No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern, No. 11 Yorktown advance to Indiana Class 4A volleyball semistates; no newbies in Blue Star Media Net 25 rankings but expect change

BENSALEM, Pa. – The fall foliage is past peak in the northern states. The apples have been picked and the cider is perfectly paired with doughnuts.

 Jack-o-lanterns, with their carved, jagged toothless grins, sit on the front porch. Halloween is less than a week out. It means that schoolgirls nationwide are either readying or amid volleyball state tournaments.

  For the Blue Star Media Net 25 volleyball rankings it’s like trick-or-treating. With power states such as California, Indiana, Florida, Nevada, Kentucky, Kansas, Hawaii and Illinois knee-deep in the postseason festivities, the season is over across four Saturdays. Essentially that’s five days before Thanksgiving when the high school season concludes and the action shifts to the clubs in January.

There are no additions to the Net 25 but one team did drop four slots with their season ending three victories short of defending a state championship. No. 12 McCutcheon (Lafayette, Ind.) crashed out of the Class 4A regionals in four sets to No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers) last Saturday in Noblesville. The Lady Mavericks finished 33-2 and won’t be dropped from the Net 25.

It also concluded the remarkable career of outside hitter Chloe Chicoine, who was a member of the USA National Team and is committed to Purdue. The 5 feet 10 senior concluded the term with 549 kills (.469 kill percentage), 271 digs, 250 receptions and 49 service aces. She’s surefire All-America and looks to repeat as Indiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

That means Hamilton Southeastern and No. 11 Yorktown are still alive in 4A and need to get through semistate matches Saturday in order to meet on Nov. 5 in the final on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie.

Three states from the Net 25 and four teams are playing for state titles this week in Arkansas, Hawaii and Kansas. No. 20 Washburn Rural (Topeka, Kan.) and No. 24 St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park, Kan.) are competing for the Class 6A and 5A titles, respectively, in Salina.

Seventeen schools have either started their playoffs or will this week. Seven more are finishing up their regular seasons. Four moved up in the Net 25 after McCutcheon’s setback.

The most anticipated pool-play tournament is California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section Division 1. All four teams from the Net 25 won opening matches with two more this week to wrap up the three-game pool play. The section final is Nov. 5. The regional and states will follow.

No. 1 Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) carries an undefeated mark into the CIF-San Diego Section Open Division tournament this week.

Another tournament to keep an eye on is Illinois Class 4A. No. 13 Barrington and No. 15 Mother McAuley (Chicago) are among the favorites in heavily trafficked bracket.

We’re waiting for the Texas public and private tournaments to get underway as four from the Net 25 begin their quest next week for titles.

In Tennessee, Cleveland, which went 49-5, won the Class AAA title, sweeping three sets in the final.

Well, that’ll do it for the third week of October. We appreciate your readership.

The Blue Star Media Net 25 girls’ volleyball rankings return on Nov. 2. Happy Halloween to all and stay safe.

Be sure 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. 26, 2022

1. Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, Calif. (35-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Digs: The Dons swept Patrick Henry (San Diego), 25-8, 25-14, 25-8, and Torrey Pines (San Diego), 25-9, 25-14, 25-9. Stanford-bound outside hitter Julia Blyashov had 18 kills and 5 digs and setter Amanda Saeger passed out 30 assists. Next up is the CIF-San Diego Section Open Division playoffs against Del Norte (San Diego) in the first round on Thursday. The semifinals are Nov. 1 and the final is Nov. 4.

2. Cornerstone Christian School, San Antonio (55-2)

Previous: 2.

Digs: Beat Incarnate Word (San Antonio), 25-14, 25-20, 25-16. In the latter match, Nayeli Gonzalez had 15 kills and 6 digs and Natalie Adams contributed 14 assists.

3. Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (34-3)

Previous: 3.

Digs: Defeated Lakewood, 25-22, 25-22, 25-16 in CIF-Southern Section Division 1 Pool A action. Drew Wright had 12 kills and Tanon Rosenthal added 10. The Mustangs wind up pool play with Palos Verdes (Palos Verdes Estates) on Tuesday and No. 18 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) on Saturday.

4. Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Ind. (32-1)

Previous: 4.

Digs: Won the Class 4A regional championship, knocking off then-No. 8 McCutcheon (Lafayette), 16-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-19. It was the first win over McCutcheon in four tries and back in the semistates for the first time since 2019. The Royals meet Lake Central (St. John) Saturday in the semistates.

5. Marian, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (41-1)

Previous: 5.

Digs: Advanced to Detroit Catholic League Bishop Division final, beating Divine Child (Dearborn) in three sets. The Mustangs face Mercy (Farmington Hills) Tuesday for the title. Also won five times at the East vs. West Challenge. The Division 1 district tournament opens on Nov. 2.

6. Marymount, Los Angeles (30-6)

Previous: 6.

Digs: Defeated Huntington Beach, 25-21, 25-22, 25-17, in CIF-Southern Section Division 1 Pool B play. Torrey Stafford (19 kills) and junior Kate Martin (11) combined for 30 kills and Lauren Brooker added 30 assists. The Sailors meet Newport Beach on Tuesday and No. 9 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth) on Saturday to close out pool play.

7. Westminster Christian, Palmetto Bay, Fla. (23-0)

Previous: 7.

Digs: Won Class 3A, District 15 tournament, beating Ransom Everglades (Miami), 25-15, 25-16, 25-12, in the final. The Warriors played NSU University (Fort Lauderdale) in the regional quarterfinals on Tuesday.

8. Prestonwood Christian Academy, Plano, Texas (34-1)

Previous: 9.

Digs: Extended the win streak to 22 matches after dispatching Parish Episcopal (Dallas), 25-10, 25-12, 25-22 as sophomore Macaria Spears had 20 kills, 22 digs and 4 aces and sophomore Taylor Cook handed out 22 assists. The regular season ends this week with two matches.

9. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (30-4)

Previous: 10.

Digs: The Trailblazers swept Newport Harbor, 25-19, 25-9, 25-12, in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 Pool B action. They play Huntington Beach on Wednesday and No. 6 Marymount on Saturday.

10. Highland Park, Dallas (38-2)

Previous: 11.

Digs: Swept Richardson, 25-16, 25-23, 25-9, and Berkner (Richardson), 25-15, 25-12, 25-22, moving to 13-0 in District 7-6A play. The Scots face MacArthur (Irving) on Tuesday in the regular-season finale.

11. Yorktown, Ind. (33-2)

Previous: 12.

Digs: Won the Class 4A Greenfield Central Regional, defeating Brownsburg, 25-18, 25-18, 25-13, and Brebeuf Prep (Indianapolis), 25-23, 25-14, 24-26, 26-24, in the semifinals. The Tigers play Floyd Central (Floyds Knobs) Saturday in the 4A semi-states.

12. McCutcheon, Lafayette, Ind. (33-2)

Previous: 8.

Digs: Lost to No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers), 25-16, 21-25, 18-25, 19-25, in the Class 4A regional final. Outside hitter Chloe Chicoine finished with 31 kills in her final prep match. Season complete.

13. Barrington, Ill. (34-1)

Previous: 13.

Digs: The Fillies host the Class 4A regional tournament on Tuesday and Thursday. Last week, they defeated Hersey (Arlington Heights), 25-18, 25-23. Jess Horwath had 10 kills and 7 digs.

14. Cypress Ranch, Houston (40-2)

Previous: 14.

Digs: The Mustangs won a pair of District 16-6A matches, improving to 13-0 in the district. They defeated Langham Creek (Houston), 25-21, 25-18, 25-19, for a 40th straight win. The regular season wraps up Friday at Fulshear.

15. Mother McAuley, Chicago (32-3)

Previous: 15.

Digs: The Mighty Macs toppled Lyons (LaGrange), 25-16, 25-16, to close out the regular season. Junior Ellie White pounded out 9 kills and had 16 digs. They opened the Class 4A Summit Regional earlier this week in Argo, Ill. The final is Thursday.

16. Santa Fe, Alachua, Fla. (25-2)

Previous: 16.

Digs: Won Class 4A, District 5 championship, defeating North Marion, 25-10, 25-8, 25-16, in the final. The regional tournament started on with the quarterfinals on Tuesday. The semifinals are Friday and the final is Nov. 1.

17. Fayetteville, Ark. (33-2)

Previous: 17.

Digs: Defeated Rogers Heritage, 25-12, 25-8, 25-6, in the regular-season finale. Senior Brooke Rockwell had 14 kills, 4 aces and 2 digs and Florida State-bound setter handed out 27 assists. The Bulldogs play in the Class 6A tournament this week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday (championship match) in Rogers.

18. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (28-8)

Previous: 18.

Digs: The Monarchs opened CIF-Southern Section Pool A pool play, defeating Palos Verdes (Palos Verdes Estates), 25-16, 15-25, 25-18, 25-19. Pool play continued this week with Lakewood on Tuesday.

19. Immaculate Heart Academy, Washington Township, N.J. (25-1)

Previous: 19.

Digs: Won Bergen County Tournament championship for the eighth time, outlasting Bogota, 25-19, 19-25, 25-18. Outside hitter Brookelyn Talmadge spiked 12 kills, Khalia Content made 6 blocks and Kalena Stavish had 28 assists. In the semifinals, the Blue Eagles defeated Bergen Tech (Hackensack), 25-14, 25-12, as setter Kalena Stavish had 23 assists and 5 digs. The Non-Public state tournament opens on Nov. 2.

20. Washburn Rural, Topeka, Kan. (39-1)

Previous: 20.

Digs: Advanced to the Class 5A state tournament, beating Manhattan, 25-12, 25-11 in the sub-state final in Wichita. The Lady Blues will start 5A state pool play on Friday in Salina.

21. Assumption, Louisville, Ky. (29-7)

Previous: 21.

Digs: Won 26th District title, beating Male (Louisville), 25-13, 25-16, 25-16. In recruiting news, outside hitter Alexis Strong verbally committed to Abilene Christian.

22. Iolani School, Honolulu (22-5)

Previous: 22.

Digs: Idle. The Raiders play in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division 1 tournament this week in Honolulu. The No. 1 seeds play Kapolei in the quarterfinals on Wednesday after earning a first-round bye. The semifinals are Friday and the final is Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawaii.

23. Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest (28-3)

Previous: 23.

Digs: Won the HAC Tournament, downing Lincoln East, 25-22, 19-25, 25-20, 25-18, 16-14, in the final. The District A-2 tournament opened this week.

24. St. Thomas Aquinas, Overland Park, Kan. (34-3)

Previous: 24.

Digs: Won Class 5A sub-states, beating Blue Valley Southwest, 25-19, 25-15. The Class 5A tournament pool play starts Friday in Salina.

25. Mountain View, Orem, Utah (25-2)

Previous: 25.

Digs: Defeated Lehi, 25-20, 25-15, 25-17, and Alta, 25-15, 25-14, 22-25, 25-14. The regular season closes this week and the Class 5A tournament begins next Tuesday.

Dropped out: None.

Special Consideration: Northville (Mich.); Jesuit (Portland, Ore.); Liberty (Mo.); Punahou School (Honolulu); Buford ( Ga.); St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.); Pace Academy (Atlanta); Dike (Iowa)-New Hartford; Oconomowoc (Wis.); St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.); Pope (Marietta, Ga.); St. Mary’s (Lancaster, N.Y.); Cleveland (Tenn.)*; Lakeville (Minn.) North; Marshall (Minn.); Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati); Flint Hill (Oakton, Va.); Papillion (Neb.)-La Vista South; Magnificat (Rocky River, Ohio); Fairport (N.Y.); Lakewood (Calif.); Skutt Catholic (Omaha, Neb.); Penfield (N.Y.) and North Allegheny (Wexford, Pa.).

* Denotes a state or conference tournament champion

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.