Kansas schools No. 21 Washburn Rural and No. 23 St. Thomas Aquinas enter Blue Star Media Net 25 volleyball rankings with regular season dwindling

BENSALEM, Pa. – When the volleyball season turns into the third month for a majority of the nation, attrition strikes and that means change.

The Blue Star Media Net 25 girls’ volleyball rankings aren’t immune to change and there are three newcomers this week. All three that dropped out were from the Midwest and all three to enter are from the Heartland, including two from Kansas and another from Nebraska.

No. 21 Washburn Rural (Topeka, Kan.), No. 23 St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park, Kan.) and No. 25 Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest are in. Aquinas looked impressive winning a tournament in Omaha, Nebraska. Washburn Rural did not drop a game during six matches last weekend at the Derby Tournament near Wichita, Kansas. Lincoln Southwest just keeps winning and is clearly Nebraska’s top-ranked team regardless of classification.

All three have played challenging schedules and slide into the Net 25 just before their state playoffs get underway.

Speaking of Nebraska, No. 1 Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) departed the Left Coast for a two-day event at Nebraska powerhouse Papillion-LaVista South last weekend. The Dons stayed perfect blowing through the GEICO Volleyball Invitational that was televised on ESPNU and ESPN+. Finally, the nation witnessed the impressive play of the San Diego school. The Dons are loaded with 10 seniors and six players with Division I commitments.

Cathedral Catholic was 30-0 after returning from the Midwest and will conclude the regular season with little pushback locally and then the California Interscholastic Federation-San Diego Section playoffs followed by the Southern California Region championships (Nov. 8-10, 12 and 15). The state championships are Nov. 18-19 at Santiago Canyon College in Orange.

No. 22 Mountain View (Orem, Utah) pops up two slots after annexing the 5A/6A Volleyball Challenge crown. Essentially, it’s a preview of the Utah upcoming state championships. The Bruins (23-2) blasted through the field and should close out the regular season without a hitch.

The great state of Indiana starts its sectional tournaments on Thursday and the Net 25 rankings feature three teams that a state-championship caliber squads in Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers), McCutcheon (Lafayette) and Yorktown. The Indiana Class 4A tournament will be one to keep an eye on.

FYI: The 4A final is Nov. 5, 8 p.m. ET, at Ball State University’s Worthen Arena in Muncie. It’ll be streamed live and if you are in the neighborhood, it’s assignment volleyball.

Next week, we’ll have results from state playoffs.

Well, that’s it for another week.

The Blue Star Media Net 25 girls’ volleyball rankings return on Oct. 19.

Don’t forget to attend a match before it’s too late. Until then we hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Net 25 girls’ volleyball rankings, Oct. 12, 2022

1. Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, Calif. (30-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Digs: The Dons cemented themselves as the nation’s top-ranked team, winning a made-for-TV tournament that was shown on ESPN from Nebraska. In the GEICO Volleyball Invitational final, they crushed host Papillion (Neb.)-LaVista, 25-23, 25-17, 25-19. Colgate-bound outside hitter Milan Bayless smashed 16 kills, setter Amanda Saeger had 42 assists and Stanford-commit Julia Blyashov added 13 kills.

2. Cornerstone Christian School, San Antonio (53-2)

Previous: 2.

Digs: Idle. The Warriors refueled last week with the TAPPS Class 6A tournament on the horizon.

3. Marian, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (28-0)

Previous: 3.

Digs: The Mavericks play in the Beast of the East Tournament this weekend and then wrap up the regular season in the Detroit Catholic League tournament beginning next week.

4. Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (31-3)

Previous: 4.

Digs: Won the Redondo Union Molten Power Classic, beating the host school, 25-10, 25-19, in the final. Tanon Rosenthal contributed nine kills and seven dogs. The Mustangs have two games this week in the Bay League and can go 10-0 by winning both. That means the Mustangs are a shoo-in for the No. 1 seed in the upcoming CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoffs pool.

5. Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Ind. (27-1)

Previous: 5.

Digs: Won the Hoosiers Crossroads Conference title for the fifth straight time and stretched the conference win streak to 33 matches. The Royals shift their attention to the postseason and host Carmel in the Class 4A, Section 8 opener on Thursday.

6. Mother McAuley, Chicago (25-2)

Previous: 6.

Digs: Defeated St. Ignatius College Prep (Chicago) and Providence Catholic (New Lenox, Ill.) in GCAC play. This weekend the Mighty Macs will participate in the Autumnfest.

7. Marymount, Los Angeles (26-6)

Previous: 8.

Digs: The Sailors defeated then-No. 7 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth), 25-23, 16-25, 25-22, 25-16. The teams enter the week tied atop the Mission League standings.

8. Westminster Christian, Palmetto Bay, Fla. (19-0)

Previous: 9.

Digs: The Warriors won six times last week, including two in tournament play. The regular season winds down this week with two non-district matches.

9. McCutcheon, Lafayette, Ind. (29-1)

Previous: 10.

Digs: The Lady Mavericks closed out the regular season winning the North Central Tournament and on Senior Night topped Lafayette Central Catholic, 25-5, 25-16, 25-11. A pair seniors surpassed more milestones as outside hitter Chloe Chicoine went past 1,000 digs and Raegan Burns recorded her 200th ace. The Class 4A sectionals start this week against Marion on Thursday.

10. Prestonwood Christian Academy, Plano, Texas (31-1)

Previous: 11.

Digs: Defeated Bishop Lynch (Dallas), 19-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-20.

11. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (27-4)

Previous: 7.

Digs: Split two Mission League matches with two left in the regular season.

12. Highland Park, Dallas (34-2)

Previous: 12.

Digs: The Scots swept Pearce (Richardson) and Nimitz (Irving) in three sets apiece in District 7-6A and are unbeaten in nine matches.

13. Yorktown, Ind. (28-2)

Previous: 13.

Digs: Closed out the regular season, stopping Center Grove (Greenwood), 25-14, 25-20, 25-12. The Tigers open the postseason Thursday against Richmond in the Class 4A, Section 9 tournament.

14. Assumption, Louisville, Ky. (26-6)

Previous: 14.

Digs: Defeated Holy Cross (Louisville), 25-9, 25-13, 25-13, and Mercy (Louisville), 34-36, 25-17, 25-17, 13-25, 17-15. The Rockets have a gigantic match with Notre Dame Academy (Park Hills, Ky.) on Thursday.

15. Cypress Ranch, Houston (36-2)

Previous: 15.

Digs: Defeated Cypress Woods, 25-17, 25-19, 25-17, and Cypress Springs, 25-11, 25-13, 25-16.

16. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (23-7)

Previous: 16.

Digs: Defeated Orange Lutheran, 25-13, 25-21, 25-20. Isabel Clark spiked 17 kills, Gabi Gubbins served three aces and had 15 digs and sophomore setter Ayva Ostovar handed out 18 assists.

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

Previous: 17.

Digs: Won Swing For The Cure Tournament in Orlando, beating Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota), 25-18, 25-20. Jalyn Stout had 12 assists and 11 kills and Miya Thomas added 15 digs in the final.

18. Fayetteville, Ark. (29-2)

Previous: 21.

Digs: Defeated Bentonville West (Centerton), 25-19, 25-14, 25-22. Setter Kennedy Phelan, a Florida State recruit, had 26 assists, seven kills and six digs.

19. Huntington Beach, Calif. (25-3)

Previous: 22.

Digs: Defeated Los Alamitos and Laguna Beach in straight sets during Surf League play.

20. Immaculate Heart Academy, Washington Township, N.J. (20-1)

Previous: 23.

Digs: The Blue Eagles rolled into the Bergen County Tournament quarterfinals after taking down Pascack Hills (Montvale), 25-21, 25-14, in the second round. Kalena Stavish handed out 29 assists and Brookelyn Talmadge put away 13 kills while Eve Roman had three aces and seven digs. They will face Old Tappan on Saturday in the next round.

21. Washburn Rural, Topeka, Kan. (26-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Digs: In winning the Derby Tournament, the Lady Blues did not drop a set in six matches. They also defeated Kansas powerhouse Olathe Northwest, 25-16, 21-25, 250, 25-23. Earlier this month, coach Kevin Bordewick posted his 1,000th victory when the Lady Blue won the Centennial League championship.

22. Mountain View, Orem, Utah (23-2)

Previous: 24.

Digs: Won the 5A/6A Volleyball Challenge, defeating Bountiful, 20-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-18, in the final. The Bruins won all six matches over two days. Only four matches remain in the regular season.

23. St. Thomas Aquinas, Overland Park, Kan. (31-3)

Previous: Not ranked.

Digs: Won the SkyHawk Invitational in Omaha, Neb. The Saints have played a quality schedule with several key wins as one of Kansas’ top teams.

24. Nolensville, Tenn. (35-5)

Previous: 18.

Digs: Upset by Ravenwood in three sets. The District 11-AAA tournament starts this week.

25. Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest (20-2)

Previous: Not ranked.

Digs: The Silver Hawks enter the Net 25 at Nebraska’s No. 1 team and the favorite in the upcoming Class 4A tournament. The regular season ends this week against Lincoln East and Fremont.

Dropped out: No. 19 Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.); No. 20 Skutt Catholic (Omaha, Neb.) and No. 25 Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.).

 Special Consideration: Iolani School (Honolulu); Liberty (Mo.) North; Kamehameha-Kapalama (Honolulu); Punahou School (Honolulu); Buford (Ga.); St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.); Pace Academy (Atlanta); Dike (Iowa)-New Hartford; Oconomowoc (Wis.); Pope (Marietta, Ga.); Marshall (Minn.); Plano (Texas) West; Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati); Flint Hill (Oakton, Va.); Papillion (Neb.)-La Vista South; Magnificat (Rocky River, Ohio); Fairport (N.Y.); Lakewood (Calif.) Oconomowoc (Wis.); Brebeuf Jesuit (Indianapolis); Skutt Catholic (Omaha, Neb.) and Penfield (N.Y.).

Records 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. 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.