Rockets win second prestigious tournament of the season with a first-place finish at the Asics Challenge in Illinois.
Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) captured its second major tournament of the season, adding the Asics Challenge first place trophy to go on the mantle right next to the Durango Classic hardware.
The Rockets knocked off Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.), which was previously ranked No. 3 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Volleyball Rankings presented by Army National Guard, in the championship match and went undefeated during the tournament over the weekend.
The Rockets move up to No. 8 this week and figure to continue to rise once they get into the ever-tough Kentucky playoffs in two weeks.
One big matchup to watch this week features No. 1 Papillion-LaVista South traveling to Kansas to take on No. 7 St. James Academy. Both teams are undefeated on the season.
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL RANKINGS PRESENTED BY THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
1. (Last week 1) Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.), 21-0
The Titans defeated Lincoln Pius X, ranked No. 1 in the Nebraska Class B state rankings, to win the Lincoln Northeast Invitational.
Amber Rolfzen had 17 kills in the championship match while
Kadie Rolfzen added 15. The Titans also defeated Marian (Omaha), Lincoln Southeast and Omaha Westside in the tournament. Papillion-LaVista South has a big match this week when it takes on St. James Academy tonight in Lenexa, Kan.
2. (2) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 36-0
The Cavaliers claimed two more district wins last week, beating Leander 3-0 and Rouse 3-0. Against Leander,
Katy Beals had 42 assists and
Amy Neal had 16 kills while
Piper Toler added 23 digs. In the Rouse victory, Beals had 20 assists and
Sierra Patrick had 11 kills.
3. (4) Avon (Ind.), 25-0
Avon defeated Martinsville 3-1 and blanked Jefferson 3-0 in league play last week to remain undefeated on the season.
Beth Prince had 21 kills against Martinsville.
4. (5) Chaparral (Parker, Colo.), 13-0
The Wolverines have dropped just two games all season and blanked a pair of opponents last week by 3-0 scores. Chaparral topped both ThunderRidge and Ponderosa in league play.
5. (6) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 34-1
The Dragons continue to roll, picking up two District 7-5A wins last week in Keller. Carroll topped Keller Central 3-0 early in the week and Keller 3-0 on Thursday.
6. (7) St. Ursula Academy (Toledo, Ohio), 15-0
The Arrows picked up a key win over Magnificat (Rocky River), winning 3-1 over the team ranked No. 3 in the state by the Ohio Volleyball Coaches Association poll. St. Ursula Academy also defeated Lima Senior 3-0.
7. (8) St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.), 24-0
The Thunder set up tonight's titanic matchup with Papillion-LaVista South with a pair of wins last week to stay undefeated. St. James Academy topped St. Teresa's Academy and also shut out Washburn Rural to boost its record to 24-0. The Thunder host the No. 1 team in the country tonight.
8. (11) Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), 32-1
The Rockets captured another impressive tournament victory, defeating Berkeley Prep for the Asics Challenge in Illinois. Assumption also defeated Newport Harbor (Calif.) and Marist (Chicago) en route to the win. The Rockets play their final two regular season matches this week against Mercy and Notre Dame.
9. (3) Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.), 15-2
The Buccaneers were seeded No. 1 for the Asics Challenge in Illinois, but they lost to Mother McAuley (Chicago) 2-0 in pool play in their first match of the tournament. Berkeley Prep rebounded to beat Mother McAuley in the semifinals, but it fell to Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) in the championship match 2-0.
10. (9) Pope (Marietta, Ga.), 32-2
The Greyhounds won four times last week, taking a pair of region matches from Sprayberry and Woodland on Tuesday and then defeating a pair of 5A teams, Milton and Hillgrove, on Thursday. Pope finishes up the regular season this week before beginning the 7-AAAA tournament late in the week.
11. (10) Bishop Moore (Orlando, Fla.), 14-1
The Hornets shut out a strong Winter Springs team on Wednesday and also topped First Academy 3-0 in their only two games of the week.
12. (12) Muncie Burris (Ind.), 28-1
The Owls claimed three wins last week and also won the Warsaw Invitational the previous weekend for their 16th straight win. Muncie Burris defeated Randolph Southern, Union (Modoc) and New Castle last week by 3-0 scores.
13. (13) Los Alamitos (Calif.), 21-1
The top team in the California Southern Section topped a strong Edison (Huntington Beach) team 2-0 and also had wins over Long Beach Poly and Santa Margarita that were previously unreported. The Griffins concluded the week with a 3-0 win over Marina (Huntington Beach).
14. (14) East Lake (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), 8-1
The Eagles dominated Palm Harbor University 3-0 in their only game of the week.
Jackie Wegner had 10 kills and
Brittnay Estes led the team with 14 in the win.
Shelby Workman, Bishop Miege
Photo by Sam Soliday
The Stags won their only match of the week, shutting out Aquinas 3-0.
Jordan Tucker had 13 kills and
Shelby Workman had eight for Bishop Miege.
16. (16) Marymount (Los Angeles), 11-1
The Sailors had only one match reported last week and that was a 3-0 win over Chaminade.
17. (17) Xavier College Prep (Phoenix), 23-2
The Gators won their only match of the week by beating Hamilton (Chandler) 3-0.
Mia Teilborg had 15 kills and
Dani Westfall added 12 for Xavier College Prep.
18. (18) Presentation (San Jose, Calif.), 22-1
The Panthers won their only match of the week, topping St. Ignatius 3-0 in West Catholic Athletic League play.
Emily Sklar and
Veronica Bither each had eight kills in the win.
19. (19) College Park (The Woodlands, Texas), 27-4
The Cavaliers won a key match against The Woodlands, claiming a 3-1 victory behind
Katie Mitchell's astounding 33 kills. College Park also topped Lufkin 3-0.
20. (20) Cy-Woods (Cypress, Texas), 30-4
The Wildcats won their ninth straight match by a 3-0 score by beating Cypress Creek 3-0 and Cy-Fair 3-0 in district play.
Marissa Guzman had 19 kills against Cypress Creek while
Chloe Collins had 14 in the Cy-Fair victory.
21. (21) Boyd (McKinney, Texas), 28-4
The Broncos continue to keep pace with the other top teams in Texas by beating Sachse 3-0 and Naaman Forest (Garland) 3-0 last week in District 10-5A play.
22. (22) York (Elmhurst, Ill.), 17-2
The Dukes played twice last week, beating Oak Park-River Forest 2-0 in conference play and Hinsdale South (Darien) 2-0 in a nonleague matchup.
23. (24) Chattahoochee (Alpharetta, Ga.), 30-7
The Cougars won three times last week by 2-0 scores, beating Johns Creek, Lambert and Lakeside.
24. (NR) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 13-2
The defending California Division II state champions have lost just twice this season, both to Presentation, and had a win over last year's state Division I champion Palo Alto on Monday.
25. (NR) Westlake (Austin, Texas), 33-5
The Chaparrals have not lost in more than a month and have been consistently ranked in the Top 5 of the Texas Girls Coaches Association 5A state rankings.
Dropped Out
23. Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.)
25. Hillcrest (Simpsonville, S.C.)
