Arizona's toughest high school girls volleyball schedules
By Jason Skoda
Oct 8, 2016, 12:00pm
Desert Vista, Ironwood Ridge, Cactus and Valley Christian have faced toughest schedules as playoffs loom.
Video: Xcellent 25 girls volleyball rankings presented by the Army National Guard
Watch the nation's top teams and where they stack up.
The national attention of the Nike Tournament of Champions has come and gone.
It always marks the beginning of the stretch run for the girls volleyball postseason in Arizona.
Three weeks remain in the regular season and teams will be jockeying for position the rest of the way in attempt to earn the best seed possible for the playoffs.
It's all about getting better at the point.
"Every day when we are in practice, we are finding mistakes, trying to fix things and work on things and get better," Perry coach Fred Mann said. "We are hoping to improve."
One way to do that is playing a tough schedule in preparation for the grind that is the postseason.
Here is a look at the teams that have played the most difficult schedule based on power ranking average opponent ratings in each conference:
6A1.
Desert Vista (Phoenix), 11.9952
2.
Perry (Gilbert), 11.9314
3.
Mountain View (Mesa), 11.4676
4.
Hamilton (Chandler), 11.2259
5.
Gilbert, 19.4197
Mountain View's Hannah LeBlanc and Amanda Page battle for the Toros, who have the third-toughest 6A schedule in the state.
Photo by Darin Sicurello
1.
Ironwood Ridge (Tucson), 8.9137
2.
Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale), 8.0160
3.
Chaparral (Scottsdale), 6.6019
4.
Cienega (Vail), 5.39335
5.
Verrado (Buckeye), 5.028
4A1.
Cactus (Glendale), 6.5567
2.
Coconino (Flagstaff), 5.7230
3.
Catalina Foothills (Tucson), 5.5969
4.
St. Mary's (Phoenix), 5.3405
5.
Salpointe Catholic (Tucson), 4.4784
3A1.
Valley Christian (Chandler), 8.7307
2.
Snowflake, 7.5957
3.
Safford, 5.5787
4.
Florence, 5.3450
5.
Wickenburg, 4.5328
2A1.
Tempe Prep, 9.5545
2.
Horizon Honors (Phoenix), 7.5542
3.
Chandler Prep, 5.8647
4.
Bourgade Catholic (Phoenix), 5.1853
5.
Veritas Prep (Phoenix), 5.1076
1A1.
Grand Canyon, 3.6387
2.
Basis (Flagstaff), 3.4775
3.
Cibecue, 3.2218
4.
Bagdad, 1.8982
5.
Red Mesa (Teec Nos Pos), 1.8403
Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic sports writer and current Prep Sports Director for Times Publications, is a 20-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com.
