While the Papillion-LaVista South Titans have the long win streak and the All-American candidates that mark a No. 1 ranked team, the one thing they lacked was a signature win over a Top 10 opponent.
Papillion-LaVista South passed itsbiggest test of the year bybeating St. James Academy.
Photo by Sam Soliday
That all changed last week, however, as the Titans
outlasted previous No. 7 St. James Academy in five games to remain undefeated and stay atop the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Volleyball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.
St. James Academy was undefeated entering the match and had wins over such nationally recognized powers as Bishop Miege, Bishop Kelley (Tulsa, Okla.), and St. Joseph's Academy (St. Louis, Mo.). However, the Titans overcame a one game deficit twice to edge the Thunder in the fifth game.
The loss only drops St. James Academy one spot while Assumption move up one spot to No. 7.
The only team to drop out of the rankings this week is Westlake (Austin, Texas), which lost a district match. Another Texas team, Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas) moves back into the Xcellent 25 after a monthlong absence.
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL RANKINGS PRESENTED BY THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD1. (Last week 1) Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.), 25-0
The Titans followed up their midweek win over previously undefeated St. James Academy with a sweep of Lincoln East and Lincoln Southwest by identical 2-0 scores at the Lincoln East Double Duals.
2. (2) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 38-0
The Cavaliers continue to throw up zeroes against their district opponents, blanking Vandegrift 3-0 behind
Katy Beals' 28 assists, and winning 3-0 against Marble Falls with
Amy Neal's 14 kills and Beals' 32 assists.
3. (3) Avon (Ind.), 31-0
Avon closed in on an undefeated regular season with a championship at the Columbus East Tournament. Avon defeated Columbus East 2-1 in the championship match. Avon also defeated McCutcheon behind
Beth Prince's 20 kills.
4. (4) Chaparral (Parker, Colo.), 15-0
The Wolverines shut out Douglas County (Castle Rock) and Legend (Parker) by 3-0 scores to remain undefeated on the season and move their league record to 7-0.
5. (5) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 36-1
The Dragons began the second round of district play the same way they started the first, by shutting out Saginaw 3-0 and Northwest (Justin) 3-0. A key game lies ahead for Carroll when it takes on Coppell on Friday.
6. (6) St. Ursula Academy (Toledo, Ohio), 19-0
The Arrows blanked perennial state championship contender Dublin Coffman 3-0 and also topped Notre Dame Academy 3-1 in league play among its four victories last week.
7. (8) Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), 34-1
The Rockets completed regular season play with a thrilling 3-2 win over rival Mercy (Louisville) and a 3-1 win over Notre Dame Academy (Park Hills) last week. Assumption begins the defense of its state championship this week.
8. (7) St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.), 29-1
Prior to Wednesday's loss to Papillion-LaVista South, the Thunder won the Lawrence Tournament with a victory over Bishop Miege in the championship match.
9. (9) Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.), 22-2
The Buccaneers got back on track with a first-place finish at the Tampa Prep Invitational. Berkeley Prep topped Buchholz 3-0 in the championship match of the Gold Division.
10. (10) Pope (Marietta, Ga.), 38-2
The Greyhounds captured the 7-AAAA region title with six wins last week including a 3-0 triumph over Sprayberry in the final match Saturday.
11. (11) Bishop Moore (Orlando, Fla.), 16-1
The Hornets topped Dr. Phillips and Boone last week, getting 35 assists from
Allie Monserez in the win over Boone.
12. (12) Muncie Burris (Ind.), 30-1
The Owls head into the final week of the regular season as the top 2A team in Indiana after two more 2-0 wins over Blue River Valley (Mt. Summit) and Southside (Muncie).
13. (13) Los Alamitos (Calif.), 23-1
The Griffins picked up a key league victory with a 3-1 win over Newport Harbor, which was ranked No. 2 in Orange County. Los Alamitos has another tough matchup this week when it faces Edison (Huntington Beach).
14. (14) East Lake (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), 11-1
The Eagles captured three wins last week, beating Dixie Hollins (St. Petersburg) twice by 3-0 scores and St. Petersburg by an identical 3-0 score.
15. (15) Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.), 24-3
The Stags suffered a loss to St. James Academy at the Lawrence Tournament last weekend, their third loss of the season to the Thunder. Bishop Miege bounced back to beat Blue Valley West and Blue Valley North during the week.
16. (16) Marymount (Los Angeles), 11-1
The Sailors did not have a match reported last week but are still ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section Division 1-A coaches poll.
17. (17) Xavier College Prep (Phoenix), 30-2
The Gators went undefeated in the Goldwater Volleyball Festival including a 2-0 win over Valley Christian (Chandler) in the final match. Xavier College Prep went 7-0 during the week to remain the top-rated team in Arizona.
18. (18) Presentation (San Jose, Calif.), 24-1
The Panthers won a pair of matches, including a West Catholic Athletic League matchup with Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 3-0. Presentation also topped Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) 3-0 with
Emily Sklar smashing 38 kills in the two matches combined.
19. (19) College Park (The Woodlands, Texas), 29-4
The Cavaliers raised their district record to 8-0 with a 3-0 victory over Oak Ridge (Conroe) and a 3-1 win over Kingwood.
20. (20) Cy-Woods (Cypress, Texas), 32-4
The Wildcats captured 3-0 wins over Cypress Falls (Houston) and Cypress Ranch (Houston) to up their district record to 13-0.
21. (22) York (Elmhurst, Ill.), 19-2
The Dukes upheld their top ranking in Illinois with 2-0 wins over Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn) and Downers Grove South last week.
22. (23) Chattahoochee (Alpharetta, Ga.), 38-7
The Cougars went undefeated in Region 6-AAAA play, beating Johns Creek 3-1 in the final game. Chattahoochee also went undefeated at the Border Wars Tournament last week, topping Brentwood of Tenn., Hillcrest of S.C. and Ravenwood of Tenn.
23. (21) Boyd (McKinney, Texas), 32-5
The Broncos topped Rowlett 3-0 and South Garland 3-0, but had a previous unreported loss to Marcus (Flower Mound) added to their loss total.
24. (24) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 13-2
St. Francis won its only match of the week, topping Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 3-1.
25. (NR) Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas), 36-4
Lovejoy returns to the Xcellent 25 rankings after winning 12 in a row since an August loss to Lake Travis. The Leopards are ranked No. 1 in the Texas Girls Coaches Association 3A state rankings.
Dropped Out
25. Westlake (Austin, Texas).
