MaxPreps 2012 volleyball tipoff guide

When high school volleyball teams kick off their seasons in the coming days and weeks, several will begin their season with targets on their backs. Nearly two dozen teams will open the season with impressive winning streaks as a result of navigating their 2011 schedules to state titles without a loss.

Most notable is Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.). Led by identical twin sisters Kadie Rolfzen and Amber Rolfzen, Papillion-LaVista South has won 82 straight games and back-to-back state titles.

MaxPreps named the Titans the top girls team in the United States in 2011 as they completed their second-straight 41-0 season. Can the streak continue? Led by the Rolfzen twins, who are members of the U.S. Junior National Team, don't bet against the Titans

With 82 straight wins under their belts and the Rolfzens in the lineup, the Titans are approaching the state record of 115, set by Scotus (Columbus, Neb.) in 2004. Scotus, by the way, enters 2012 with a 30-match winning streak.



Texas State 4A champion Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) became the first Texas team to win 50 consecutive matches in a season and in the process won its second-straight state title, extended its winning streak to 57.

Can the streak continue? Can Lake Travis reload after losing eight Lady Cavaliers to college – all on scholarships. That list includes Sierra Patrick (Texas A&M), Kaci Eaton (North Texas), Cassie Wang (Washington University in St. Louis), Katy Beals (Washington), MacKenzie Mayo (Baylor), Piper Toler (TCU), Amy Neal (Texas) and Gabby Bienkowski (Great Falls University).

Lake Travis, which finished No. 2 in MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Final 2011 rankings, also moves up a classification to 5A, but coach Jennifer Kazmierski is looking forward to the challenges with optimism.

"We are young, but working extremely hard. We are looking forward to competing in 5A and know that we will have to work hard to play relentless defense and to run a fast offense," said Kazmierski.

The No. 3 team on MaxPreps final 2011 National rankings, Chaparral (Parker, Colo.), enters 2012 with a 53-game winning streak and back-to-back state titles. Coach T.R. Ellis isn't making any predictions, but says "we will be a great ballhandling team who knows how to win. We will surprise teams." Ellis says her team is led by four seniors who played in the state tourney last year and two very good outside hitters and two very good ballhandlers.

Two other unbeaten teams finished among the Top 50 in the final rankings: No. 25 Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) and No. 34 Punahou (Honolulu). Central Catholic won all 33 games in 2011. Add 23 straight to end the 2010 state-title winning season and CCHS has won 56 straight games. Punahou concluded its 2011 season unblemished in 15 games.



Barnstable (Hyannis, Mass.) rides into the 2012 season coming off a 23-0 state-title year in 2011. Not only has Barnstable collected 14 state titles in the last 20 years, but 10 of those teams have gone unbeaten. Coach Tom Turco has had two memorable stretches - teams that won a state title and didn't lose a match in 1995-1997 and from 2003-2006.

Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was 31-0 in 2011 and has won four straight 4A titles and at least 51 straight matches. And Kellam (Virginia Beach, Va.), has 48 straight wins after going 33-0 a year ago.

The national record for consecutive wins belongs to Sweet Home (Amherst, N.Y.), when the Panthers won 292 straight matches from 1978 to 1987.

Other unbeaten teams (15 or more wins) in 2011 include:
Ione (Ore.) 26-0;
Coventry (Conn.), 22-0;
Greely (Cumberland Center, Maine), 16-0;
Sherwood (Sandy Spring, Md.), 19-0, 36 wins in a row;
Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.), 25-0;
Marlborough (Mass.), 23-0;
Fergus (Lewistown, Mont.), 25-0;
Scotus (Columbus, Neb.), 30-0;
Gilford (N.H.), 18-0;
Pojoaque Valley (Pojoaque, N.M.), 24-0;
Exeter-West Greenwich (West Greenwich, R.I.),17-0;
Mathews (Va.), 26-0;
Colville (Wash.), 20-0;
West Valley (Yakima, Wash.), 35-0.

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Three powers clash, attempt to set attendance mark

It's being called the Nfinity Creighton Clash Tournament, featuring what many expect to be the top three high school volleyball teams in the United States this fall.

On Sept. 26 in Omaha at Creighton's 2,500-seat Sokol Arena, MaxPreps national champion and two-time defending Class A Nebraska state champion Papillion-La Vista South will face off against 15-time Kentucky state champion Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) and Torrey Pines (San Diego).



According to Papillion-LaVista South coach Gwen Egbert, "The triangular came about through Prep Volleyball Magazine wanting to set a high school attendance record by bringing in the best high school teams in the country. It will be an exciting opportunity for our team to play the best in the country.

"There really isn't a clear cut attendance record for a high school volleyball match, so we want to establish," said John Tawa, director of Prep Volleyball Magazine. "There have been some where the attendance neared 2,000, but no official records have been recorded."

Tawa's goal is to fill the 2,500 Sokol Arena and with the three teams scheduled to play, a record attendance could just be awaiting documentation.

Torrey Pines features as many as eight players who have been identified as having Division 1 college abilities, including four who have already committed: 6-6 senior middle blocker Jennie Frager (UCLA), 5-11 senior setter Ryann Chandler (Pepperdine), libero Maddy Kerr (California) and 6-2 junior outside hitter Reily Buechler (UCLA).

Being in the spotlight is nothing new for three of the Torrey Pines players, as they are daughters of former pro athletes. Kerr's father is former NBA guard Steve Kerr, Buechler is the daughter of ex-NBA player Jud Buechler and Chandler's father is former NFL quarterback Chris Chandler.

Assumption, 43-1 last season and No. 4 in the final MaxPreps national rankings, returns five of six starters, including junior setter Alexa Filley (Auburn commit), who is considered one of the top setters nationally in the Class of 2014.



In addition to Filley, four other Assumption players have committed to D-1 schools: seniors London Ackermann (Georgia Tech), Taylor Paulson (Saint Louis) and Kaelin Grimes (Western Kentucky). Junior Alyssa Cavanaugh has also chosen Western Kentucky.

Papillion-La Vista South won its second-straight national title from MaxPreps. The Titans are led by three senior All-Staters and Nebraska recruits – 6-3 outside hitters and twin sisters Kadie and Amber Rolfzen and 6-0 setter Kelly Hunter. All three are on the U.S. Junior National team that will be playing in the Women's Junior Continental Championships in Nicaragua Aug. 19-27.

Assumption and Torrey Pines will play first at 6 p.m., with the Titans facing Assumption at 7:15 and then Torrey Pines at 8:30.

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Tournament time just around the corner

Be it promoted as a "power" event or "tournament of champions" or "best of the west" or "east," each state has a high school volleyball team that commands attention. But while the competition is outstanding at each, there are a few that command more than statewide attention.

Among the first that have earned national distinction would be the Nike Tournament hosted by Pearland (Texas). The two-day event (Aug. 30-Sept. 1) will feature close to 80 teams competing at seven campuses and on 21 courts.

Lake Travis High School grabbed the national spotlight by taking home gold and is the featured team in the tournament this year after completing 2011 unbeaten in 50 matches.



Two weeks later, Sept. 14-15, the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas will feature the two teams that reached the 2011 finals: champion Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) and Los Alamitos (Calif.).

Other teams entered include highly regarded Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Seaquam (Delta, British Columbia), Xavier College Prep (Phoenix), Sacred Heart (Louisville, Ky.), Notre Dame Academy (Park Hills, Ky.), Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.) and a pair of Hawaiian teams to name a few of the headliners.

Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.) hosts one of the premier tournaments in the south (Sept. 21-22). Chattahoochee (Alpharetta, Ga.) is the returning champion. Other top teams include Bishop Moore (Orlando, Fla.), Lake Mary (Fla.), Leon (Tallahassee, Fla.), Howell (St. Charles, Mo.) and Springstead (Spring Hill, Fla.).

Assumption will remain in the national spotlight when it travels to Chicago Sept. 28-29, to defend its Asics Challenge Volleyball Tournament title in Chicago. Assumption defeated Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.) for the title in 2011.

In mid-October, The Rhode Island Tournament of Champions draws the top teams from the Northeast, including Barnstable (Hyannis, Mass.).

The Nike Tournament of Champions will be held in Phoenix, Oct. 19-21, and will feature 60-plus teams from nine states. San Diego Cathedral Catholic won the tournament championship after beating Chicago Marist in three games.



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Rolfzens lead long list of impressive returning players

Who will be this year's Nicole Dalton?

The 6-foot-2 Dalton, a freshman at the University of Texas, was named by MaxPreps as the top 2012 high school volleyball player in the United States. Dalton helped Chaparral (Parker, Colo.) win its second-straight Class 5A Colorado state championship and extend its win streak to 53 matches.

A two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year award winner, Dalton was also a member of the U.S. Junior National Team last summer. Her statistics show her tremendous versatility. Besides registering 492 kills, she also had 406 assists and 267 digs.

Those are big footprints to follow, but there are dozens from coast to coast who think they have pretty good credentials and two of those play for the same team, live in the same household and have committed to play for Nebraska. As a matter of fact, they share the same parents.

Identical twins Kadie and Amber Rolfzen are hard to tell apart - on or off the court.



Both are 6-3 senior hitters and have helped lead Papillion-LaVista South (Pavilion, Neb.) to back-to-back state titles and 82 straight wins.

And both are members of the U.S. Junior Women's Volleyball Team. Kadie might get a slight nod over Amber atop the mythical ladder of top players, but barely. Kadie was first-team MaxPreps All-American and Amber was second-team in 2011.

Kadie was Gatorade State Player of the Year and her 2011 stats were jaw-dropping: 402 kills, 382 digs, 53 aces and an overly impressive .439 hitting percentage. She recorded 15 kills and 15 digs in the 3-0 state title game sweep of Burke (Omaha, Neb.). Statistically, Amber was close behind.

Another 6-3 senior hitter to keep an eye is Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas) star Ebony Nwanebu, who was named third-team All-American by MaxPreps. Nwanebu helped lead her team to a 48-4 record and fourth-straight Class 4A state championship. She has committed to play at Southern California and not surprisingly amassed some big-time numbers in 2011: 589 kills, 130 blocks, and 142 digs.

Not everyone on the top player Watch List is 6-3. Third-team MaxPreps All-American Megan Mollett from Boyd (McKinney, Texas) is a 5-9 senior who led her team to the Texas Class 5A state championship match. She, too, had huge numbers: 515 kills, 57 aces, 38 blocks, 340 digs.

Taylor Higgins, a 5-10 setter from Punahou (Honolulu), led the Buff n' Blue to a 15-0 record and the Division I state title this past season. She was named 2011 Interscholastic League of Honolulu Player of the Year.



Alyssa Jensen from St. Joseph's Academy (St. Louis) is a 5-11 senior setter. Jensen recorded 783 assists, 182 digs, 49 kills, 37 blocks and 33 service aces in 2011. A two-time Class 4 First Team All-State selection, Jensen recorded a school-record with 989 assists in 2010.

Players on the Watch List come in all sizes: Merete Lutz is a 6-8 middle blocker from Houston, and Amanda Schiavo is a 5-7 libero from Corapolis, Penn. Both are on the U.S. Junior Women's National team.

There's a long list of impressive players waiting to make headlines. Others warranting a close watch include:

- Kelley Hunter from (Papillion LaVista-South, Papillion, Neb.)
- Lauren Kerrigan from Wilmington Friends (Wilmington, Del.)
- Alex Holston from Sherwood (Sandy Spring, Md.).
- Cassidy Stankowski from Frontier Regional (South Deerfield, Mass.)
- Sarah Wilhite from Eden Prairie (Minn.)
- Makenna Lommori from Yerington (Nev.)
- Nia Reed from Immaculate Heart Academy (Washington Township, N.J.)
- Julia Warren from La Cueva (Albuquerque, N.M.)
- Kaysie Shebeneck from Burlington (Wis.)
- Makayla Lindburg from Crook County (Prineville, Ore.)
- Azariah Stahl from Elkhart Central (Elkhart, Ind.)
- Maya McClendon from Manual, (Louisville, Ky.)
- Shelley Anderson from Chino Hills (Calif.)
- Kelly Claes from El Dorado (Fullerton, Calif.)
- Kelsey Humphreys from Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.)
- Amanda Benson from Xavier College Prep (Phoenix)
- Haley Fauntleroy from New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.)
- Stephanie Aiple from Round Rock (Texas)
- Crissy Jones from Los Alamitos (Calif.)
- Simone Lee from Menominee (Mich.)
- Tia Scambray from Dana Hills (Dana Point, Calif.)
- Luisa Schirmer from Sutherland (Pittsford, N.Y.)
- Courtney Schwan from Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, Wash.)
- Carli Snyder from Dakota (Macomb, Mich.)
- Taylor Tashima from New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.)
- Chelsey Harris from Summer Creek (Houston)
- Jessica Janota from Gilmour Academy (Gates Mills, Ohio)
- Claire Kieffer-wright from South Pasadena (Calif.)
- Ashley Mariani from Arlington (Texas)
- Kayla Morin from Portage Central (Portage, Mich.)
- Michelle Strizak from Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati)
- Haleigh Washington from Clear Creek (Evergreen, Colo.)
- McKenzie Willey from Lone Peak (Highland, Utah)

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Top 5 teams might look familiar when Aug. 21 rankings are posted

The first MaxPreps Xcellent 25 poll comes out this week, but don't be surprised if Papillion LaVista-South tops the list. The Titans were, after all, named by MaxPreps as mythical national champions the last two years.

It's hard to argue against Papillion LaVista South as the preseason pick at No. 1. The Titans are riding an 82-game winning streak and coming off back-to-back 41-0 seasons. In their 41 matches a year ago, they were 99-4.



But Nos. 2 through 10 will start out very debatable. Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) went 50-0 last year, but lost eight players to D-1 colleges.

Assumption (Louisville/Ky.) was 43-1, earned another state title and won two major tournaments last year (ASICS/Chicago and Durango/Vegas). The Rockets, winners of 28 straight and 15 of the last 17 Kentucky state titles, are led by juniors London Ackermann (Georgia Tech) and Kaelin Grimes (Western Kentucky).

Many think a trio of California teams are the best in the United States. Palo Alto (Calif.), Presentation (San Jose, Calif.) and Torrey Pines (San Diego) are teams to watch closely.

Barnstable (Hyannis, Mass.) has won 13 of the last 15 state titles in its classification and is coming off an unbeaten season (23-0) and some think with 10 unbeaten seasons in the last 20 years, more recognition is due the northeast school.

Also expected to earn early recognition are other teams that finished in the 2011 Top 10. The final Xcellent 25 Poll included No. 3 Chaparral (Parker, Colo.), No. 5 St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.), No. 6 Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.), No. 7 Pope (Marietta, Ga.), No. 8 Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.), No. 9 East Lake (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) and No. 10. Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas).

But don't be surprised if one - or more - from the following list start the season in the Top 10: Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.), Bishop Moore (Orlando, Fla.), Yorktown (Ind.), Coppell (Texas), Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.), St. Ursula Academy (Toledo, Ohio), Avon (Ind.), Boyd (McKinney, Texas) or Marymount (Los Angeles).



And Chattahoochee (Alpharetta, Ga.), the last team to beat Assumption (Sept. 10, 2011), has reloaded.

Stay tuned as the first rankings are to be released Aug. 21.