasper won Class 5A titles in 2018 and 2019, but failed to make the Elite 8 after moving up to Class 6A the past two seasons. Back in Class 5A, the Vikings should down Gulf Shores in a close match while Westminster Christian, last year’s Class 4A champions, will beat Providence Christian in the first round.

Faith Academy and Arab are evenly matched on the other side of the bracket, but expect Arab to prevail in a tight match.

Montgomery Academy has seven championships and will cruise past Lawrence County in the other first round matchup.

An experienced Westminster Christian will beat Jasper and Montgomery Academy will down Arab in semifinal action.

Westminster Christian stopped Montgomery Academy’s run of three state titles last season in a thrilling five-setter, winning the last game 15-13.

CLASS 5A CHAMPIONSHIP PICK

Westminster Christian 3-2 over Montgomery Academy

CLASS 6A

Bayside Academy has been a force in state volleyball, winning a state record 30 championships — 27 under coach Ann Schilling — including the past 20 straight, but the move to Class 6A has been a challenge.

First round opponent Hazel Green has seven titles and is a perennial Elite 8 competitor. Look for Bayside to win.

Mountain Brook has won three straight Class 6A titles and should beat Northridge in the first round on that side of the bracket.

On the other side, Hartselle and Pelham are evenly matched, but expect Pelham to win a tight first round match while Spanish Fort will cruise by Oxford.

Bayside doesn’t match up well against Mountain Brook and the incredible streak of state championships will end in a semifinal loss to the Spartans.

Spanish Fort should beat Pelham in a closely contested match in the other semifinal.

Spanish Fort and Mountain Brook played in the season-opener for both teams with Spanish Fort earning a 3-1 victory.

CLASS 6A CHAMPIONSHIP PICK

Mountain Brook 3-2 over Spanish Fort

CLASS 7A

Sparkman and St. Paul’s — moving up to Class 7A this season — is an excellent first round test for both teams, but expect Sparkman to rely on a good front line to earn the win.

North top seed Bob Jones should down Auburn in the other first round matchup on that side of the bracket.

Hoover struggled early, but has played well down the stretch. First round opponent Enterprise swept the Bucs during a September tournament, but look for Hoover to win a very close match in the first round.

McGill-Toolen is too strong for Huntsville in the other first round match.

Sparkman and Bob Jones played five times this season with Sparkman winning the first two and the Patriots taking the last three matches. Expect a close win for Bob Jones in one semifinal while McGill-Toolen shows its strength against Hoover in the other semifinal match.

McGill-Toolen has won 21 titles, all in the state’s largest classification. The Dirty Dozen last lost on Sept. 24, winning 22 straight matches since.

CLASS 7A CHAMPIONSHIP PICK

McGill-Toolen 3-1 over Bob Jones