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November 17, 2022

Class of 2026 Club Watchlist

November 17, 2022

We introduce our Class of 2026 Club Watchlist. We’ll continue to add and update this list throughout the rest of the year and into the start of the new club season. We’ve used the latest information we’ve been able to get. Still, we know there are corrections that need to be made, such as if any players need clubs or commitments updated or if any seniors are not planning on playing club this spring or are beach-only players/commits. Any of this info can be emailed to chris@vballrecruiter.com. Name Position Club Abby Haring S DunesAbby Zimmerman Opp SCVCAberdeen Callaway OH SG EliteAbigail Truong S PohakuAddison Buckner Opp AVC CLEAddison Coady MB TstreetAddison Haberthy S Circle CityAddison Litke OH TAV South Addison Saunders DS/L CJVAddison West OH Premier NebraskaAddison Wiskus MB Munciana IndyAddyson Bianchini S NKYVCAdriana Jeanpierre OH OTVA JacksonvilleAlaina Pollard MB 1st AllianceAlana Joiner OH Palm Coast AcademyAlana Whitfield OH Illini EliteAlayna Austin DS/L AspireAlayna Vaeth S DynastyAleena Zuniga S Valley VenomAlexa Telly MB Metro VBCAlexis Sowers DS/L JJVAAlia Schoonover OH MintonetteAlicia Beers MB Milwaukee StingAlivia Morgan Opp RevAmaya Love OH HJV Name Position Club Amelia Binkley OH DunesAmira Bailey MB Tennessee PerformanceAmmecy Ray DS/L Sports PerformanceAngelique ‘Geli’ St Laurent Opp Drive NationAnna Flores S TAVArianna Muoneke OH HJVAshleigh Jada Manning OH Alabama PerformanceAshley Theiss OH HPSTLAshley Verhey OH LegacyAshlyn Cobb OH TribeAshlyn Seay OH/Opp Drive NationAsia Udo-Ema OH Pipeline VBCAubree Fernandez DS/L TAVAudrey Dyas MB NKYVCAudrey Flanagan OH SCVCAudrey Johnson DS/L Kandi EliteAudrey Popp OH TAVAva Johnson DS/L SummitAva McBride S ActyveAva Ribakvos Opp Houston SkylineAvery Lim S AZ StormAvery MacMeccan DS/L Upward StarsAvery Russell OH A5Avery Stephens DS/L OTVA OrlandoAvery Webb DS/L OTVA Name Position Club Ayanna Watson OH Vegas AcesAzure Flagle DS/L Munciana IndyBellamie Beus OH Idaho CrushBennett Raterman MB HPSTLBlair Thiebaud S Houston SkylineBlaire Bowers OH MadfrogBreana (Bre) Morgan MB Boiler JrsBree Carson MB Balboa BayBrennan Fritts OH RioBrielle Janssen MB Kandi EliteBritni Silver MB East Carolina JrsBrooke Baldwin S MKE StingBrooke Harwood Opp East Side BlazeBrooklyn Bailey MB TAVBrooklyn Hardy MB Idaho CrushBrynley Buck DS/L 360Caitlyn Cavitt OH EMVCala Haffner DS/L Team PineappleCali Foster OH Boiler JrsCallie Combs OH DS/L NKYVCCallie Gardner DS/L Drive NationCameron Owens OH KIVACamille Perry MB Drive NationCampbell Hollister MB AZ StormCampbell Miles DS/L UNION Name Position Club Cara Richter Opp ElevationCarly Markham DS/L TriangleCaroline Banks S Northern LightsCaroline Huseman OH TAVCaroline Prihoda S Houston SkylineCarolyn Tarnow MB 1st AllianceCasandra Doll OH Balboa BayCassidy Bruns DS/L MKE StingCassidy Polman DS/L CapitalCatherine Beadles S SG EliteCatherine Palmi OH Gamepoint VolleyballCayenne Ceman OH Mizuno Long BeachCharlotte Nowak OH TstreetChloe Kelly OH AJVChloee McDonald DS/L EthosChrista Wilburn OH Austin SkylineChyanne Robinson OH Vegas AcesClaire Montgomery OH Austin SkylineClaire Nelson MB Austin SkylineColbie Mckenna OH East Coast PowerD’Aira Whitner MB AVC CLEDaisy Oatsvall OH AllianceDaMya Mann S AlamoDanielle Whitmire S TAVDawn Moore Opp Madfrog Name Position Club Delaney Singleton OH AZ StormDeondra Strong DS/L PipelineDestiny Wiggins L WildfireEleanor James DS/L L2Elena Hoecke MB MN SelectElena Ruble S HPSTLEliza McKnight OH AllianceElizabeth Bower DS/L Idaho CrushElizabeth Scanlon OH DynastyElla Andrews MB LegacyElla Askin OH KIVAElla Florez S DynastyElla Grimes DS/L ElevationElla Jenkins OH RevElle Holley OH TAVElle Mottola S Winter Park VBCElli Strecker MB Team IndianaEllie Chu S SG EliteEllie Hepler DS/L Boiler JrsEllie Scharlow OH UNIONEmily Keiran DS/L KIVAEmma Adkins S Tri-State EliteEmma Cugino DS/L Mintonette SportsEmma Frietch DS/L NKYVCEmmerson Champagne MB Tstreet Name Position Club Erin Clark DS/L AspireEva Goodson S/Opp Tallahassee JuniorsEva Long S LegacyEva Swenson S MN SelectFinley Krystkowiak OH WaveFrancesca Lorenzo OH 1st AllianceGabby Semona MB Tri-State EliteGabi Rodriguez DS/L MadfrogGabriella Brodner OH Jupiter EliteGabriella DiVita OH LegacyGenevieve Harris S NC Volleyball AcademyGianna Reamer OH Renaissance VolleyballGrace Jones DS/L Tri-State EliteGrace Portwood OH NKYVCGwenyth Koss OH HJVHailey Mueller OH NortheastHaley Burgdorf OH Sports PerformanceHaley Wilson S AVC CLEHalle Dolliver OH VCNebraskaHalle Thompson OH Houston SkylineHannah Lee MB FlyersHenlee Moskzkowicz DS/L Houston SkylineHenley Anderson OH Austin PerformanceIsabel Taylor OH Club VIsabelle Hoppe S Pittsburgh EliteIsabelle Masten OH Rev Name Position Club Ivy Logan MB BVAIzabella Cano DS/L McAllen Fierce NationalJacey Hubbell S EthosJaci Hall Opp AlamoJada Virgin OH ColumbiaJaidyn Hartsfield S MadfrogJasmyn Walker MB Houston SkylineJayden Fitzgerald OH MadfrogJayden Hanson S Forza1 NorthJayden Robinson OH Houston SkylineJayla Jackson MB TAVJaylyn Tuiasosopo OH AlamoJenna Kelly OH DunesJenness Orcutt Opp Gamepoint VolleyballJillian Bohannon S KIVAJolene Oddo MB TriangleJordan Turner S TAVJordin Southall OH Gamepoint VolleyballJordyn Gray OH Carolina JrsJosephine Calhoun DS/L ColumbiaJoy Udoye OH Texas FuryJulia Solodky DS/L Austin SkylineJuliana Hernandez DS/L TAVKaiya Kearney OH AZ StormKalli Lipo DS/L AZ StormKalyssa Taggart S A5 Name Position Club Kareena “Coco” Natarajan S Drive NationKaren Dutro MB Circle CityKaris Chatfield OH FaR OutKarsyn Harris OH AZ StormKassandra Gibson OH WizardsKatherine Byergo MB HPSTLKatie Raymer DS/L TriangleKayla Nwabueze MB LegacyKayla Ostrander DS/L LegacyKaylee Maikranz DS/L High TideKeely Harrington S ExcelKeira Dommer S SummitKelley Crowley OH 1st AllianceKendal Roberson MB AJVKendall Bosse MB Tri-State EliteKenlee Barnard S Circle CityKennedy Crayton OH MadfrogKennedy Simon OH TAVKeoni Williams MB SkylineKinnady Boothe OH Piedmont VBCKinsley Young MB TAVKirsten Kemper S NKYVCKylie Kleckner OH TAVKylie Parker OH SG EliteLacy Tinnell OH Houston Skyline Name Position Club Laura Eichert OH Washington VBALauren Ortwerth OH HPSTLLauren Scheiden DS/L Drive NationLayla Austin OH SkylineLayla Hoying OH Mintonette SportsLayli Ostovar OH Mizuno Long BeachLeah Pike MB TVCLeah Stephens DS/L HPSTLLeilani Lawrence OH OTVALexi Anderson OH Drive NationLexi Kedvesh DS/L RevLexi Shondell S Boiler JrsLexie Stotenbur S MVALiliana Gegovic MB LegacyLilly Coletta DS/L Carolina UnionLily Jones OH Circle CityLily Rolfes S AZ StormLindley Miller MB TriangleLindsay Miller MB PohakuLindsey Murphy DS/L AVC CLELiv Hosford MB MVALizzy Larkins S ElevationLondyn Stone OH AVC CLELydia Stahley OH Team Indiana Name Position Club Lyla Kate LaMonica S A5Lyla Stewart Opp MintonetteMackinley Parrott S A5Macy Frank MB A5Macy McAmis DS/L Jupiter EliteMadeleine Steele MB NKYVCMadeline Dettling OH MiEliteMadeline Kraft DS/L Northern LightsMadilynn Benne DS/L MAVS KCMadison Barrera MB Houston SkylineMadison Brown S RevMadison Geer OH LegacyMadison Miles OH Boilers JrsMadyson Gant MB UltimateMadyson McCarthy OH CoastMaggie Szlachcic OH FaR OutMakayla Kuykendall OH SmashMakenna Kirlin S ElevationMalia Miller OH IntegrityMallory Matheny S

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Cathedral Catholic One Victory Away From National Championship

November 17, 2022

The national championship puzzle is almost complete. Top-ranked Cathedral Catholic (41-0) is one victory away from an undefeated season and with it being award vballrecruiter.com’s top honor for the high school season. Standing in the way is another undefeated team in St. Francis/Mountain View (34-0). The schools meet in Saturday’s California Open Division state championship match. It’s a slam dunk, no-brainer case if Cathedral Catholic wins out. Much like Marymount CA did a season ago in going undefeated and winning national championships from multiple publications. However, a question we’ve been pondering is what happens is St. Francis pulls off the upset and it is the Lancers going undefeated? Before exploring that in more depth, Cathedral Catholic dropped its first set of the season in beating Mira Costa, 25-20, 15-25, 25-14, 25-17, in Tuesday’s semifinal. It was a huge victory for the Dons considering it came without top player and Stanford signee Julia Blyashov sidelined because of a sprained ankle. We don’t know her availability for Saturday, but it certainly adds a storyline to the championship showdown if she’s unable to go. That Cathedral Catholic beat Mira Costa without Blyashov was as much of a statement victory an undefeated, top-ranked team could make. Mira Costa is arguably the second-best team in California based on overall results this season. So for the Dons to handle the Mustangs like they did without Blyashov shows the depth Cathedral has. As for St. Francis, the Lancers don’t have the strongest strength of schedule. They didn’t travel outside of California. They have beat nationally-ranked Archbishop Mitty five times, including in Tuesday’s state semifinals. If St. Francis were coming into this match with a loss on its record, we wouldn’t be having this discussion because there would be no argument for St. Francis. Yet, despite the strength of schedule issues, that could all possibly change Saturday evening with a victory over Cathedral Catholic. While we obviously know what happens in terms of our national champion if Cathedral Catholic wins, it’s less clear what should be done if St. Francis triumphs. We addressed this a few weeks back. St. Francis has the pieces to pull off the upset. Setter Havannah Hoeft runs an effective offense and has junior outsides Taylor Williams and Erin Curtis at her disposal. Junior Whitney Wallace is the libero. Going into this weekend’s CA state final, the way it looks from this perspective is only three schools have an argument to wind up No. 1 in our Top 50. Cathedral Catholic, St. Francis and Cornerstone Christian from Texas. Cornerstone is an interesting case because the standard for winning the national championship is the school must have won their respective state title. The catch with Cornerstone is Cornerstone is an independent school and doesn’t play in the TAPPS (private schools) state playoffs. A quick refresh on Cornerstone. The Warriors beat TAPPS 6A state champion Prestonwood Christian in the final of Volleypalooza in August. Cornerstone reached the final of the Nike TOC Southeast event, losing to Westminster Christian, and captured first place at the Nike TOC Southwest tournament. Cornerstone lost twice all season, to Westminster and to The Woodlands, a team Cornerstone beat. Cornerstone downed Mira Costa in the final of Nike TOC, and with Mira Costa being the only team to take a set off of Cathedral Catholic, it makes that victory look even more impressive now. That leads to if Cathedral loses which school deserves to replace Cathedral at No. 1 – Cornerstone or St. Francis? St. Francis, of course, would have enormous bragging rights having defeated Cathedral Catholic, and being the only school to do so on a stage like the CA state final certainly seems worthy of being No. 1. There doesn’t seem to be a stronger case from anyone else to climb ahead of any of these three schools. We mentioned Prestonwood winning TAPPS 6A and is currently ranked No. 4. But the loss to Cornerstone Christian would keep Prestonwood from ascending to No. 1. We really loved the season Hamilton Southeastern put together in winning the Indiana 4A state title. HSE sits at No. 3. The Royals lost just once all season – to McCutcheon and then beat McCutcheon in the postseason. There’s a case there but the Royals didn’t travel outside the state and wouldn’t have a victory on its schedule like St. Francis would by beating Cathedral Catholic. We also love the season engineered by Washburn Rural in winning the Kansas 6A state title. The Blues (45-1) lost just once this season, to 5A runner-up St. James Academy, while beating 6A champ Aquinas twice. It’s a mightily impressive season but not one that tops Cornerstone Christian’s in our opinion. Of course, we’ve had weeks to breakdown all these possible scenarios and have a really good idea of who would be No. 1 in any of the scenarios mentioned above. However, there would be no fun in sharing those conclusions now. We’ll see how Saturday plays out and Monday we’ll release the final Top 50 featuring our 2022 national champion!

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Class of 2026 Club Watchlist

November 17, 2022

We introduce our Class of 2026 Club Watchlist. We’ll continue to add and update this list throughout the rest of the year and into the start of the new club season. We’ve used the latest information we’ve been able to get. Still, we know there are corrections that need to be made, such as if any players need clubs or commitments updated or if any seniors are not planning on playing club this spring or are beach-only players/commits. Any of this info can be emailed to chris@vballrecruiter.com. Name Position Club Abby Haring S DunesAbby Zimmerman Opp SCVCAberdeen Callaway OH SG EliteAbigail Truong S PohakuAddison Buckner Opp AVC CLEAddison Coady MB TstreetAddison Haberthy S Circle CityAddison Litke OH TAV South Addison Saunders DS/L CJVAddison West OH Premier NebraskaAddison Wiskus MB Munciana IndyAddyson Bianchini S NKYVCAdriana Jeanpierre OH OTVA JacksonvilleAlaina Pollard MB 1st AllianceAlana Joiner OH Palm Coast AcademyAlana Whitfield OH Illini EliteAlayna Austin DS/L AspireAlayna Vaeth S DynastyAleena Zuniga S Valley VenomAlexa Telly MB Metro VBCAlexis Sowers DS/L JJVAAlia Schoonover OH MintonetteAlicia Beers MB Milwaukee StingAlivia Morgan Opp RevAmaya Love OH HJV Name Position Club Amelia Binkley OH DunesAmira Bailey MB Tennessee PerformanceAmmecy Ray DS/L Sports PerformanceAngelique ‘Geli’ St Laurent Opp Drive NationAnna Flores S TAVArianna Muoneke OH HJVAshleigh Jada Manning OH Alabama PerformanceAshley Theiss OH HPSTLAshley Verhey OH LegacyAshlyn Cobb OH TribeAshlyn Seay OH/Opp Drive NationAsia Udo-Ema OH Pipeline VBCAubree Fernandez DS/L TAVAudrey Dyas MB NKYVCAudrey Flanagan OH SCVCAudrey Johnson DS/L Kandi EliteAudrey Popp OH TAVAva Johnson DS/L SummitAva McBride S ActyveAva Ribakvos Opp Houston SkylineAvery Lim S AZ StormAvery MacMeccan DS/L Upward StarsAvery Russell OH A5Avery Stephens DS/L OTVA OrlandoAvery Webb DS/L OTVA Name Position Club Ayanna Watson OH Vegas AcesAzure Flagle DS/L Munciana IndyBellamie Beus OH Idaho CrushBennett Raterman MB HPSTLBlair Thiebaud S Houston SkylineBlaire Bowers OH MadfrogBreana (Bre) Morgan MB Boiler JrsBree Carson MB Balboa BayBrennan Fritts OH RioBrielle Janssen MB Kandi EliteBritni Silver MB East Carolina JrsBrooke Baldwin S MKE StingBrooke Harwood Opp East Side BlazeBrooklyn Bailey MB TAVBrooklyn Hardy MB Idaho CrushBrynley Buck DS/L 360Caitlyn Cavitt OH EMVCala Haffner DS/L Team PineappleCali Foster OH Boiler JrsCallie Combs OH DS/L NKYVCCallie Gardner DS/L Drive NationCameron Owens OH KIVACamille Perry MB Drive NationCampbell Hollister MB AZ StormCampbell Miles DS/L UNION Name Position Club Cara Richter Opp ElevationCarly Markham DS/L TriangleCaroline Banks S Northern LightsCaroline Huseman OH TAVCaroline Prihoda S Houston SkylineCarolyn Tarnow MB 1st AllianceCasandra Doll OH Balboa BayCassidy Bruns DS/L MKE StingCassidy Polman DS/L CapitalCatherine Beadles S SG EliteCatherine Palmi OH Gamepoint VolleyballCayenne Ceman OH Mizuno Long BeachCharlotte Nowak OH TstreetChloe Kelly OH AJVChloee McDonald DS/L EthosChrista Wilburn OH Austin SkylineChyanne Robinson OH Vegas AcesClaire Montgomery OH Austin SkylineClaire Nelson MB Austin SkylineColbie Mckenna OH East Coast PowerD’Aira Whitner MB AVC CLEDaisy Oatsvall OH AllianceDaMya Mann S AlamoDanielle Whitmire S TAVDawn Moore Opp Madfrog Name Position Club Delaney Singleton OH AZ StormDeondra Strong DS/L PipelineDestiny Wiggins L WildfireEleanor James DS/L L2Elena Hoecke MB MN SelectElena Ruble S HPSTLEliza McKnight OH AllianceElizabeth Bower DS/L Idaho CrushElizabeth Scanlon OH DynastyElla Andrews MB LegacyElla Askin OH KIVAElla Florez S DynastyElla Grimes DS/L ElevationElla Jenkins OH RevElle Holley OH TAVElle Mottola S Winter Park VBCElli Strecker MB Team IndianaEllie Chu S SG EliteEllie Hepler DS/L Boiler JrsEllie Scharlow OH UNIONEmily Keiran DS/L KIVAEmma Adkins S Tri-State EliteEmma Cugino DS/L Mintonette SportsEmma Frietch DS/L NKYVCEmmerson Champagne MB Tstreet Name Position Club Erin Clark DS/L AspireEva Goodson S/Opp Tallahassee JuniorsEva Long S LegacyEva Swenson S MN SelectFinley Krystkowiak OH WaveFrancesca Lorenzo OH 1st AllianceGabby Semona MB Tri-State EliteGabi Rodriguez DS/L MadfrogGabriella Brodner OH Jupiter EliteGabriella DiVita OH LegacyGenevieve Harris S NC Volleyball AcademyGianna Reamer OH Renaissance VolleyballGrace Jones DS/L Tri-State EliteGrace Portwood OH NKYVCGwenyth Koss OH HJVHailey Mueller OH NortheastHaley Burgdorf OH Sports PerformanceHaley Wilson S AVC CLEHalle Dolliver OH VCNebraskaHalle Thompson OH Houston SkylineHannah Lee MB FlyersHenlee Moskzkowicz DS/L Houston SkylineHenley Anderson OH Austin PerformanceIsabel Taylor OH Club VIsabelle Hoppe S Pittsburgh EliteIsabelle Masten OH Rev Name Position Club Ivy Logan MB BVAIzabella Cano DS/L McAllen Fierce NationalJacey Hubbell S EthosJaci Hall Opp AlamoJada Virgin OH ColumbiaJaidyn Hartsfield S MadfrogJasmyn Walker MB Houston SkylineJayden Fitzgerald OH MadfrogJayden Hanson S Forza1 NorthJayden Robinson OH Houston SkylineJayla Jackson MB TAVJaylyn Tuiasosopo OH AlamoJenna Kelly OH DunesJenness Orcutt Opp Gamepoint VolleyballJillian Bohannon S KIVAJolene Oddo MB TriangleJordan Turner S TAVJordin Southall OH Gamepoint VolleyballJordyn Gray OH Carolina JrsJosephine Calhoun DS/L ColumbiaJoy Udoye OH Texas FuryJulia Solodky DS/L Austin SkylineJuliana Hernandez DS/L TAVKaiya Kearney OH AZ StormKalli Lipo DS/L AZ StormKalyssa Taggart S A5 Name Position Club Kareena “Coco” Natarajan S Drive NationKaren Dutro MB Circle CityKaris Chatfield OH FaR OutKarsyn Harris OH AZ StormKassandra Gibson OH WizardsKatherine Byergo MB HPSTLKatie Raymer DS/L TriangleKayla Nwabueze MB LegacyKayla Ostrander DS/L LegacyKaylee Maikranz DS/L High TideKeely Harrington S ExcelKeira Dommer S SummitKelley Crowley OH 1st AllianceKendal Roberson MB AJVKendall Bosse MB Tri-State EliteKenlee Barnard S Circle CityKennedy Crayton OH MadfrogKennedy Simon OH TAVKeoni Williams MB SkylineKinnady Boothe OH Piedmont VBCKinsley Young MB TAVKirsten Kemper S NKYVCKylie Kleckner OH TAVKylie Parker OH SG EliteLacy Tinnell OH Houston Skyline Name Position Club Laura Eichert OH Washington VBALauren Ortwerth OH HPSTLLauren Scheiden DS/L Drive NationLayla Austin OH SkylineLayla Hoying OH Mintonette SportsLayli Ostovar OH Mizuno Long BeachLeah Pike MB TVCLeah Stephens DS/L HPSTLLeilani Lawrence OH OTVALexi Anderson OH Drive NationLexi Kedvesh DS/L RevLexi Shondell S Boiler JrsLexie Stotenbur S MVALiliana Gegovic MB LegacyLilly Coletta DS/L Carolina UnionLily Jones OH Circle CityLily Rolfes S AZ StormLindley Miller MB TriangleLindsay Miller MB PohakuLindsey Murphy DS/L AVC CLELiv Hosford MB MVALizzy Larkins S ElevationLondyn Stone OH AVC CLELydia Stahley OH Team Indiana Name Position Club Lyla Kate LaMonica S A5Lyla Stewart Opp MintonetteMackinley Parrott S A5Macy Frank MB A5Macy McAmis DS/L Jupiter EliteMadeleine Steele MB NKYVCMadeline Dettling OH MiEliteMadeline Kraft DS/L Northern LightsMadilynn Benne DS/L MAVS KCMadison Barrera MB Houston SkylineMadison Brown S RevMadison Geer OH LegacyMadison Miles OH Boilers JrsMadyson Gant MB UltimateMadyson McCarthy OH CoastMaggie Szlachcic OH FaR OutMakayla Kuykendall OH SmashMakenna Kirlin S ElevationMalia Miller OH IntegrityMallory Matheny S

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Cathedral Catholic One Victory Away From National Championship

November 17, 2022

The national championship puzzle is almost complete. Top-ranked Cathedral Catholic (41-0) is one victory away from an undefeated season and with it being award vballrecruiter.com’s top honor for the high school season. Standing in the way is another undefeated team in St. Francis/Mountain View (34-0). The schools meet in Saturday’s California Open Division state championship match. It’s a slam dunk, no-brainer case if Cathedral Catholic wins out. Much like Marymount CA did a season ago in going undefeated and winning national championships from multiple publications. However, a question we’ve been pondering is what happens is St. Francis pulls off the upset and it is the Lancers going undefeated? Before exploring that in more depth, Cathedral Catholic dropped its first set of the season in beating Mira Costa, 25-20, 15-25, 25-14, 25-17, in Tuesday’s semifinal. It was a huge victory for the Dons considering it came without top player and Stanford signee Julia Blyashov sidelined because of a sprained ankle. We don’t know her availability for Saturday, but it certainly adds a storyline to the championship showdown if she’s unable to go. That Cathedral Catholic beat Mira Costa without Blyashov was as much of a statement victory an undefeated, top-ranked team could make. Mira Costa is arguably the second-best team in California based on overall results this season. So for the Dons to handle the Mustangs like they did without Blyashov shows the depth Cathedral has. As for St. Francis, the Lancers don’t have the strongest strength of schedule. They didn’t travel outside of California. They have beat nationally-ranked Archbishop Mitty five times, including in Tuesday’s state semifinals. If St. Francis were coming into this match with a loss on its record, we wouldn’t be having this discussion because there would be no argument for St. Francis. Yet, despite the strength of schedule issues, that could all possibly change Saturday evening with a victory over Cathedral Catholic. While we obviously know what happens in terms of our national champion if Cathedral Catholic wins, it’s less clear what should be done if St. Francis triumphs. We addressed this a few weeks back. St. Francis has the pieces to pull off the upset. Setter Havannah Hoeft runs an effective offense and has junior outsides Taylor Williams and Erin Curtis at her disposal. Junior Whitney Wallace is the libero. Going into this weekend’s CA state final, the way it looks from this perspective is only three schools have an argument to wind up No. 1 in our Top 50. Cathedral Catholic, St. Francis and Cornerstone Christian from Texas. Cornerstone is an interesting case because the standard for winning the national championship is the school must have won their respective state title. The catch with Cornerstone is Cornerstone is an independent school and doesn’t play in the TAPPS (private schools) state playoffs. A quick refresh on Cornerstone. The Warriors beat TAPPS 6A state champion Prestonwood Christian in the final of Volleypalooza in August. Cornerstone reached the final of the Nike TOC Southeast event, losing to Westminster Christian, and captured first place at the Nike TOC Southwest tournament. Cornerstone lost twice all season, to Westminster and to The Woodlands, a team Cornerstone beat. Cornerstone downed Mira Costa in the final of Nike TOC, and with Mira Costa being the only team to take a set off of Cathedral Catholic, it makes that victory look even more impressive now. That leads to if Cathedral loses which school deserves to replace Cathedral at No. 1 – Cornerstone or St. Francis? St. Francis, of course, would have enormous bragging rights having defeated Cathedral Catholic, and being the only school to do so on a stage like the CA state final certainly seems worthy of being No. 1. There doesn’t seem to be a stronger case from anyone else to climb ahead of any of these three schools. We mentioned Prestonwood winning TAPPS 6A and is currently ranked No. 4. But the loss to Cornerstone Christian would keep Prestonwood from ascending to No. 1. We really loved the season Hamilton Southeastern put together in winning the Indiana 4A state title. HSE sits at No. 3. The Royals lost just once all season – to McCutcheon and then beat McCutcheon in the postseason. There’s a case there but the Royals didn’t travel outside the state and wouldn’t have a victory on its schedule like St. Francis would by beating Cathedral Catholic. We also love the season engineered by Washburn Rural in winning the Kansas 6A state title. The Blues (45-1) lost just once this season, to 5A runner-up St. James Academy, while beating 6A champ Aquinas twice. It’s a mightily impressive season but not one that tops Cornerstone Christian’s in our opinion. Of course, we’ve had weeks to breakdown all these possible scenarios and have a really good idea of who would be No. 1 in any of the scenarios mentioned above. However, there would be no fun in sharing those conclusions now. We’ll see how Saturday plays out and Monday we’ll release the final Top 50 featuring our 2022 national champion!

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