Casey Tierney and Archbishop Mitty begin the Central Coast Section playoffs Nov. 10.
Photo by Gerardo Coronado
Five teams not ranked a week ago move into this week's MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Volleyball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.
For No. 19 St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.) and No. 25 Venice (Fla.) it is a return to the Top 25, but it's a new status for No. 13 Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.), No. 23 Burlington (Wis.) and No. 24 Bayside Academy (Daphne, Ala.).
Unbeatens Bishop Moore (Orlando, Fla.) and Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) easily dispatched their opponents to remain atop the Top 25 poll.
The No. 1 ranked Hornets (28-0) will host Lake Highland in Tuesday's region finals. This will be the fourth meeting of Florida's top-ranked teams this season with Bishop Moore winning each by the same 3-1 margin.
Though there was no change at the top two spots, there was a lot of movement in the Top 10 with two teams dropping out and Lafayette (Wildwood, Mo.) moving from No. 5 to No. 3. The Lancers continued their domination of opponents and moved ahead of two teams ranked ahead of them last week — Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.) and Assumption (Louisville, Ky.).
Papio and Assumption did nothing to hurt their standings in the poll, however Lafayette concluded its season by winning its second-straight Missouri large school title and has won its last 50 matches. In addition, the Lancers did not lose a single game during the 2012 season (80-0).
Punahou (Honolulu) won Hawaii's D-1 title, finished the year at 18-1 and moved back into the Top 10 where it had been ranked earlier this season.
Ardrey Kell, 32-1, captured North Carolina's 4A title by sweeping previously unbeaten and highly ranked Leesville (Raleigh).
St. James, 40-4, won its fifth-straight Kansas title and Burlington, 44-2, won its second-straight D1 title in Wisconsin.
And Bayside Academy defeated Cottage Hill Christian (Mobile, Ala.) to win its 11th-straight 3A title and improve to 65-2 overall. The Lady Ads won their final 63 games.
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MaxPreps playoff brackets from around the country.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Volleyball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard1. (1 last week) Bishop Moore (Orlando, Fla.), 28-0Bishop Moore beat 21-5 West Shore (Melbourne), 3-0 (25-6, 27-25, 25-9). They host Florida's No. 2 ranked team, Lake Highland, Nov. 6 in regionals. The Hornets have beaten Lake Highland (19-5) three times this year.
2. (2) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 31-0Mitty recorded impressive 3-0 wins over Valley Christian (30-8) and 28-8 Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco). The Monarchs open the playoffs on Nov. 10. The Monarchs have won 80 of 86 games this season.
3. (5) Lafayette (Wildwood, Mo.), 40-0 Lafayette defeated 31-5 Howell (St. Charles) in the state semifinals, then blanked Lee's Summit West 26-24 and 25-19 to win their second straight state title. The Lancers haven't lost since October of 2011, and have won 50 straight since. In going unbeaten this season, the Lancers did not lose a single game (80-0).
Amber Rolfzen
Photo by Sam Soliday
4. (3) Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.), 39-1The Titans have won 24 straight and open state play on Nov. 8 versus rival Papillion-LaVista (22-16). Since a Sept. 26 loss to Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), the Titans have won 58 of the 60 games they've played.
5. (4) Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), 41-2Kentucky state champion. Season over.
6. (7) Doherty (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 25-0The Spartans recorded sweeps over Ralston Valley (Arvada) and George Washington (Denver) to move on to state play on Friday.
7. (9) Lakeville North (Minn.), 29-1The Panthers have 19 straight wins since forfeiting their match against Burnsville. In defeating 23-4 Eagan for the Section 3AAA title, 3-1, the Panthers advance to the state tournament, which opens Thursday.
8. (10) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 45-3The Dragons have won 28 straight matches as they move into regional play quarterfinals versus 33-3 Coronado (Lubbock) on Tuesday. During their 28-match win streak, the Dragons have lost just two games.
9. (11) Punahou (Honolulu), 18-1Lead by setter
Tayler Higgins, libero Julia Lau and outside hitter
Carly Kan, the Blue and Gold defeated Kamehameha-Kapalama, 3-1 (25-15, 18-25, 25-16, 25-23), for Hawaii's Division I girls volleyball state title. Kan was named MVP.
10. (19) St. Ursula Academy (Toledo, Ohio), 25-1In defeating North Royalton and Findley, St. Ursula moved into the state semifinals against Ursuline Academy (21-6). The teams have split their season matches. SUA is riding a 17-match winning streak.
11. (12) Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.), 33-3The Sea Hawks have won 27 straight since losing to Torrey Pines on Sept. 15. They open Southern Section play on Thursday.
12. (13) Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 42-3Horizon has won 14 straight matches and plays Xavier (Phoenix) in the state Division 1 finals on Tuesday. Xavier, 35-10, is the last team to beat Horizon, 2-1 on Oct. 6.
Ardrey Kell won it all in North Carolina.
Photo by Keith Coward
Lead by senior outside hitter
Rachel Eppley, Ardrey Kell swept previously unbeaten Leesville Road (Raleigh) to win the North Carolina state 4A championship. Eppley (who has committed to North Carolina State) was selected MVP as she led the Huskies with eight kills and 25 digs.
14. (15) Reagan (San Antonio), 42-2With their 5A regional-opening over Clark (3-0), the Rattlers have won 28 straight and advance to the regional quarterfinals on Tuesday.
15. (17) Coppell (Texas), 44-3The Cowgirls have reeled off 14 straight wins and meet rival Hebron (Carrollton) in regional quarterfinals on Tuesday. Hebron (26-13) is the last team to beat Coppell (Sept. 21).
Read a feature on Coppell's courageous fight after losing two classmates.
16. (17) Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.), 34-2Benet has won 22 matches and lost just one game since losing back-to-back games in late September. With three wins, the Redwings advance to the state semifinals on Friday against 35-6 Libertyville.
17. (23) New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.), 32-1The Trevians meet 35-5 Mother McAuley (Chicago) on Friday in the Class 4A state semifinals. New Trier's path to the state semifinals included wins over Niles North (Skokie), Niles West (Skokie) and Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn).
18. (24) Clarkston (Mich.), 23-1-1Clarkston beat Adams (Rochester), 3-0, then struggled in 3-2 win over Romeo to win District 30. Clarkston, which has a 21-match winning streak, opens regional play Tuesday versus Eisenhower (Shelby).
St. James Academy is blocking out thecompetition this season.
Photo by Sam Soliday
St. James swept all five opponents, including Shawnee Heights (Tecumseh) in the finals, to win the state 5A championship, the Thunder's fifth straight. Freshman setter
Jenna Gray recorded 124 assists in the state tournament. In dating back to 2006, St. James has lost 12 matches while winning 225.
20. (20) Marymount (Los Angeles) 24-5Last week, the Sailors beat Immaculate Heart (Los Angeles) and Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood) and open CIF playoff action Tuesday hosting 14-9 Great Oak (Temecula).
21. (22) St. Francis (Sacramento, Calif.), 31-2The Troubadours begin playoff action Tuesday against 16-16 Tokay (Lodi).
22. (22) Torrey Pines (San Diego), 25-4Torrey Pines beat Westview (San Diego) on Friday, 3-2, to improve to 25-4 and open the section playoffs against 17-2 San Diego on Tuesday.
23. (NR) Burlington (Wis.) 44-2This season, the Demons outscored opponents 104-9 and won the Division 1 state championship with a sweep of Divine Savior Holy (Milwaukee).
Ciara Capezio had 20 kills to lead the Demons. Her 84 kills in the tournament ranks second-most in the Division 1 record book. It is Burlington's second-straight state title. In winning their final 16 matches, the Demons lost just two games.
24. (NR) Bayside Academy (Daphne, Ala.), 65-2The Admirals recorded their 63rd-straight match victory of the season with a 3-0 sweep over Cottage Hill Christian Academy (Mobile). The victory was timely as it came in the state 3A championship match. It marked Bayside's 11th-straight state title and 21st in school history. Bayside's only losses this season occurred in September and to large schools (Brentwood of Tennessee and McGill-Toolen of Mobile, Ala.).
25. (NR) Venice (Fla.) 27-3 Winners of 14 straight, the Indians play in the regional semifinals against 21-7 Martin County on Tuesday.
