ALMIGHTY! No. 7 Mother McAuley (IL) wins second straight ASICS Challenge; No. 23 St. Francis (CA) enters Blue Star Media Net 25 girls’ volleyball rankings after success at Nike TOC Southwest

BENSALEM, Pa. – Big doings last weekend from Chicago and Arizona, where two prestigious national tournaments had an influence on the Blue Star Media Net 25 girls’ volleyball rankings.

Let’s start in Chicago, where the homestanding No. 7 Mother McAuley zooms up 12 spots in the Net 25 rankings after winning the ASICS Challenge for the second straight year. The Mighty Macs have yo-yoed in the Net 25 but found their way back into the top-10. They beat No. 8 Notre Dame Academy (Park Hills, Ky.) in a two-set sweep in the final. The Mighty Macs remain one slot behind No. 6 Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), which came into town a day early and won an independent regular season matchup. The Rockets also beat the Might Macs earlier last month when they traveled to Kentucky for a tournament.

In Mesa, Arizona, No. 23 St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.) enters the Net 25 after capturing the Nike Tournament of Champions Southwest Platinum Bracket. Standouts from St. Francis at the event included outside hitters Taylor Williams and Erin Curtis, setter Hannah Maguire and libero Whitney Wallace.

As a result, No. 13 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth, Calif.) dips eight spots and No. 14 Cornerstone Christian School (San Antonio) seven after their performance at the Nike TOC Southwest. Grace Carroll, Kaia Thiele and Megan Fitch had solid tournaments for Cornerstone.

Don’t forget to tune on Friday to ESPN for an opportunity to watch three teams from the Net 25 rankings in Plano, Texas. The third annual ESPN High School Girls Volleyball Showcase takes place on Oct. 6 with No. 14 Cornerstone Christian meeting St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.) at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+; and No. 4 Cathedral Catholic faces No. 5 Prestonwood Christian Academy (Plano, Texas) at 10 p.m. on ESPNU.

That’s it for another week. October is here and the state playoffs can’t be far behind.

The Blue Star Media Net 25 girls’ volleyball rankings return Oct. 11. There is just over a month worth of rankings left. We’ll drop the final rankings before Thanksgiving.

Stay safe. We hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

 Blue Star Media Net 25 Girls’ Volleyball Rankings, Oct. 4, 2023

1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (32-2)

Previous rank: 1.

Digs: The Monarchs are three wins away from finishing the regular season while winning the Trinity League championship with a perfect mark.

2. Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (25-2)

Previous: 2.

Digs: The Mustangs needed five sets to edge Redondo Union (Redondo Beach) and then rolled over Peninsula (Rolling Hills Estates) in three. Two weeks remain in the regular season and the Mustangs are four wins from completing a perfect season in the Bay League.

3. Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Ind. (26-0)

Previous: 3.

Digs: The Royals swept three local matches last week.

4. Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, Calif. (22-3)

Previous: 4.

Digs: Swept both La Jolla and Point Loma (San Diego) in three sets.

5. Prestonwood Christian Academy, Plano, Texas (26-4)

Previous: 6.

Digs: Defeated Ursuline Academy (Dallas) and Parish Episcopal (Dallas) in three sets apiece, upping its mark to 6-0 in TAPPS Class 6A, District 1.

6. Assumption, Louisville, Ky. (24-4)

Previous: 8.

Digs: Fell in the semifinals of the ASICS Challenge Gold Bracket. Two weeks remain in the regular season.

7. Mother McAuley, Chicago (22-3)

Previous: 19.

Digs: For the second consecutive year, the Mighty Macs won the ASICS Challenge on their home court, beating No. 8 Notre Dame Academy (Park Hills, Ky.), 25-20, 25-18, in the final. Michigan-bound outside hitter Ellie White spiked 14 kills, freshman setter Peyton Heatherly handed out 22 assists and Sam Falk added 29 digs. White was named to the all-tournament team for the second straight year.

8. Notre Dame Academy, Park Hills, Ky. (24-3)

Previous: 22.

Digs: The Pandas finished second at the ASICS Challenge Gold Bracket, losing to host school No. 7 Mother McAuley (Chicago) in two sets.

9. Wayzata, Plymouth, Minn. (19-0)

Previous: 9.

Digs: Defeated Eden Prairie, 25-17, 25-16, 25-14.

10. Grand Oaks, Spring, Texas (37-1)

Previous: 10.

Digs: Defeated College Park (The Woodlands) and Caney Creek in three sets, improving to 10-0 in District 13-6A.

11. Papillion (Neb.)-La Vista South (25-0)

Previous: 11.

Digs: Idle. The Titans resume play on Thursday against Burke (Omaha).

12. Divine Savior Holy Angels, Milwaukee (33-1)

Previous: 12.

Digs: The Dashers were a respectable 5-1 at the ASICS Challenge in Chicago.

13. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (29-5)

Previous: 5.

Digs: Advanced to the Nike Tournament of Championship Gold Bracket final in Mesa, Ariz. The Blazers went 3-0 in pool play.

14. Cornerstone Christian School, San Antonio (34-5)

Previous: 7.

Digs: Finished in second place at the Nike Tournament of Championship Platinum Bracket in Mesa, Ariz.

15. Carrollwood Day School, Tampa, Fla. (20-2)

Previous: 13.

Digs: Defeated Tampa Bay HEAT (Brandon), 25-5, 25-9, 25-14. Freshman Lydia Chinchar had 18 spikes and senior Naomi Chinchar added 32 assists and seven digs.

16. Viera, Fla. (16-2)

Previous: 14.

Digs: The Hawks defeated Heritage (Palm Bay), 25-7, 25-11, 25-12, and Merritt Island, 22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-22. In the latter match, Isabella Starck recorded 28 kills and Sophia Jones added 13 and 20 digs. Senior setter Mallory Merz collected 31 assists and Starck had 21.

17. Huntington Beach, Calif. (25-6)

Previous: 15.

Digs: The Oilers rattled off three league wins.

18. Pace Academy, Atlanta (29-3)

Previous: 16.

Digs: The Knights are rounding into form and currently have a win streak of 10 games. The regular season ends this week with Blessed Trinity (Roswell) in Class 4A, Region 5.

19. Dripping Springs, Texas (40-3)

Previous: 17.

Digs: The Tigers swept Bowie (Austin), Del Valle and Johnson (Buda) in District 26-6A action.

20. Marist, Chicago (20-2)

Previous: 18.

Digs: Lost in the semifinals of the ASICS Challenge Gold Bracket.

21. Immaculate Heart Academy, Washington Township, N.J. (13-0)

Previous: 20.

Digs: In a battle of New Jersey’s top two teams, the Blue Eagles swept Southern (Manahawkin), 25-17, 25-19. Julia Sobilio had nine spikes and Kalena Stavish put up 18 assists and six service points.

22. Punahou School, Honolulu (25-1)

Previous: 21.

Digs: The Puns continued their dominance in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, sweeping Damien (Honolulu) and Mid-Pacific Institute (Honolulu) in three sets apiece.

23. St. Francis, Mountain View, Calif. (22-3)

Previous: Not ranked.

Digs: The Lancers were crowned championships of the Nike Tournament of Champions Southwest Platinum Bracket, defeating No. 7 Cornerstone Christian School (San Antonio), 25-19, 22-25, 15-9, in the final. This week the Lancers have two games in the West Catholic League and a tournament this weekend in Stockton.

24. Alpharetta, Ga. (32-2)

Previous: 24.

Digs: The Raiders win streak reached 31 games with three wins last week.

25. Branson School, Ross, Calif. (18-4)

Previous: 25.

Digs: The Bulls are 4-0 in Marin County League.

Dropped out: No. 23 Flint Hill School (Oakton, Va.).

Special Consideration: Marymount (Los Angeles);  Kamehameha-Kapalama (Honolulu); Skyridge (Lehi, Utah); St. Mary’s (Lancaster, N.Y.); Pope John Paul II (Royersford, Pa.); Archbishop Hannan (Covington, La.); Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.); Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.); Hudsonville (Mich.); Lafayette (Wildwood, Mo.); Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Colo.); Blue Valley North (Overland Park, Kan.); Jesuit (Portland, Ore.); Xavier College Prep (Phoenix); Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Oconomowoc (Wis.).

Records are through Sunday.

About: The Blue Star Media Net 25 High School Girls’ Volleyball Rankings are released weekly from August until the conclusion of the high school season in November. Criteria considered are the quality of the team and its players, strength of schedule, tradition, and quality of the team’s league, conference, region or district. The rankings are compiled by Blue Star Media’s Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of coaches, talent evaluators and prep sports writers. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @clawlor.