August 7, 2023

Are we in for a repeat of sorts when it comes to the 2023 high school season and the national championship race? The first-ever vballrecruiter.com high school rankings last year saw Cathedral Catholic CA open the year in the No. 1 spot before going undefeated – dropping just one set – and ending the season on top as the undisputed national champion. The wire-to-wire performance was an impressive feat. It takes an effort on that level to beat out all the other teams in the country to earn the label as national champion. It’s not always so simple as having a team like Cathedral Catholic dominate so handily where the choice becomes such an obvious and clear one. However, we could be in for another majestic season when it comes to this year’s fall campaign. All eyes begin on Prestonwood Christian TX, which is stacked with Division 1 athletes. Among them are 5-star junior outside and last season’s HS Sophomore of the Year Cari Spears, 5-star senior right side Jadyn Livings (USC), 5-star senior setter Camille Edwards (Michigan), 4-star senior middle Kennedy Washington, 5-star junior libero Gillian Pitts (Houston), 4-star senior outside Mikala Young (TCU) and newcomer in 4-star junior right side Taylor Clarke. On top of that, Prestonwood is challenging itself with a beefed-up schedule that includes traveling to the prestigious Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas in September. Prestonwood is also competing in Volleypalooza in Austin in August. That tournament features California powers Mater Dei and Cathedral Catholic making the trek. Playing a national schedule is an important element when it comes to winning a national championship. Not only are we looking for teams to make it through the year undefeated, but doing so playing against other top teams in the nation is one of the best measurements of a team’s strength. There’s no doubt that if Prestonwood Christian runs the table like Cathedral Catholic accomplished a season ago the school is going to finish No. 1 in the nation. The biggest question would be what if Prestonwood losses and/or no other team is able to go undefeated playing against a national schedule? There are certainly programs worthy of winning the national championship that will go undefeated without playing a national schedule. In that case, anointing a national champion becomes much more subjective, as we use our knowledge from the club season about individual players to select which team we think is most deserving. All we have to do now is wait and see which scenario plays out. We’ll release our next Top 50 rankings update at the beginning of September, as teams will have time to get their seasons underway and the Top 50 can start to be formed based off results rather than speculation. By then, a few major tournaments will have taken place, as well as lots of local ones. Among the biggest tournaments scheduled for August include the Ann Kang Invitational in Honolulu as well as the previously-mentioned Volleypalooza, both of which vballrecruiter.com will be on hand covering. Looking ahead to September, the calendar is packed with more national events with the Nike TOC Southeast (Sept. 1-2) and Southwest (29-30) events, the Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament (Sept. 8-9), and of course Durango (Sept. 22-23). All these events will heavily influence the Top 50. Until then, you can find our initial Top 50 National Rankings below. vballrecruiter.com TOP 50 NATIONAL HS RANKINGS 1. Prestonwood Christian TX 2. Mater Dei CA 3. Mother McAuley IL 4. Mira Costa CA 5. Notre Dame Academy KY 6. St. James Academy KS 7. Cathedral Catholic CA 8. Cornerstone Christian TX 9. Papillion-La Vista South NE 10. Prosper TX *** 11. Hamilton Southeastern IN 12. St. Francis Mountain View CA 13. Divine Savior Holy Angels WI 14. St. Thomas Aquinas KS 15. Benet Academy IL 16. Assumption KY 17. Sierra Canyon CA 18. Marymount CA 19. Dripping Springs TX 20. Wayzata MN *** 21. Marian MI 22. Millbrook NC 23. Washburn Rural KS 24. Yorktown IN 25. Lovejoy TX 26. Torrey Pines CA 27. Oconomowoc WI 28. Westminster Christian FL 29. Colleyville Heritage TX 30. Corona del Sol AZ *** 31. Bishop Gorman NV 32. Liberty North MO 33. Ursuline Academy OH 34. Lafayette MO 35. McCutcheon IN 36. Keller TX 37. Marist IL 38. Horizon AZ 39. Byron Nelson TX 40. Palos Verdes CA *** 41. Flint Hill VA 42. Clearwater Central Catholic FL 43. Mount Notre Dame OH 44. Cleveland TN 45. Millennium AZ 46. Magnificat OH 47. Liberty MO 48. St. Ursula Academy OH 49. Iolani HI 50. Lake Highland Prep FL *** ON THE CUSP Valor Christian CO Santa Fe FL Northville MI Timpview UT Redondo Union CA Archbishop Mitty CA Ridge Point TX Lambert GA Pace Academy GA North Gwinnett GA Boca Raton FL Hagerty FL Ankeny IA Bridgeland TX Cinco Ranch TX Southlake Carroll TX Mountain View UT Middle Creek NC Cardinal Gibbons NC Barrington IL Branson CA Lakewood CA Eureka MO Walton GA Brebeuf Jesuit IN Dike-New Hartford IA North Raleigh Christian Academy NC Tompkins TX Venice FL The Woodlands TX Lake Travis TX Boswell TX Rouse TX Wakeland TX Appleton North WI Buford GA Punahou HI