Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) went to Nebraska last weekend, won a made-for-television tournament, moved to 30-0 on the season and showed why it could be difficult to dislodge from the No. 1 spot in the MaxPreps Top 25 high school volleyball rankings.
The Dons won the GEICO High School Volleyball Invitational with victories over
Ponte Vedra — the Florida 7A runner-up last season — and
Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.), the event's host. Juliana Conn's group hasn't dropped a set this season while winning the GEICO title, the Kamehameha Tournament and Durango Fall Classic.
And while the Southern California Open Division bracket might be the toughest in the country, the Dons are looking a lot like
Marymount (Los Angeles), the team that ran through all-comers last season en route to a 35-0 mark, CIF title and MaxPreps National Championship. The Dons have a handful of league matches before the San Diego Section playoffs and then the SoCal gauntlet.
In Nebraska, Cathedral Catholic, which has 10 seniors, showcased its dominance as
Julia Blyashov, the Stanford commit and team leader, ended the championship match with a thunderous kill. The Dons were led in Saturday's title tilt by 16 kills from Colgate commit
Milan Bayless, 13 from Blyashov and 42 assists from DePaul commit
Amanda Saeger.
Future UCLA Bruin Sydney Breon and Highland Park check in at No. 16 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25. (Photo: David Ballering)
Recap: The Dons went to Nebraska over the weekend and came home with the GEICO High School Invitational title.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Point Loma, Oct. 12 vs. La Jolla
2. (2) Marian (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), 28-0
Recap: Ella Schomer had 16 kills and
Izzy Busignani added 11 as the Mustangs rolled over St. Catherine of Siena Academy as
Ava Sarafa posted 24 assists and freshman
Allie Davison added 17.
Outlook: Oct. 15 Beast of the East
3. (3) Cornerstone Christian (San Antonio), 53-2
Recap: The Warriors were idle last week.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Dripping Springs, Oct. 18 vs. Incarnate Word
4. (4) McCutcheon (Lafayette, Ind.), 29-1
Recap: The Mavericks took out Logansport, Richmond and Harrison in straight sets to take home the North Central Conference title. They begin sectional play on Thursday.
Outlook: Oct. 13 vs. Marion
5. (5) Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), 32-3
Recap: The Mustangs swept through the Redondo Power Classic field, handling the hosts 25-10, 25-19 in the championship match. Arizona commit
Tanon Rosenthal had nine kills in the finals match.
Outlook: 10-10 vs. Culver City, Oct. 13 vs. Redondo Union
6. (6) Fayetteville (Ark.), 29-2
Recap: The Bulldogs kept rolling through Arkansas opponents with a straight-setter over Bentonville West.
Brooke Rockwell had 20 kills and
Kennedy Phelan added 26 assists.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Rogers, Oct. 13 vs. Southside
7. (7) Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.), 27-1
Recap: The Royals ran their win streak to 27 with a sweep of Franklin Central. They begin sectional play on Thursday led by
Avery Hobson (311 kills),
Lauren Harden (235 kills) and
Macy Hinshaw (507 assists).
Outlook: Oct. 13 vs. Carmel
8. (8) Tompkins (Katy, Texas), 31-3
Recap: Cindy Tchouangwa had 22 kills and
Skylar Skrabanek and
Tendai Titley each added 14 in a 3-1 win over Katy Taylor last week.
Erica Dellesky and
Presley Powell teamed for 52 assists.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Clear Creek, Oct. 14 vs. Morton Ranch
9. (9) Yorktown (Ind.), 28-2
Recap: Sophomore
Charlotte Vinson powers the Tigers in sectional play on Thursday with more than 350 kills on the season. The Indiana 4A field features four teams in the MaxPreps Top 25.
Outlook: Oct. 13 vs. Richmond
10. (11) Mother McAuley (Chicago), 25-2
Recap: Tess Hayes had 11 assists and Michigan commit
Ellie White pounded eight kills in a sweep of St. Ignatius College Prep.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. De La Salle, Oct. 13 vs. Montini Catholic
11. (12) Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), 27-6
Recap: Sophomore
Emma Barnett hammered 20 kills in a five-setter over rival Mercy.
Charlotte Moriarty added 16 kills and
Alexis Strong pitched in 10 as
Whitney Woodrow dished up an astounding 61 assists (12.2 per set).
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar, Oct. 13 vs. Notre Dame Academy
12. (14) Marymount (Los Angeles), 26-6
Recap: The Sailors remain highly-ranked despite six losses. Cari Klein's bunch beat Sierra Canyon in four sets as they were paced by
Dior Charles,
Kate Martin and
Torrey Stafford.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Alemany, Oct. 13 vs. Marlborough
13. (10) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 28-4
Recap: Olivia Babcock had 18 kills in the loss to Marymount.
Jaida Tausa'afia-Sione added 12 kills,
Danica Rach had 10 kills and
Sade Ilawole added 31 assists. Like Indiana, the Southern California postseason brackets should be a gauntlet.
Outlook: 10-10 NDA, Oct. 12 vs. Marlborough
14. (13) Oconomowoc (Wis.), 33-1
Recap: Cordelia Kearns had 18 kills and
Olivia Kwiatkowski added 10 in a sweep of Muskego as
Lilly Wagner posted 37 assists. The Raccoons wrap up the regular season this week.
Outlook: Oct. 13 vs. Hartford
15. (15) Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas), 30-1
Recap: A trio of Lions —
Macaria Spears (21),
Jadyn Livings (20) and
Mikala Young (11) — hammered double-digit kills in a four-set win over Bishop Lynch.
Camille Edwards found the hitters with 32 assists.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Nolan Catholic, Oct. 13 vs. John Paul II
16. (16) Highland Park (Dallas), 34-2
Recap: UCLA pledge
Sydney Breon and Michigan pledge
Ceci Gooch power the Scots offense while setters
Grace Braner and
Harper Hall are nearing 1,000 combined assists.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Lake Highlands, Oct. 14 vs. Irving
17. (17) Buford (Ga.), 31-5
Recap: The Wolves are tops in Georgia for now after a 2-0 win over Blessed Trinity and 2-1 victory over Sequoyah before the start of the Region 8 tournament.
Outlook: Oct. 13 Region 8 play
18. (19) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 25-7
Recap: Isabel Clark had 17 kills in a sweep of Orange Lutheran and sophomore
Ayva Ostovar added 18 assists.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Rosary Academy
19. (21) 'Iolani (Honolulu), 20-5
Recap: The Raiders swept Mid-Pacific last week and wrap up the regular season with a tough match against Punahou, who they are 2-1 against this season.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Punahou
20. (22) Cypress Ranch (Houston), 36-2
Recap: The Mustangs kept rolling with a sweep of Cypress Springs. There are five matches remaining before 6A postseason play begins.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Cypress Park, Oct. 14 vs. Bridgeland
21. (24) Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 24-0
Recap: Northern California's top squad kept rolling, dropping one set in tournament wins over Clovis North, Redwood, Monte Vista and Archbishop Mitty.
Erin Curtis (258 kills) and
Taylor Williams (233 kills) bring the thunder while
Havannah Hoeft is dishing up 10 assists per set.
Outlook: Oct. 12 vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, Oct. 18 vs. St. Ignatius
22. (25) Plano West (Plano, Texas), 25-2
Recap: The Wolves escaped with a five-set win over Coppel and then swept Plano last week to bump their win streak to 23 matches.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Lewisville, Oct. 14 vs. Marcus
23. (20) Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.), 24-2
Recap: The Redwings fell 2-0 to Naperville North in the Scholastic Cup finals, the first loss in a month.
Ava Novak had seven kills in the loss.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs Marist
24. (NR) Washburn Rural (Topeka, Kan.), 27-1
Recap: The Blues have won 26 straight after sweeping through the Derby Tournament field and not allowing more than 17 points in any match. The lone loss is to St. James Academy in August.
Outlook: Oct. 11 vs. Hayden, Oct. 13 vs. Seaman, Oct. 13 vs. Olathe West
25. (NR) Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory (Indianapolis), 23-3
Recap: The Braves, one of four Indiana squads in the rankings, have lost to McCutcheon and twice to Hamilton Southeastern. Senior
Sydney Robinson leads the way with 278 kills while
Naija Gadis has 469 assists and
Lola Schumacher adds 337 digs.
Outlook: Oct. 13 vs. Southport
On the bubble: Pope (Marietta, Ga.), 38-5;
Dike-New Hartford (Dike, Iowa), 36-2;
Aquinas (Overland Park, Kan.), 31-3;
North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.), 37-1;
Immaculate Heart Academy (Washington Township, N.J.), 20-1;
Pace Academy (Atlanta), 35-1;
Sequoyah (Canton, Ga.), 32-3;
Westminster Christian (Miami), 19-0;
St. Mary's Dominican (New Orleans), 24-1;
Mountain View (Orem, Utah), 23-3
