JUST ‘DONDY’: No. 1 Cathedral Catholic Dons (CA) roll to Dave Mohs Tournament crown; Durango Fall Classic (NV) will feature six Blue Star Media Net 25 teams

BENSALEM, Pa. – One of the easiest ways to tack the best is where they play and who they play. For those states that allow their schools to travel, it’s a bonus and that counts in large amounts in the Blue Star Media Net 25 girls’ volleyball rankings.

Take last weekend when No. 1 Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) and No. 4 Mother McAuley (Chicago) both annexed prestigious tournament titles in California and Kentucky, respectively.

Cathedral (17-0) remained unbeaten by winning the Dave Mohs Tournament while the Mighty Macs went to Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament in Louisville. Both events featured star-studded fields with Net 25 teams.

Undefeated McAuley rose nine spots in the Net 25 and was one of five teams to move up. Nine teams dipped positions with No. 24 Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) cratering 17. There are two newcomers from the Midwest Region with No. 18 Yorktown (Ind.) and No. 21 Northfield (Minn.) entering following key victories.

Yet the tournament schedule continues this weekend.

So, there are big doings at Durango School in Las Vegas, Nevada, starting Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. PT when the Durango Fall Classic offers one of the best fields. Six teams from the Net 25 rankings are in the house, including No. 1 Cathedral Catholic of San Diego, California. For more information and who’s going to playing click here.

We’ll be all over it next week and likely this event will impact the Net 25 rankings as did the Nike Tournament of Champions Southeast earlier this month in Florida.

Okay, there’s another event that ESPN will televise next month, the GEICO Girls Volleyball Invitational on ESPNU and ESPN+, beginning Friday, Oct. 7.

The two-day tournament, hosted by Papillion (Neb.)-La Vista South, gathers four teams from four states: Papillion-La Vista South, Ponte Vedra (Fla.), Skyview (Nampa, Idaho) and Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.), No. 1 in the Blue Star Media Net 25 rankings.

The schedule:

Oct. 7, Skyview vs. Papillion-La Vista South, 5 p.m. ET; and Ponte Vedra vs. Cathedral Catholic, 7:30 p.m. ET.

Oct. 8, third place match, 5 p.m. ET; and championship is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET.

The GEICO Girls Volleyball Invitational is a product of the Paragon Marketing Group. Ticket and further event information can be found here.

That’s it for another week. The action is intensifying and weekend invitational tournaments only raise the stakes.

The Blue Star Media Net 25 rankings return Sept. 21.

Until next time, we hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Net 25 girls’ volleyball rankings, Sept. 14, 2022

1. Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, Calif. (17-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Digs: Won the Dave Mohs Tournament championship in Huntington Beach, Calif., beating No. 13 Marymount (Los Angeles), 28-26, 25-17, in the final. Outside hitter Kapiolani Coleman paced a balanced attack at the net with nine kills; junior Jenna Hanes blocked five shots; DePaul-commit junior setter Amanda Saeger handled 22 assists, but sophomore libero Maya Evens was named Most Valuable Player. The Dons have two Western League matches slated this week and travel to the Durango Fall Classic this weekend in Las Vegas.

2. Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (11-2)

Previous: 2.

Digs: The top squad in the loaded CIF-Southern Section Division ½ had one match and beat Torrey Pines (San Diego), 25-18, 25-20, 25-12. Senior Drew Wright collected 12 spikes and four blocks; Tanon Rosenthal had four service aces and sophomore Taylor Deckert added 21 digs.

3. Marian, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (21-0)

Previous: 4.

Digs: The Mustangs went 5-0 at the Program Cup Michigan Elite Volleyball in Pontiac and did not drop any sets to take home the championship. They went 8-0 last week. Additionally, setter Ava Sarafa (Kentucky recruit) and outside hitter Ella Schomer were named 2022 Miss Michigan Volleyball finalists. Only seniors can be nominated for the award.

4. Mother McAuley, Chicago (14-0)

Previous: 13.

Digs: The Girls from Chi-Town traveled to the Blue Grass State and came away with the hardware after capturing the Adidas Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament Gold bracket title. The Mighty Macs, who went 5-0, defeated No. 6 Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), 25-19, 23-25, 25-21. Standouts included Michigan-bound outside hitter and junior middle blocker Ellery Rees.

5. Cornerstone Christian School, San Antonio (42-2)

Previous: 5.

Digs: The Warriors added six more wins last week, including three to win the Houston Fast Tournament.

6. Assumption, Louisville, Ky. (15-1)

Previous: 3.

Digs: Took second at the Louisville Volleyball Invitational Tournament, falling to No. 4 Mother McAuley (Chicago), 19-25, 25-23, 21-25, in the final. The Rockets were paced on the outside by Chloe Smith, Charlotte Moriarity and Emma Barnett while Gabrielle Gerry and Bailey Blair plugged the middle.

7. Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Ind. (13-1)

Previous: 11.

Digs: Indiana’s top-ranked Class 4A team ascended to No. 1 by edging No. 18 Yorktown in five sets, including 15-10 in the fifth. Dayton-bound senior Avery Hobson recorded 17 spikes, averaging 3.4 per set. In a three-set sweep of Fishers, Hobson had 13 kills and five service aces.

8. McCutcheon, Lafayette, Ind. (11-1)

Previous: 6.

Digs: After dropping the first set to Noblesville, 16-25, the Mavericks heated and rolled in the next three, 25-16, 25-15, 25-13. Junior Allie Shondell orchestrated the offense with 35 assists and Purdue-bound All-American outside hitter Chloe Chicoine put away 25 kills for a 54.3 kill percentage. In 32 sets, Chicoine has 193 kills.

9. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (15-2)

Previous: 8.

Digs: It was a seminal win for the Trailblazers, who edged out No. 13 Marymount (Los Angeles), 26-24, 25-23, 25-23, in straight sets. The trio of Olivia Babcock (13 kills), Boston College-bound Danica Rach (12) and Clemson-recruit Jada Cione (11) combined for 36 kills. This weekend the Blazers are off to loaded Durango Tournament in Las Vegas.

10. Westminster Christian, Palmetto Bay, Fla. (10-0)

Previous: 9.

Digs: Two more quality wins for the Warriors in three sets against St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) and Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota).

11. Conroe, Texas (34-1)

Previous: 10.

Digs: The Tigers bounced back from their lone loss, defeating district rivals Oak Ridge (Conroe) and New Caney in three sets apiece.

12. Cleveland, Tenn. (24-1)

Previous: 12.

Digs: Defeated Hardin Valley Academy (Knoxville), 25-21, 25-17, 25-15. Senior Addison Hurst had 14 kills and sophomore Lauren Hurst provided 11 spikes and three service aces.

13. Marymount, Los Angeles (4-1)

Previous: 15.

Digs: Lost in Dave Mohs Tournament Division 1 final to top-ranked Cathedral Catholic (San Diego).

14. Redondo Union, Redondo Beach, Calif. (10-4)

Previous: 14.

Digs: Defeated Torrance, 25-18, 25-23, 25-21. The Sea Hawks still have two dates with No. 2 Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) in conference play.

15. Prestonwood Christian Academy, Plano, Texas (24-1)

Previous: 17.

Digs: The Lions made quick work of Decatur and Gunter in straight sets. The TAPPS Class 6A District 1 schedule picks up this week.

16. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (8-3)

Previous: 16.

Digs: Advanced to the quarterfinals of the Dave Mohs Tournament Division 1 bracket. This weekend the Monarchs travel to Las Vegas for another tournament.

17. Huntington Beach, Calif. (11-2)

Previous: 18.

Digs: Advanced to the Dave Mohs Tournament Division 1 semifinals.

18. Yorktown, Ind. (15-2)

Previous: Not ranked.

Digs: The Tigers are unbeaten in conference play and wiped out three opponents, Mount Vernon, Brownsburg and Penn (Mishawaka) in straight sets last week. Sophomore outside hitter Charlotte Vinson surpassed 500 career kills. Senior Emilee Hill is the team’s leader and top playmaker. Earlier this season coach Stephanie Bloom notched her 500th career win.

19. Lincoln (Neb.) East (8-1)

Previous: 19.

Digs: The Spartans defeated North Star (Lincoln), 25-17, 25-21, 25-18 as junior setter Aaliyah Bradford recorded 35 assists and junior Shandy Faalii put away 16 kills. They also beat Pius X (Lincoln), 25-17, 25-14, 21-25, 25-19. Junior Megan Waters (13 kills) and Faalii (19) teamed for 32 kills and sophomore Zoe Rademacher contributed 14 digs.

20. Santa Fe, Alachua, Fla. (10-1)

Previous: 20.

Digs: The Raiders swept Forest (Ocala) and Vanguard (Ocala) in three sets apiece. Senior Jalyn Stout has a team-high 171 kills and 111 assists and setter Anisa Dorlouis has 145 assists.

21. Northfield, Minn. (9-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Digs: The Raiders remained perfect after knocking off then-No. 7 and defending Class 4A champions Wayzata (Plymouth), 25-23, 28-26 at the Southwest Minnesota Challenge. Tennessee-commit Sydney Jaynes had 10 kills and Teagan Jaynes added 19 assists. Addison Ertz had 12 digs.

22. Skutt Catholic, Omaha, Neb. (11-4)

Previous: 21.

Digs: A trip to the Kansas City area yielded a 2-1 mark with the loss to St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland, Kan.) in five sets. The SkyHawks faced South Sioux City in the lone action this week on Sept. 20.

23. North Allegheny, Wexford, Pa. (10-1)

Previous: 22.

Digs: Won the Upper St. Clair Tournament, beating Canon-McMillan (Canonsburg) in the title match. The Tigers went 5-1 in pool play but rallied to stop Morgantown (W.Va.) and  North Catholic (Pittsburgh) in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

24. Wayzata, Plymouth, Minn. (9-1)

Previous: 7.

Digs: The Trojans fell to No. 21 Northfield (Minn.), 23-25, 26-28, ending their 65-game win streak at the Southwest Minnesota Challenge.

25. Immaculate Heart Academy, Washington Township, N.J. (8-0)

Previous: 25.

Digs: In the season opener, Brookelyn Talmadge spiked 12 kills and setter Kalena Stavish dished off 26 assists in a 25-8, 25-11victory over Demarest. The Blue Eagles also won the Jersey Classic in Paramus, defeating Bogota, 25-16 in the final.

Dropped out: No. 23 Williamstown (N.J.) and No. 24 St. Mary’s (Lancaster, N.Y.).

Special Consideration: Punahou School (Honolulu); Buford (Ga.); Lafayette (Wildwood, Mo.); Highland Park (Dallas); Tampa (Fla.) Prep; St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.); Divine Savior Holy Angels (Milwaukee); Dike (Iowa)-New Hartford; Northville (Mich.); St. Ursula (Cincinnati); Flint Hill (Oakton, Va.); Washburn Rural (Topeka, Kan.); Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Byron Nelson (Trophy Club, Texas) and Fayetteville (Ark.).

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. 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. The final rankings will be released at the conclusion of the season in November. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.