State playoffs have begun in several states with teams from Indiana, Ohio, and Kansas, among others, all beginning the march toward state titles.
All but one team in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Volleyball National Rankings won last week: Presentation (San Jose, Calif.) fell to Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) in its own tournament over the weekend and was replaced in the Xcellent 25 by Lakeville North of Minnesota.
In state playoff action, No. 2-ranked Muncie Burris opened the defense of its Indiana Class 2A state title with a sectional championship last week. The Owls have won 13 straight state championships and are closing in on 100 consecutive state tournament wins.
Meanwhile in Ohio, Ursuline Academy began the defense of its Division I state championship. The Lions are undefeated over the past two seasons with a 53-0 record.
In Kansas, both St. James Academy and Bishop Miege won substate tournaments and will continue in state tournament play this week. Bishop Miege is the defending 5A state champion while St. James Academy was the 4A champ last season.
Following is a look at this week's MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Volleyball National Rankings, presented by the Army National Guard:
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 VOLLEYBALL NATIONAL RANKINGS
1. (1) Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.), 30-0
The Titans completed the regular season with a pair of wins, defeating Papillion-LaVista (Papillion, Neb.) 3-1 and Gross Catholic (Omaha, Neb.) 3-0. Gross Catholic entered the match ranked No. 1 in the Nebraska Class B state rankings.
Amber Rolfzen had 17 kills and
Kadie Rolfzen added 12 in the win over Gross Catholic. The Titans began play in the Metro Conference Tournament on Oct. 25.
2. (2) Muncie Burris (Muncie, Ind.), 35-0
The Owls won their 91st consecutive state tournament match by defeating Wapahani in four sets Saturday at the sectional tournament. Muncie Burris is gunning for its 14th straight Indiana state championship.
3. (3) Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati), 24-0
The Lions opened defense of their Division I state championship with a pair of 3-0 wins in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Ursuline Academy blanked Hamilton (Ohio) in the first round and then did the same to Milford (Ohio) in the second.
Christina Beer and
Noelle Langenkamp each had nine kills against Hamilton with Beer adding 10 against Milford. The Lions meet Troy on Oct. 30 for the Springboro 2 District Championship.
4. (4) Cary-Grove (Cary, Ill.), 35-0
The Trojans ended the regular season with 2-0 wins over South (Crystal Lake, Ill.) and Dundee-Crown (Carpentersville, Ill.). They begin regional play on Oct. 28.
5. (5) Pope (Marietta, Ga.), 52-1
The Greyhounds advanced to the Elite Eight with a 3-0 win over Greenbrier (Evans, Ga.) and a 3-0 win over Jonesboro (Ga.). Pope plays John's Creek (Ga.) in the semifinals on Oct. 27.
6. (6) St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.), 39-1
The Thunder won the Class 4A sub-state tournament on Saturday, defeating Piper 2-0 in the finals while only allowing 12 points (25-7, 25-5). St. James also dropped Bishop Ward 25-5, 25-10 in the semifinals. St. James Academy begins state tournament play Friday against Louisburg.
7. (7) Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), 17-1
The Wolverines remained unbeaten in Mission League play with a 3-0 win over Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and a 3-0 win over defending Southern Section champion Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Calif.). Harvard-Westlake will head to the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions this weekend.
8. (8) La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.), 24-1
The Mavericks resumed league play and shut out Carlsbad (Calif.) 3-0 and Oceanside (Calif.) 3-0 to up their league mark to 5-0.
Hayley Hopper led La Costa Canyon against Oceanside with nine kills.
9. (9) Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), 35-4
The Rockets topped Sacred Heart (Louisville, Ky.) 2-1 for the 7th Region championship and will take on South Laurel on Oct. 29 to open the state tournament. Assumption also defeated Eastern (Louisville, Ky.) and Atherton (Louisville, Ky.) by 2-0 scores in the 7th Region tournament.
10. (10) Rose (Greenville, N.C.), 21-0
The Rampants opened the postseason with a 3-0 win over Richmond (Rockingham, N.C.).
Jamie DeRatt had 10 kills and
Caroline Douglas added nine for Rose, which plays Terry Sanford (Fayetteville, N.C.) in the second round this week.
11. (11) King (Corpus Christi, Texas), 39-3
The Mustangs begin the final week of district play with 24 straight wins after defeating Highlands (San Antonio, Texas) and Southwest (San Antonio, Texas) last week.
Dempsey Thornton had 13 kills and
Sarah Guzman had 12 in the win over Highlands.
Esther Longoria registered 37 assists.
12. (12) Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.), 34-3
The Stags won the Kansas Class 5A Substate A championship by blanking Pittsburg (Kan.) 2-0 in the finals. Bishop Miege also topped Turner (Kansas City, Kan.) 25-2, 25-3 in the semifinals. Earlier in the week, the Stags won two matches, topping Shawnee Heights (Tecumseh, Kan.) and Olathe Northwest (Kan.) by 2-0 scores.
13. (13) Mercy (Louisville, Ky.), 32-5
The Jaguars topped Holy Cross (Louisville, Ky.) 2-0 to win the 6th Region championship. Mercy also topped Butler (Louisville, Ky.) 2-0 and Male (Louisville, Ky.) 2-0 to advance to the region finals. Mercy begins the defense of its state championship on Friday against Greenwood.
14. (14) Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.), 23-2
The Buccaneers completed the regular season with a 3-0 win over Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville, Fla.).
Jordan Burgess had 11 kills in the win.
15. (15) Long Beach Poly (Calif.), 22-2
The Jackrabbits continued their shutout run in Moore League play with 3-0 wins over Compton (Calif.) and Cabrillo (Long Beach, Calif.).
16. (16) Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas), 39-3
The Leopards are just one win away from finishing undefeated in District 11-3A play. Lovejoy shut out Community (Nevada, Texas) and Lone Star (Frisco, Texas) last week and will finish district play this week against Prosper (Texas).
17. (17) Pearce (Richardson, Texas), 39-3
The Mustangs won their 41st district match with a 3-0 victory over McKinney (Texas). Pearce also blanked Rockwall-Heath (Texas) 3-0 and finish up district play against McKinney North (Texas) this week. Pearce got 11 kills from
Shelby Sullivan and 10 from
Katie O'Brien.
18. (18) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 40-2
The Cavaliers got 11 kills from
Amy Neal and
Piper Toler and 21 assists and five aces from
Katy Beals to drop Dripping Springs in three games.
19 (19) Westlake (Austin, Texas), 39-2
The Chaparrals picked up two wins, defeating Bowie (Austin, Texas) 3-0 behind
Paige Caridi's 10 kills, and Del Valle (Texas) 3-0 on
Grace Weghorst's nine kills.
Mollie Rogers, La Jolla Country Day
Photo by David Stephenson
The Wildcats moved closer to an undefeated district championship with 3-0 wins over Langham Creek (Houston) and Cypress Lakes (Katy, Texas).
Daniela Arenas had 18 kills in the win over Langham Creek.
21 (21) Marist (Chicago), 33-2
The Red Hawks defeated Joliet Catholic Academy early in the week for the East Suburban Catholic League title and then topped Hinsdale Central 2-1 for first place at the Downers Grove North Trojan Invitational on Saturday.
22. (22) La Jolla Country Day (Calif.), 21-3
The Torreys won the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona, defeating St. Joseph's Academy (St. Louis, Mo.) in the championship game 2-1. La Jolla Country Day also defeated defending Arizona 4A state champion Sunnyslope in the semifinals.
Mollie Rogers was named tournament MVP and had 13 kills in the championship match.
23. (24) Apex (N.C.), 22-0
The Cougars opened the North Carolina 4A East playoffs with a 3-0 win over Enloe (Raleigh, N.C.). Apex takes on Cary (N.C.) in the second round. Apex has already defeated Cary earlier this season.
24. (25) Marian (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), 57-3-1
The Mustangs won three matches last week, dropping Divine Child (Dearborn, Mich.) 3-0 and Notre Dame Prep (Pontiac, Mich.) in the league tournament.
Alessandra Dietz had 14 kills against Notre Dame Prep.
25. (NR) Lakeville North (Minn.), 25-1
Ranked No. 1 in the Class AAA rankings in Minnesota, Lakeville North completed the regular season with wins over defending state champion Shakopee (Minn.), 3-0, and Apple Valley (Minn.), 3-0. The Panthers will begin play in the Class AAA Section 3 tournament on Friday.
