SIMPLY THE BEST: No. 1 Cathedral Catholic (CA) is Blue Star Media Net 25 National Champions! The Dons go 42-0 capped by winning CIF Open Division crown

BENSALEM, Pa. – It was fitting a matchup of the unbeatens decided No. 1.

Cathedral Catholic of San Diego, California is the inaugural Blue Star Media Net 25 Girls’ Volleyball National Champions! The Don did it in impressive fashion, going down the final weekend of the season. The Dons went 42-0 and capped their season by winning the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division championship, crushing previously unbeaten St. Francis (Mountain View) in three sets.

That’s the first title on the highest level for the Dons, who last won the Division 2 state title in 2016. This time it was a thing of beauty and the sixth championship in seven attempts. California is the epicenter for girls’ volleyball and the southern portion of the state is a major player on the national club scene.

The Dons, who played a national tournament schedule, went 103-1 in sets played. That one loss was earlier this week in the CIF Southern Regional final against No. 5 Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach).

If the Dons were to ever win the title, this was the season. They graduated 10 seniors but that group went wire to wire in the Net 25 rankings.

No. 19 Dripping Springs (Texas) is the lone newcomer in the Net 25 rankings. The Tigers did not back in but did it the hard way capturing the University Interscholastic League Class 6A state championship. They stopped previously ranked Tompkins (Katy) in the final and recorded a quality win over The Woodlands (Conroe) in the semifinals. No arguments here for the school located outside of Austin. The Tigers played an ambitious regular season tournament schedule and were ready for the challenge. It is the program’s third state championship.

Congratulations, ladies!

The Net 25 final rankings included 18 state champions from 13 states. There were two from Texas and Nebraska. No. 2 Cornerstone Christian (San Antonio, Texas) does not compete for a state title. Despite not winning a state championship, four southern California schools remain in the Net 25 and two from Indiana. Both states are incubators for volleyball prospects. Their student-athletes play in every state where NCAA Division I schools are located.

So, how did we do for a first time in volleyball rankings? Well, 15 of the Net 25 teams finished ranked in the final set. That’s an acceptable ratio but this was a learning curve year.

Well, that wraps up the Blue Star Media Net 25 volleyball ranking this season. It’s been an absolute blast bringing you the top teams, moments, state championships, coaches and players. Many of the players were highlighted weekly will be off to major colleges in the fall and one day represent the USA on the global scene, including the Olympics.

Kudos to all the state champions. Your hard work paid off.

The Net 25 rankings will return next August. We’ll have volleyball updates from the club circuit in 2023 but until then please have a Happy Thanksgiving and then Happy Holidays and New Year. We really appreciate your readership. The metrics have shown exponential growth since we launched in the summer and when the word eventually spread. We have traction moving forward, so it should be a smoother for the 2023 high school season.

If you are a basketball fan, we have just begun the season with the Elite 25 boys’ and girls’ rankings that dropped two weeks ago. The updates will go until the conclusion of the seasons in April. We hope you drop by and check them out or follow us on Twitter at @clawlor.

Stay safe! We hope to see you a game soon.—Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Net 25 Girls’ Volleyball Final Rankings, Nov. 23, 2022

1. Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, Calif. (42-0)*!

Previous rank: 1.

Digs: Won CIF Open Division championship, sweeping St. Francis (Mountain View), 25-21, 25-16, 25-23, in the final.  Setter Amanda Saeger fed 26 assists and libero Maya Evens had 16 digs. Outside hitter Jenna Hanes collected 14 kills and Noemie Glover pounded out 13. Earlier last week in the Southern Regional championship, the Dons dropped their first game of the season but defeated No. 5 Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach), 25-20, 15-25, 25-14, 25-17. Season complete.

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

Previous: 2.

Digs: Won several in-season tournaments, most notably Won the Nike Tournament of Champions Southwest Platinum Bracket.

3. Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Ind. (34-1)*

Previous: 3.

Digs: Won first-ever Class 4A state championship.

4. Marian, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (49-1)*

Previous: 4.

Digs: Won a third consecutive Division 1 state championship, while avenging its lone loss this season  in a 22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-11, victory over Northville. It was Marian’s fifth overall title. Sophomore Izzy Busignani crushed 27 kills and added 20 digs. Wofford-recruit and AVCA All-American Ella Schomer also had a double-double with 14 kills and 17 digs, while setter Ava Sarafa handed off 45 assists and had 10 digs, and Molly Banta produced 14 digs and 3 service aces. Marian also topped Forest Hills Northern (Grand Rapids), 25-23, 25-16, 25-19, in the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, the Mavericks were pushed to a rare five-set night but prevailed over Clarkston, 15-25, 25-21, 15-25, 29-27, 15-8. Season complete.

5. Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (38-5)

Previous: 5.

Digs: Advanced to the CIF Southern Region Open Division final, losing to No. 1 Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), 20-25, 25-15, 14-25, 25-17. The Mustangs were the first team this season to take a game from the nation’s top-ranked squad.

6. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (34-5)

Previous: 6.

Digs: Won CIF-Southern Section Division 1 championship and advanced to Southern Regional Open Division semifinals.

7. Prestonwood Christian Academy, Plano, Texas (40-1)*

Previous: 7.

Digs: Won TAPPS 6A state championship.

8. Mother McAuley, Chicago (39-3)*

Previous: 8.

Digs: Won Illinois Class 4A state championship. It was the 16th state title for the Mighty Macs, who are the winningest program in Illinois history.

9. Santa Fe, Alachua, Fla. (30-2)*

Previous: 9.

Digs: Won the Class 4A state championship for the second straight year.

10. Fayetteville, Ark. (37-2)*

Previous: 10.

Digs: Won third consecutive Class 6A state championship.

11. Yorktown, Ind. (34-3)

Previous: 10.

Digs: Advanced to Class 4A final.

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

Previous: 12.

Digs: Won Class 4A, Section 7 title and advanced to the regional final. Purdue-bound outside hitter Chloe Chicoine was named IHSVCA Indiana Ms. Volleyball.

13. Marymount, Los Angeles (30-10)

Previous: 13.

Digs: Advanced to CIF-Southern Regional Open Division quarterfinals.

14. Washburn Rural, Topeka, Kan. (45-1)*

Previous: 14.

Digs: Won Class 6A state championship.

15. Immaculate Heart Academy, Washington Township, N.J. (29-1)*

Previous: 15.

Digs: Won NJSIAA Non-Public A state championship for the 14th time since 2007.

16. Notre Dame Academy, Park Hills, Ky. (34-5)*

Previous: 15.

Digs: Won Kentucky State championship for the 10th time.

17. Wayzata, Plymouth, Minn. (30-4)*

Previous: 17.

Digs: Won Class 4A state championship for a third consecutive year.

18. Cleveland, Tenn. (48-5)*

Previous: 18.

Digs: Won Tennessee Class AAA state championship.

19. Dripping Springs, Texas (43-13)*

Previous: Not ranked.

Digs: Won the UIL Class 6A state championship, sweeping then-No. 19 Tompkins (Katy), 26=24, 25-15, 25-19. It was the program’s third state title in seven state tournament appearances. Mackenzie Plante had 14 kills and 4 digs and setter Sydney Lund added 16 assists, 4 digs and 2 service aces. In the semifinals, the Tigers outlasted another quality opponent in The Woodlands (Conroe), 21-25, 25-20, 25-19, 27-25. Henley Anderson produced 19 kills and 10 digs and Lund assisted 32 times. Season complete.

20. Iolani School, Honolulu (24-5)*

Previous: 20.

Digs: Won Division I state championship.

21. St. Thomas Aquinas, Overland Park, Kan. (40-3)*

Previous: 21.

Digs: Won the Class 5A state championship.

22. Ursuline Academy, Cincinnati (26-3)*

Previous: 22.

Digs: Won Ohio Division I state championship.

23. Papillion (Neb.)-La Vista South (34-5)*

Previous: 23.

Digs: Won Class A state championship for the third time in four years.

24. Skutt Catholic, Omaha, Neb. (30-10)*

Previous: 24.

Digs: Won an eighth straight Class B state championship.

25. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (29-10)

Previous: 25.

Digs: Won Trinity League title and advanced to the CIF-Southern California Region Open Division quarterfinals.

Dropped out: No. 19 Tompkins (Katy, Texas).

Special Consideration: Shenendehowa (Clifton, Park, N.Y.)*; St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.); Branson (Calif.)*; St. Thomas More (Lafayette, La.)*; Divine Savior Holy Angels (Milwaukee)*; Northville (Mich.); Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Colo.)*; Lafayette (Wildwood, Mo.)*; Buford ( Ga.)*; Sequoyah (Canton, Ga.); Brandon (Miss.)*; St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.); Edmond (Okla.) Memorial*; Oconomowoc (Wis.); Pope (Marietta, Ga.)*; Dominican (New Orleans)*; St. Mary’s (Lancaster, N.Y.)**; The Woodlands (Conroe, Texas); Sheldon (Eugene, Ore.)*; Lakeville (Minn.) North; Marshall (Minn.)*; Flint Hill School (Oakton, Va.)**; Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.); Clearwater Fla.) Central Catholic*; Tompkins (Katy, Texas); Highland Park (Texas); Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.); Westminster Christian (Palmetto Bay, Fla.); Magnificat (Rocky River, Ohio), North Allegheny (Wexford, Pa.)* and Pope John Paull II (Royersford, Pa.)*.

* Denotes a state or conference tournament postseason champion

 ! Blue Star Media Net 25 National Champions

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 are released at the conclusion of the season in November. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.