Video: Xcellent 25 Girls Volleyball Rankings Presented By The Army National Guard MaxPreps host Myckena Guerrero breaks down this week's movement.
Top-ranked Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) is one of seven Top 25 teams, and five in the Top 10, that have yet to lose a match this season.
The question is, can the Rockets — or any of the other unbeatens – finish the season without a loss?
In finishing the regular season 35-0, and with four major tournament titles, the Rockets have won 83-of-90 sets this season. Ranked No. 1 for the fourth-straight week, Assumption opens District play Wednesday versus Louisville rival Male (20-7).
The road to an unbeaten season is always tough, but finishing unbeaten is nothing new for Assumption. The Rockets were 40-0 in 2001 and 43-0 in 2005 when they won two of their 20 state titles.
Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) avenged one of its two losses this season with a 3-0 blanking of previously ranked Marymount (Los Angles).
The Yorktown Tigers, ranked No. 3 with a 28-0 record, display their team-wide athleticism averaging 14.5 kills and 19.6 digs per set.
Top 10 teams Helias (Jefferson City, Mo.), Plant (Tampa, Fla.) and Sterling (Ill.) also have yet to lose and are nearing their postseasons.
The other unbeatens in the Top 25 are 29-0 Cedar Falls (Iowa) and Northwest (Germantown, Md.) which hasn't lost in three years. There are at least a dozen unbeaten teams getting closer to the Top 25 each week.
MaxPreps Xcellent Top 25 National Volleyball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
Emma Ammerman and Abby Heimlicher, Chaparral
Photo by Paul DiSalvo
The Rockets concluded their regular season without a loss and ran their win streak to 51.
2. (2) Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.), 26-2The Seahawks won the Power Classic Tournament with
Jasmine Davis earning Most Valuable Player honors. All-tournament teammates included
Kami Miner,
Nalani Iosia and
Ava Kirunchyk. The Seahawks have won 12 in a row.
3. (3) Yorktown (Ind.), 28-0The Tigers have lost one set this season. They open the first round of the state 4A tournament Thursday against 20-11 Huntington North (Huntington).
4. (4) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 33-2The Monarchs blanked previously ranked Marymount, 3-0.
5. (5) Byron Nelson (Trophy Club, Texas), 35-1The Bobcats are averaging 15.5 kills and 21.5 digs per set. They have won 11 straight matches.
6. (6) Marist (Chicago), 25-1The Redhawks have outscored two opponents 100-62 since losing to No. 1 Assumption.
7. (7) Helias (Jefferson City, Mo.), 27-0-1The Crusaders are another power-hitting team averaging better than 14 kills per set. Senior Ellie Rockets leads the way with a 5.1 per-set kill average.
8. (8) Plant (Tampa, Fla.), 15-0Plant's last five wins have come without losing a set.
9. (9) Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.), 36-1The Tigers have won 17 of 18 sets during their seven-match win streak.
10. (10) Sterling (Ill.), 26-0The Golden Warriors have lost only two sets this season — one in August and one in September.
11. (11) Walton (Marietta, Ga.), 34-3The Raiders beat Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 3-0 and open area playoff action on Tuesday as the state's No. 1 seed.
12. (12) Cedar Falls (Iowa), 29-0The Tigers have won 41 straight over two years and can close out the regular season without a loss Tuesday against Dubuque Senior (Dubuque).
13. (13) Mattawan (Mich.), 27-1With a trio of wins last week, the Wildcats ran their win streak to 19.
14. (17) Torrey Pines (San Diego), 25-3In winning 11 of their last 12 matches, the Falcons have lost just three sets.
15. (15) Kamehameha Kapalama (Honolulu), 31-2Since losing to No. 14 Torrey Pines, the Warriors are riding a five-match win streak heading into Tuesday's postseason.
16. (22) Castle (Newburgh, Ind.), 32-1The Knights have 23 straight wins and captured their second-straight invitational title by winning their own event with a 7-0 record.
17. (18) Chaparral (Parker, Colo.), 15-1The Wolverines ran their win streak to 10 and have lost just four sets during the streak.
18. (19) Ridge Point (Missouri City, Texas), 36-4The Panthers ran their win streak to 22 with a pair of wins over Sugar Land rivals.
19. (20) Mt. Carmel (New Orleans), 26-1The Cubs have lost just one set during their 12-match win streak.
Madelyn Keene is averaging 1.6 blocks per set.
20. (23) Blue Valley North (Overland Park, Kan.), 23-1The Mustangs are 21-1 in sets since losing and have won nine straight. They face 22-4 St. James (Lenexa) on Tuesday.
21. (NR) The Woodlands (Texas), 37-4The Highlanders have won 13 straight. Hitters
Courtney Heiser (Texas State pledge) and
Dylan Maberry (LSU commit) and libero
Georgia Murphy (Miami commit) lead the Highlanders.
22. (24) Champlin Park (Champlin, Minn.), 20-1The Rebels have won nine in a row and are averaging 14.6 kills per set this season.
23. (25) Northwest (Germantown, Md.), 10-0Northwest last lost in October, 2016. They haven't lost a set this season since August and have run their win streak to 37 matches
24. (NR) Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.), 36-2 The Saints concluded the regular season with 11 wins in a row and won the prestigious Southern Invitational Tournament last weekend and beat a trio of previously ranked Top 25 teams in the process. Junior setter
Loren Robertson is averaging better than 11 assists per set.
25. (NR) Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins, Colo.), 14-1The Sabercats are winners of 14 straight as 6-5
Riley Zuhn (Nebraska pledge) clogs the middle and libero
Charlie Durbin is averaging 4.6 digs per set.
Dropped out: McGill-Toolen (AL), Marymount (Los Angeles), Little Chute (Wis.).
