Video: Macy Winter's highlights vs. Eastview
See the Lakeview North junior outside hitter in action.
The final volleyball showdown of the 2017 season — the California state large school championship — isn't expected to draw many onlookers from Georgia or Illinois.
True, California's Open Division match between 37-5 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and 36-5 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) is the match on the West Coast. Mitty opened the preseason ranked No. 1 and Mater Dei came in at No. 15.
But Saturday's outcome between California's top two teams will have no impact on the naming of the national volleyball champion during the season-ending MaxPreps Xcellent Top 25 National High School Volleyball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard on Dec. 5.
Walton (Marietta, Ga.) has been patiently waiting since ending its season in late October as Georgia's large school champion and winner of 40-of-41 matches. And Marist (Chicago) has been tuned into the rankings since mid-November when it won Illinois' large school title and finished 41-1.
There hasn't been a tighter margin in the Xcellent Top 25 rankings
between a No. 1 and No. 2 in the last eight years than with Walton and
Marist.
Each has been ranked No. 1 at various times this season. Each has won major out-of-state tournaments and each owns a 2-0 victory over No. 3 Assumption (42-3), Kentucky's state champion.
Overall, Walton defeated opponents that combined to post a 977-408 record. Only four of its opponents had losing records. Walton defeated four state champions and was 97-4 in set play.
Marist's opponents were 822-404 and eight opponents had losing records. Marist also defeated four state champions and was 82-13 in set play.
Marist ended the season with 32-straight victories. Walton started the season with 33 wins in a row before losing to Mater Dei, 2-1.
Assumption is No. 1 in the MaxPreps Computer Rankings with Mitty at No. 4, Mater Dei No. 6, Walton No. 7 and Marist No. 8. But Walton and Marist have something the other three do not — just one loss on the season and a win over Assumption.
It's easy to see why Georgia and Illinois volleyball followers are focusing more on the Dec. 5 final rankings than the West Coast finale.
Back to California where Saturday's title match looms large, Mater Dei owns a Sept. 1 sweep over Archbishop Mitty. The Monarchs have won their last 10, but needed every ounce of energy to knock off Torrey Pines (San Deigo), last week's No. 4, and move into the title match.
Archbishop Mitty has won nine in a row and is 27-3 since last losing — to Torrey Pines, a team it went 1-2 against in 2017.
Archbishop Mitty and Mater Dei are the only Top 25 teams in action this week.
While Mitty swept its semifinals match (over Kentfield's Marin Catholic), Mater Dei edged Torrey Pines in five sets (29-27, 25-15, 22-25, 23-25, 15-11).
The Mitty-Mater Dei match might not have a national-title implication, but it's epic in California this year.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Volleyball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
Siena Secrist, Mater Dei
Photo by Heston Quan
none.
