October 19, 2022

Even though the Top 50 HS National Rankings have been taking shape in recent weeks, the biggest determination in our final standings is how teams fare in their respective state playoffs. Most of the 15 teams we spotlight below for our most recent Top 50 have already began that pursuit while others are closing out their regular seasons in the next week or two before doing so. Prestonwood Christian TX (5) – The Lions, who are 32-1, are nearing the end of their regular season and will enter the TAPPS 6A playoffs as the favorite to win state. The lone setback came to fourth-ranked Cornerstone Christian TX in the final of Volleypalooza in late August. The Lions own two victories over No. 8 Highland Park TX, the top-ranked team in UIL 6A (public schools). The loaded lineup includes 5-star recruit and 6-3 sophomore Macaria Spears, who leads the roster currently with 420 kills. She’s averaging 4.8 per set and is hitting .471. Junior outside and recent 5-star USC commit Jadyn Livings (310 kills), junior 4-star recruit Mikala Young (269)(TCU) and 4-star recruit Kennedy Washington (135) are other targets of junior 5-star recruit Camille Edwards (Michigan) and 4-star sophomore Taylor Cook. Defensively, sophomore 5-star recruit Gillian Pitts is holding down, averaging 5.4 digs per set and leading the way with 480. Oconomowoc WI (7) – The Lions earned a 40-1 mark during the regular season and open up sectional play Saturday in pursuit of a Division 1 state title. Cordelia Kearns, a 6-1 senior outside committed to Florida Tech, has been an integral part of the attack. She enters the playoffs leading the team with 255 kills, averaging 4.3 per set and hitting .305. Junior Anna Bjork, a 6-3 middle committed to Notre Dame, is another the Lions have leaned on. Bjork has 201 kills and is hitting .335. Freshman Marlee Sivak, a 5-11 outside, and junior Olivia Kwiatkowski, a 6-0 outside, have recorded 188 and 134 kills respectively with junior setter and 4-star Maryland recruit Lilly Wagner directing it all. Barrington IL (16) – At 33-1, Barrington announced itself as a 4A contender with its recent victory over then-ranked No. 17 Mother McAuley IL over the weekend. The upset helped Barrington return to the Top 50. Barrington fell out of the Top 50 after losing to unranked Huntley IL in September. Senior outside Jessica Horwath has been clutch this fall. She’s put up a team-leading 296 kills. She’s averaging 4.2 per set and is hitting .316 with junior setters Gwen Adler and Jenna Meitzler running the offense in a 6-2. Meitzler is also third in kills with 171. Brebeuf Jesuit IN (17) – Like many others around the country, the Braves are into their postseason after going 23-3 during the regular season. Two of the losses came against No. 9 Hamilton Southeastern IN and the other to No. 3 McCutcheon. The Braves have a victory over No. 20 Yorktown IN as well. Wisconsin commit and 5-star libero Lola Schumacher is a defensive stalwart. She’s paced the defense with 379 digs, averaging 5.1 per set. Senior outside Sydney Robinson has carried a sizable load on offense, leading the way with 296 kills. Yorktown IN (20) – Like the Braves above, Yorktown is into the sectional playoffs. In fact, at 31-2, one of the Tigers’ defeat came to Brebeuf back in August. Hamilton Southeastern is the only other school to top Yorktown so far this fall. The Tigers also own a victory over No. 3 McCutcheon. Helping power the charge has been 6-2 sophomore Charlotte Vinson, who leads the offense with 397 kills. Seniors Emilee Hill and Gretchen Moore have been effective as well scoring. Hill also leads the team in assists. Meanwhile, sophomore libero Addison Applegate has been exceptional in the back row averaging 4.0 digs per set and totaling 387 so far. *** Santa Fe FL (23) – The Raiders started their sectional playoffs Tuesday. At 23-2, Santa Fe fell from No. 8 last week to No. 23 after losing for just the second time. It came to Trinity Catholic, a school the Raiders defeated in their first match of the season. The only other team to beat Santa Fe this fall was No. 4 Cornerstone Christian at the Nike TOC Southeast tournament. Senior S/RS Jalyn Stout (Coastal Carolina) has done it all. She’s leading the squad in kills with 443 while hitting .419 and is second in aces at 293. Senior libero Miya Thomas leads the Raiders in both digs (361) and aces (41). Lafayette MO (24) – The Lancers started the season in the Top 50 but fell out after suffering a four-loss stretch. However, Lafayette has been on a hot upward trend after beating ranked opponents St. James Academy KS and Liberty North MO two weekends ago and ranked foes in Eureka MO and Liberty MO this most recent weekend. Maya Witherspoon – a 5-10, 4-star sophomore outside – has teamed with Caitlyn Little – a 5-10, 3-star senior outside – and Allison Risley – a 5-10, 3-star junior outside committed to Northern Kentucky – to provide a formidable attack. Junior setter Alyssa Nelson is averaging 8.4 assists per set. North Gwinnett GA (27) – The Bulldogs are 39-1 to date, with their only loss to Buford GA. Joya Screen – a 6-4 senior outside committed to Baylor – is having a tremendous season. She’s registered 426 kills, averaging 4.9 per set while hitting .362. Senior setter Abby Taylor is averaging 8.2 assists per set and senior libero Katherine Mollette is averaging 5.5 digs per set. Papillion-LaVista South NE (28) – The Titans wrap up district play this week before beginning their charge at the Class A state championship. At 27-5, four of the five losses have come to higher-ranked teams. The Titans have lost twice to Lincoln Southwest NE and once each to St. James Academy KS and top-ranked Cathedral Catholic CA. Junior outside Lauren Medeck (South Dakota) has been a spark plug, leading the