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The latest edition of our State Spotlights features Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina and Wisconsin. Below we run through highlighting the respective champs from each of the six states. MISSOURI Lafayette (32-6) finished its season on a 21-match winning streak after defeating Kickapoo in four sets, 25-19, 24-26, 25-10, 25-17, to capture the Class 5 state championship. The Lancers had one of the more interesting seasons for a state champion so far. We had Lafayette – currently sitting at No. 17 – ranked in the Top 20 heading into the Nike TOC Southeast tournament in Tampa Bay. It started off well as the under-seeded Lancers upset top seed Ponte Vedra FL in the first match. Tampa Prep FL was the only school to defeat Lafayette that weekend. The following weekend is when the rough patch started as Lafayette lost four consecutive matches and five of eight during one stretch and fell out of the Top 50. The four straight came to tough schools in St. Teresa’s Academy, Skutt Catholic NE, Aquinas KS and Eureka. Aquinas eventually claimed the Kansas 5A state title and Skutt the Nebraska Class B crown. The choppy waters finally calmed after a loss to Nixa. That came in straight sets on Sept. 23. The Lancers didn’t lose again. It included avenging a loss to Eureka, as well as defeating Liberty and Liberty North (twice). In terms of what’s back next season for the Lancers, it’s a mixed bag. Kill leader and sophomore outside Maya Witherspoon is among those returning. She had 339 kills and averaged 3.2 per set. Junior outside Allison Risley (2.6 kills per set) joins her, as does junior setter Alyssa Nelson. The Lancers will miss the production of senior outside Caitlyn Little. The trio of Witherspoon, Risley and Little combined for 43 kills in the final’s victory against Kickapoo. Class 4: Westerminster Christian d Incarnate Word Academy 25-21, 17-25, 25-19, 25-23 Class 3: Blair Oaks d Pleasant Hill 25-15, 25-8, 25-23 Class 2: Jefferson d Hermann 16-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-19 Class 1: Advance d Miller 11-25, 25-15, 21-25, 25-9, 15-12 *** NEBRASKA Papillion-LaVista South went 4-0 against Omaha Westside this season. The latest was the most important, as it came in the Class A state championship. The Titans (34-5) swept, 25-23, 20-25, 25-15, 25-17. Omaha Westside upset then-No. 20 Lincoln Southwest in the semifinals. That kept a third meeting between Papillion-LaVista South and Lincoln Southwest from taking place. Papillion-LaVista South was 0-2 against Lincoln Southwest this fall. Top-ranked Cathedral Catholic CA and St. James Academy KS also picked up victories over the Titans this fall, as did Millard West, which Papillion-LaVista South went 2-1 against. The 1-2 punch of junior Lauren Medeck and senior Stella Adeyemi on the outside carried the offense. The duo combined for over 750 kills. They hooked up for 46 in the state final. Senior libero Kenzie Dyrstad averaged 4.4 digs per set. While she’ll be gone next season, joining Medeck in returning is sophomore setter Charlee Solomon and junior setter Kyla Dyrstad. The setting duo had nearly 1,100 assists combined this fall. Omaha Westside went 1-2 against Lincoln Southwest in the regular season. However, the Warriors couldn’t break through against Papillion-LaVista South in the final despite Destiny Ndam-Simpson and Samantha Laird teaming up for 45 kills. The Warriors say goodbye to the senior teammates who combined for over 950 kills this fall. At some point Skutt Catholic’s reign in Class B will end but it’ll last at least another year after fending off Elkhorn North in five sets, 25-20, 23-25, 14-25, 25-16, 15-11, in the championship match for the program’s eighth consecutive state title. Skutt (32-10) and Elkhorn North (32-5) did not play during the regular season. Seniors Morgan Burke and Ivy Leuck were difference makers in the final as they teamed up for 32 kills. It helped offset 28 from senior Grace Heaney for Elkhorn North. Skutt had one of the more impressive schedules around the nation. In addition to the tough home state action, the Skyhawks traveled to the Nike Southeast TOC in Tampa Bay. There, they picked up a victory over eventual Georgia 7A state champ Buford. Skutt also owns a victory over Missouri Class 4 state champ Lafayette, as well as Wisconsin Division 1 state champ Division Savior Holy Angels. Skutt lost twice to Kansas 5A state champ Aquinas and another time to Mother McAuley, which is still alive in the Illinois state playoffs. Class C1: Grand Island Central Catholic d Gothenburg 25-12, 23-25, 25-17, 25-17 Class C2: Lincoln Lutheran d Archbishop Bergan 25-18, 25-22, 25-15 Class D1: Cedar Catholic d Norfolk Catholic 26-24, 20-25, 25-17, 18-25, 15-8 Class D2: Howells-Dodge d Overton 25-16, 24-26, 22-25, 25-23, 15-12 *** NORTH CAROLINA Millbrook (29-1) did not get an opportunity to avenge its only loss of the season, but nevertheless the Wildcats rolled to the 4A state championship with a straight-set victory over Sun Valley, 25-21, 25-14, 25-12. Middle Creek spoiled Millbrook’s shot at an undefeated season with its victory against the Wildcats on Sept. 19. Millbrook and Middle Creek could’ve met in the state semifinals but Cardinal Gibbons took out Middle Creek in five sets to prevent that from happening. Instead, Millbrook went five with Cardinal Gibbons before reaching the final. Opponents aren’t going to like the fact that the Wildcats return their top five kill leaders to take another shot at it next fall. They are junior Kiarrah Horne, sophomore BreAnna McMillan, sophomore Harper Nelson, junior Avery Grantham and sophomore Micah McKenzie. McMillan also shared setting duties with senior Hannah Morrow. Sun Valley (29-3) had only sustained losses to Marvin Ridge and Chapel Hill during the regular season. Chapel Hill was the top seed for the state playoffs but was upset by Cardinal Gibbons in Round 3. Sun Valley relied heavily on senior attackers Aaliyah Mitchell and Hailey Pearce, as well as senior setter Amaya Hall. Junior middle Kyra Joy Arnold and freshman right side Riley Parker do return though for

This edition of our State Spotlights features Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Georgia and Kentucky. Below we run through highlighting the respective champs from each state. ARKANSAS Catching up from the state playoffs from two weekends ago, Fayetteville (36-2) had already made a huge splash this fall by finishing third at the Durango Fall Classic in September, picking up victories over schools like Torrey Pines CA, Redondo Union CA and Hawaii Division 1 state champion ‘Iolani. The Bulldogs’ run ended in the semifinals to Marymount CA, which like Torrey Pines is still alive in the CA Open Division state playoffs entering Tuesday. The only team outside of Marymount to get the better of Fayetteville this season was Liberty North MO, which reached the semifinals of the 4A Missouri state playoffs before falling to eventual champ Lafayette MO. Fayetteville’s performance in Las Vegas was bolstered by its recent Arkansas 6A state championship, which it brought home after topping Southside, 25-19, 25-21, 25-18, two weekends in the final. Currently, Fayetteville is No. 23 in our national rankings. We’ll have to wait a couple more weeks to see where they settle but it’ll be in that range. The Bulldogs feature Under Armour All-American and Florida State recruit Kennedy Phelan. The 5-star setter averaged 9.5 assists per set and led the way with 80 aces. She was helped out big-time by Stanford beach recruit and senior outside Brooke Rockwell. Rockwell finished with 512 kills, averaging 5.2 per set and hitting .314 on the season. Southside (31-8) upset Conway (31-4) in the semifinals. Southside figures to be strong against next fall as it returns its top three kill leaders from this season in sophomore middle Lydia Pitts, junior middle Sophia Neighouse and sophomore outside Gabriela Dupree returning. Benton (34-1) ended a nearly perfect season by sweeping Valley View (29-5) in the 5A championship. Benton’s only setback came in its final outing of the regular season when it fell to eventual 6A semifinalist Conway in four sets. Benton defeated Conway early in the season, as well as picking up a victory over 6A runner up Southside. Senior outside Abigail Lagemann was instrumental to the success this season. She led the team in both kills (324) and digs (266) while hitting .332. She was also third in blocks. Micah McMillan, a senior setter and hitter, was a key piece of the puzzle for the Blazers. She ended with 352 kills and 322 assists. Class 4A: Brookland d Shiloh Christian 25-20, 25-19, 25-16 Class 3A: Baptist Prep d Hackett 25-16, 25-22, 25-22 Class 2A: Mansfield d Lavaca 25-16, 25-15, 25-16 *** GEORGIA In the biggest class, 7A, it was Buford (38-5) earning a nail-biting thriller over Lambert (36-8) in five, 22-25, 25-18, 25-15, 23-25, 19-17, on Saturday! The schools met way back in August in tournament play, with Buford sweeping that one. The latest Wolves’ victory made it three 7A titles in a row and it took fighting off two match points in Game 5 to make it happen. If Buford is to run it back for a fourth time next fall the Wolves will do so without their top two kill leaders from this year in Ashley Sturzoiu and Sydney Austin, plus setter Polly Cummings. Coming back though is freshman outside Clara Briley, who was third in kills, and junior middle Payton Danley. Earlier this season Buford traveled to the Nike TOC Southeast event in Tampa Bay, arriving in our Top 50 Rankings. However, losses to Venice FL, Lake Brantley FL and Skutt Catholic NE bumped the Wolves from the Top 50. Buford had been the only school to defeat North Gwinnett during the regular season. North Gwinnett had worked its way into the Top 50 but fell out when it went down to Buford again in the state semifinals. Lambert reached the showdown with Buford on a 19-match winning streak, including downing Walton in the semifinals. The Longhorns’ last lost before the state final came against Jasper on Sept. 3. Lambert goes into the offseason knowing three key pieces return. One is kill leader and junior Molly Kate Patten. The 6-6, 4-star Georgia commit finished with 314 kills and hit .453 on the year to go with 82 blocks. Also back is sophomore libero Francesca Popescu and freshman S/RS Kalyssa Taggart. Popescu averaged 4.6 digs per set. Taggart was solid all-around, recording 245 digs, hitting .322 with 497 assists and averaging 1.6 digs per set. The 6A final also went the distance as Pope (45-5) flipped the script and rallied past Sequoyah, 21-25, 20-25, 25-20, 25-16, 15-12. Both were 6A powerhouses this fall, with a prior meeting going to Pope in four sets back in late August. Sophie-Kate Harvey was clutch for Pope in the rematch. The 6-1 junior outside hurt Sequoyah with 25 kills and helped offset a combined 35 winners from seniors Sara Siefert and Sydney Huyck for Sequoyah. Pope is likely to be the team to beat once more in 6A next fall. The Greyhounds return Harvey plus sophomore middle Ellis Crawford, junior setter Cooper Abney and junior libero Dayla Ortiz. The 4A championship match ended with Pace Academy (42-1) sweeping Lovett, 25-11, 25-23, 25-20, for its sixth consecutive state title. Juniors Grace Agolli and Ellie Siskin teamed up for 32 kills to lead the Knights to victory. Freshman Olivia Siskin had 21 assists while Agolli added 14. Freshman Gabby Emch had a match-high 16 digs. Junior Emma Duffield led Lovett with 15 kills. Pope, the 7A champion, was the only school to defeat Pace this fall. Class 5A: Greater Atlanta Christian d Chattahoochee 21-25, 26-24, 26-24, 25-19 Class 3A: Morgan County d Oconee County 25-23, 19-25, 20-25, 25-16, 15-12 Class 2A: Mount Paran Christian d Landmark Christian 25-13, 25-18, 25-19 Class 1A: Tallulah Falls d Mt. Bethel Christian 25-20, 25-27, 25-14, 25-20 *** INDIANA The Class 4A state playoffs in Indiana was one of the better races to follow along this postseason. At one point this season the state was in serious play

The results from last week show how quickly a season can change and with it our national rankings. While the race for the national championship remains the same – top-ranked Cathedral Catholic defeated Torrey Pines in the sectional final Friday night and begins the CA state playoffs Tuesday – there was some eye-popping movement behind the Dons. Oconomowoc – which was ranked No. 7 – fell to Divine Savior Holy Angels in the Wisconsin Division 1 state final. Oconomowoc finishes the year 39-2, with both losses to DSHA. Oconomowoc went 2-2 against DSHA this season and despite its high ranking and tremendous season dropped outside the Top 50. Rankings are subjective and there is a hard, fast line that we use when it comes to the postseason and playoffs. In regards to Oconomowoc and DSHA, Oconomowoc cannot be ranked higher than DSHA since DSHA eliminated Oconomowoc from winning a state title. And given DSHA’s overall record of 43-6 and some of the schools it lost to, DSHA doesn’t have a strong Top 50 argument. Thus, it also keeps Oconomowoc. That’s true for all state playoff races. Take what happened in the Nebraska Class A state playoffs, where then No. 20 Lincoln Southwest (31-4) went down to unranked Omaha Westside in the semifinals. Omaha Westside finished 30-9. The overall results aren’t quite strong enough to get in the Top 50 and therefore Lincoln Southwest falls out of the rankings. Another example was with then No. 26 Dike-New Hartford, which also dropped out of the Top 50 with a loss to Western Christian in the 2A state final. It can go the other way, like Notre Dame Academy winning the Kentucky state final and propelling itself to No. 34 in this week’s Top 50 rankings. NDA beat Assumption for the third time this season on its way to winning state and that will help NDA finish in the Top 50. It’s can be different when it comes to sectional playoffs, like what’s currently happening in California. On Saturday, then No. 14 Sierra Canyon swept then No. 6 Mira Costa in their respective sectional final. The two traded spots in this week’s rankings but Mira Costa could still finish higher than Sierra Canyon since both teams qualified for the state playoffs and could meet again. The winner of the potential match would then be ranked higher in the final rankings. Another highly-ranked team to tumble out of the Top 50 was Cypress Ranch (43-3). The Mustangs fell to The Woodlands in the Texas 6A area playoffs. In similar fashion, since The Woodlands eliminated Cypress Ranch’s hopes of reaching and winning state, Cypress Ranch has to be ranked below The Woodlands and The Woodlands doesn’t have a case for the Top 50 either. vballrecruiter.com TOP 50 1. Cathedral Catholic CA (1 – last week’s ranking) 2. Westminster Christian FL (2) 3. Cornerstone Christian TX (3) 4. Hamilton Southeastern IN (4) 5. Prestonwood Christian TX (5) 6. Highland Park TX (8) 7. Washburn Rural KS (9) 8. Sierra Canyon CA (14) 9. Marian MI (10) 10. Mira Costa CA (6) *** 11. Barrington IL (15) 12. Yorktown IN (12) 13. Aquinas KS (13) 14. McCutcheon IN (16) 15. St. Francis/Mountain View CA (19) 16. Marymount CA (22) 17. Lafayette MO (22) 18. Mother McAuley IL (24) 19. Santa Fe FL (21) 20. St. James Academy (27) *** 21. Papillion-LaVista NE (25) 22. Liberty North MO (30) 23. Fayetteville AR (17) 24. ‘Iolani HI (18) 25. Ursuline Academy OH (28) 26. Valor Christian CO (29) 27. Magnificat OH (31) 28. Brebeuf Jesuit IN (32) 29. Liberty MO (33) 30. Mater Dei CA (34) *** 31. Plano West TX (35) 32. Millbrook NC (36) 33. Corona del Sol AZ (37) 34. Notre Dame Academy KY (n/r) 35. North Raleigh Christian Academy NC (43) 36. Eureka MO (39) 37. Millennium AZ (40) 38. Assumption KY (38) 39. Flint Hill VA (42) 40. Lakewood CA (49) *** 41. Timpview UT (n/r) 42. Torrey Pines CA (41) 43. Cleveland TN (50) 44. Marist IL (n/r) 45. Palos Verdes CA (n/r) 46. Mountain View UT (46) 47. Archbishop Mitty CA (45) 48. St. Ursula Academy OH (47) 49. Bountiful UT (48) 50. Benet Academy IL (n/r) Out: Oconomowoc WI; Cypress Ranch TX; Lincoln Southwest NE; Dike-New Hartford IO; Jesuit OR In: Notre Dame Academy KY; Timpview UT; Marist IL; Palos Verdes CA; Benet Academy IL *** HONORABLE MENTION Benton AR Divine Savior Holy Angels WI Oconomowoc WI Cypress Ranch TX Omaha Westside NE Lincoln Southwest NE Western Christian IO Dike-New Hartford IO Jesuit OR Sheldon OR Middle Creek NC Punahou HI Reagan NC North Gwinnett GA Redondo Union CA Newport Harbor CA Horizon AZ Liberty AZ Huntley IL Mercy McAuley OH Rock Bridge MO Hamilton AZ Mount Notre Dame OH Mercy MI Skyline MI Iowa City Liberty IO Xavier IO Ankeny IO Lyons IL Mercy KY Wayzata MN Lakeville North MN Northfield MN Marshall MN Skutt Catholic NE Pickens SC Dorman SC Cardinal Newman SC Nolensville TN Knoxville Catholic TN Pope GA Buford GA Alpharetta GA Sequoyah GA Lake Catholic OH Rock Canyon CO Heritage CO Legend CO Chaparral CO Trinity Catholic FL Olathe Northwest KS Lincoln-Way East IL Vista Murrieta CA Harvard-Westlake CA Huntington Beach CA Alemany CA Calvary Christian FL Tampa Prep FL Tompkins TX Bryon Nelson TX Bishop Watterson OH Ardrey Kell NC Kamehameha HI Moanalua HI Jackson Academy MS Ponte Vedra FL Venice FL O’Connor AZ Appleton North WI Burlington WI Hamilton WI

There is no more high school volleyball this fall for Alabama, Hawaii and Kansas as they conducted their state finals last week or over the weekend. Three highly-ranked schools in No. 9 Washburn Rural KS, No. 13 Aquinas KS and No. 18 ‘Iolani HI all finished on top of their respective divisions while another school extended its record streak. Below, we present a rundown of each state.   ALABAMA Senior outside Anna Grace Sparks and sophomore outside Paris McQuirter combined for 28 kills as McGill-Toolen took down Bob Jones in four sets, 25-18, 25-13, 20-25, 25-18, in the AHSAA Class 7A state final last Thursday. Junior setters Laura Boykin and Mamie Fromdahl teamed up for 39 assists as the Yellowjackets (51-8) earned the program’s first championship since back-to-back titles in 2017-18. It was McGill-Toolen’s 22nd overall. Sophomore outside Kennedy Vaughn put up a team-high 13 kills for Bob Jones. In the Class 6A state championship match, Bayside Academy pulled through in a five-set thriller over Spanish Fort, 20-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-11, 15-12. Bayside Academy has now won 21 consecutive state championships, a national record the Admirals could quite likely extend once again next season. It was the 31st overall for the program. The top four kill leaders from the state final all return next season in freshman Haley Robinson, sophomore Misty Smith, junior Maysie Douglas and junior Georgia McInnis. Also back are junior setter Blakeley Robbins and freshman libero Mary Katherine Whitehurst. Class 5A: Westminster Christian d Arab 25-23, 26-24, 25-13 Class 4A: Montgomery Catholic d Trinity Presbyterian 10-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-16 Class 3A: Prattville Christian d Plainview 25-13, 16-25, 25-22, 25-22 Class 2A: Donoho d Pleasant Valley 25-18, 25-22, 24-26, 25-16 Class 1A: Addison d Covenant Christian 25-9, 25-19, 25-18 *** KANSAS Washburn Rural – ranked No. 9 nationally – finished its season on a 44-match winning streak, culminating with a victory over Blue Valley, 25-21, 26-24, in the Kansas Class 6A state championship match Saturday. The Blues (45-1) began the season with a victory over Aquinas – which claimed the Class 5A state championship Saturday – then lost their next outing to St. James Academy – Saturday’s 5A runner up. That was it, the only loss of the season for the Blues, who picked up the program’s first state title since 2012 and eighth overall. As a freshman, now senior standout and Kentucky commit Brooklyn DeLeye and teammates fell to Blue Valley in the championship match. Last year, DeLeye and company entered the Day 2 semifinals undefeated but dropped both matches and wound up in fourth. This season there was no pressure of an undefeated season in the balance though Washburn Rural came close to having a perfect season. Besides the setback to St. James, Washburn Rural lost just two sets in its 45 victories. DeLeye and senior middle Chloe Carlgren are among the big graduations, but the Blues do return junior middle Jada Ingram and junior setter Zoe Canfield to run it back next season. Blue Valley (31-11) will take on a much different look next fall. The Tigers graduate eight key senior contributors. Junior 4-star libero Ryan McAleer is back to build around though. As for national No. 13 Aquinas, it was also the eighth overall state championship for the Saints (40-3). The latest came after a hard-fought victory over St. James, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23, in the final. Aquinas was 2-0 against St. James (37-4) in the regular season, both sweeps. Two of the three losses for the Saints came against 6A state champ Washburn Rural. The third was against Liberty North MO, which is still alive in the Missouri state playoffs. Aquinas also owns a victory over Liberty North, as well as Lafayette MO, which faces Liberty North in Thursday’s Class 5 state semifinals. Looking ahead to next season, it’s a mixed bag for Aquinas. The Saints lose this season’s kill leader in Betsy Goodenow, as well as senior middle Ashlyn Reeves. However, they do bring back sophomore outside Alea Goolsby and both setters in junior Kelsey Schenck and freshman Alayna Vaeth. St. James – ranked No. 27 nationally – began its schedule 13-0 before falling to Aquinas for the first of what would be three times. The only other loss for the Thunder came to Lafayette in tournament play in early October. And the Thunder, who are set up nicely for next season, do get the distinction of being the only team to defeat 6A state champ Washburn Rural. Sophomore standout setter Reese Messer returns next fall, along with junior libero Mya Bolton. Joining them is three of the top four kill leaders in juniors Julia Headley, Ava Spachek and Ella Goodwin. Class 4A: Bishop Miege d Andale 25-22, 32-20 Class 3A: Olathe-Heritage Christian d Seneca-Nemaha Central 25-16, 25-13 Class 2A: Hillsboro d Smith Center 25-12, 25-13 Class 1A: Little River d Rosalia-Flinthills 25-11, 18-25, 25-9 *** HAWAII ‘Iolani – ranked No. 18 nationally – earned its fourth HHSAA Division 1 state championship by sweeping Kamehameha/Hawaii, 25-18, 25-17, 25-22, in Saturday’s final. The Raiders also claimed titles in 2011, 2016 and 2018. The Warriors were aiming to mark just the third time a non-Ohau school claimed the state title, and first time since 1974, but the Raiders rolled behind 16 kills from senior outside Brooke Naniseni. Senior outside Senna Roberts-Navarro ended with 10 kills and 13 digs, while senior setter Maya Imoto-Eakin racked up 40 assists and 14 digs. Senior libero Tess Onaga, who had 34 digs, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. ‘Iolani (25-5) opened its season with a loss to Palos Verdes CA at the Ann Kang Invitational before falling in the semifinals to eventual champ Mira Costa CA. The only local team to beat ‘Iolani all season was Punahou, which lost to Kamehameha in the quarterfinals. ‘Iolani also traveled to the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas, finishing fourth after losing to top-ranked Cathedral Catholic CA in the semifinals and Fayetteville AR in the third-place match. Among ‘Iolani’s victories

This is the first of three more Top 50 updates before releasing our final HS National Rankings on Nov. 21. How much will change and be different by then? If the last few weeks are any indication, we aren’t going to see much movement. However, state playoffs are taking center stage these final weeks and any unforeseen results there can really shake up the rankings in a hurry. Of course, that would mean upsets taking place that we really haven’t seen yet. Again, it’s early but the favorites held court in a couple of state championships this past weekend. Washburn Rural – ranked No. 9 – finished out its season with the Kansas 6A championship. Aquinas – a few spots below at No. 13 – wrapped up its year by winning the Kansas 5A crown. Meanwhile, No. 18 ‘Iolani captured the Hawaii Division 1 state title. Those results kept the movement minimal in the Top 25. The biggest change came with Marymount CA falling from No. 12 to No. 22 after losing to then-No. 15 Sierra Canyon CA and unranked Newport Harbor CA last week. Top-ranked Cathedral Catholic CA defeated Del Norte CA in the start of its sectional playoffs. You can read more about the road to the national championship here. There was more movement in the backend of the Top 50 this week, with five schools joining. St. Ursula Academy OH and Cleveland TN make their return to the Top 50 while Lakewood CA, Bountiful UT and North Raleigh Christian Academy NC make their debuts. vballrecruiter.com TOP 50 1. Cathedral Catholic CA (1 – last week’s ranking) 2. Westminster Christian FL (2) 3. Cornerstone Christian TX (3) 4. Hamilton Southeastern IN (4) 5. Prestonwood Christian TX (5) 6. Mira Costa CA (6) 7. Oconomowoc WI (7) 8. Highland Park TX (8) 9. Washburn Rural (9) 10. Marian MI (10) *** 11. Cypress Ranch TX (11) 12. Yorktown IN (13) 13. Aquinas KS (14) 14. Sierra Canyon CA (15) 15. Barrington IL (16) 16. McCutcheon IN (17) 17. Fayetteville AR (18) 18. ‘Iolani HI (19) 19. St. Francis/Mountain View CA (20) 20. Lincoln Southwest NE (21) *** 21. Santa Fe FL (22) 22. Marymount CA (12) 23. Lafayette MO (23) 24. Mother McAuley IL (24) 25. Papillion-LaVista South NE (27) 26. Dike-New Hartford IO (29) 27. St. James Academy KS (25) 28. Ursuline Academy OH (31) 29. Valor Christian CO (33) 30. Liberty North MO (44) *** 31. Magnificat OH (37) 32. Brebeuf Jesuit IN (32) 33. Liberty MO (28) 34. Mater Dei CA (35) 35. Plano West TX (30) 36. Millbrook NC (50) 37. Corona del Sol AZ (40) 38. Assumption KY (42) 39. Eureka MO (36) 40. Millennium AZ (43) *** 41. Torrey Pines CA (45) 42. Flint Hill VA (45) 43. North Raleigh Christian Academy NC (n/r) 44. Jesuit OR (47) 45. Archbishop Mitty CA (48) 46. Mountain View UT (46) 47. St. Ursula Academy OH (n/r) 48. Bountiful UT (n/r) 49. Lakewood CA (n/r) 50. Cleveland TN (n/r) Out: North Gwinnett GA; Reagan NC; Redondo Union CA; Palos Verdes CA; Punahou HI In: North Raleigh Christian Academy NC; St. Ursula Academy OH; Bountiful UT; Lakewood CA; Cleveland TN *** HONORABLE MENTION Middle Creek NC Punahou HI Palos Verdes CA Reagan NC North Gwinnett GA Redondo Union CA Newport Harbor CA Benet Academy IL Horizon AZ Liberty AZ Huntley IL Mercy McAuley OH Rock Bridge MO Hamilton AZ Mount Notre Dame OH Mercy MI Skyline MI Xavier IO Ankeny IO Lyons IL Notre Dame Academy KY Mercy KY Wayzata MN Lakeville North MN Northfield MN Marshall MN Skutt Catholic NE Pickens SC Dorman SC Cardinal Newman SC Nolensville TN Knoxville Catholic TN Pope GA Buford GA Alpharetta GA Sequoyah GA Lake Catholic OH Rock Canyon CO Heritage CO Legend CO Chaparral CO Trinity Catholic FL Olathe Northwest KS Lincoln-Way East IL Vista Murrieta CA Harvard-Westlake CA Huntington Beach CA Alemany CA Calvary Christian FL Tampa Prep FL Tompkins TX Bryon Nelson TX Bishop Watterson OH Ardrey Kell NC Kamehameha HI Moanalua HI Jackson Academy MS Ponte Vedra FL Venice FL O’Connor AZ Divine Savior Holy Angels WI Appleton North WI Burlington WI Hamilton WI Timpview UT

Let’s whip around and tour parts of the country to see where matters stand on both national and state stages. We begin at the very top of our Top 50 HS National Rankings, where undefeated Cathedral Catholic CA (35-0) remains No. 1. The Dons have the inside track to the national championship, a feat they can accomplish by winning out. To get to the finish line unscathed, Cathedral Catholic needs to win three matches in the San Diego sectional playoffs then another four in the CA Open Division state playoffs. Speaking of the CA state playoffs, there’s an interesting scenario developing in the Open Division in regards to the national championship. As mentioned above, the national championship is Cathedral Catholic’s if it finishes the season undefeated. But what if the Dons don’t? Westminster Christian FL is sitting at No. 2 and would have a strong argument. The Warriors (24-0) are also looking to finish the year unbeaten and are in the midst of the Florida 3A state playoffs. Westminster faces Riviera Prep in second-round action Friday. After that one, the Warriors would need three more victories to win the state championship. That achievement combined with Westminster’s victory over No. 3 Cornerstone Christian TX in the finals of the Nike TOC Southwest tournament in September makes for a strong case for the Warriors to finish on top should Cathedral Catholic stumble. Should somehow Cathedral Catholic and Westminster Christian both lose, that would open the door for Cornerstone Christian to finish No. 1. The Warriors have played arguably the strongest schedule in the nation and went 55-2. One defeat was to Westminster as stated. The other was to The Woodlands, a squad Cornerstone has also defeated. Since Cornerstone’s season is over, there is only one more scenario where a school outside the Top 3 can make a convincing enough case to finish No. 1. That brings us back to the CA state playoffs. St. Francis/Mountain View CA (28-0) is ranked No. 20 nationally and remains undefeated after narrowly clipping No. 48 Archbishop Mitty in five sets, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 19-25, 20-18, Monday. The Lancers don’t have the strongest strength of schedule or they would be ranked higher. However, that could all change. It’s possible St. Francis could make it to the Open Division state final and face off with top-ranked Cathedral Catholic. That match would take place Nov. 19 and have huge national title implications. Because what if St. Francis upset Cathedral Catholic and finished undefeated? The Lancers would be the only school to defeat the Dons and that could very well be enough to lift the Lancers to the No. 1 spot should it happen. St. Francis could face Archbishop Mitty twice more before getting that far. Once in the Central Coast sectional playoffs and again in the state playoffs. Stay tuned. *** One state already wrapped up its playoffs – Tennessee. Cleveland (49-5) captured the Division 1 Class 3A state championship, defeating Collierville (37-10) in the final, 25-21, 25-14, 25-20. Knoxville Catholic and Nolensville were the two culprits for Cleveland, which went 2-5 combined against the two schools. Nolensville was upset by Ravenwood in the regional playoffs, while Knoxville Catholic lost to Baylor in the semifinals of the Division 2 Class 2A state playoffs. It was the 1-2 punch of sophomore outside Lauren Hurst and senior outside Addison Hurst who proved to be the biggest detriment to opponents. The pair combined for 1,250 kills and 730 digs. Lauren Hurst led the team with 61 blocks. We wrote about setter Kinslee McGowan in our 25 Junior Show Stoppers released this week. She dished out 1,256 assists and led the team in aces with 131. At one point, the Blue Raiders were 27-1 after losing their second outing of the season to Knoxville Catholic. But then they lost three times in six matches before finishing out the season 19-1. Among their victories this season included beating Briarcrest Christian, which claimed the Division 2 Class 2A state championship. Briarcrest (37-6) swept Baylor, 25-19, 25-22, 25-14, in the final. The Saints had lost to Knoxville Catholic during the season but beat the Fighting Irish in the opening round of the state playoffs. Senior outside Kendall Barnes led the team in kills with 396, averaging 3.8 per set and hitting .333. Senior setter Ashley Pruitt, who averaged 10.3 assists per set, also relied on senior outside Emma Haddix (2.6 kills per set) and senior middle Kynedi Jennings (2.2). *** By the end of the week we’ll know the Kansas state champions. The two-day event takes place Oct. 28-29. National No. 9 Washburn Rural is the top seed in Class 6A. National No. 14 St. Thomas Aquinas is the No. 1 overall seed in Class 5A, which also features national No. 25 St. James Academy as the No. 2 seed. Washburn Rural has faced both top seeds in 5A this season, going 2-0 against Aquinas and 0-1 against St. James. Aquinas is 1-0 against St. James. It’ll be interesting to see how the final two days plays out and how to break down which school was the best in the state this fall. *** The Indiana state playoffs are nearing their conclusion as well. The Class 4A semifinals are set for Saturday and feature national No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern against Lake Central in one half and national No. 13 Yorktown facing Floyd Central in the other. The final is Nov. 5. The quarterfinals featured one of the biggest clashes of the season when Hamilton Southeastern eliminated then-No. 3 McCutcheon, 16-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-19. Senior outside Avery Hobson, junior outside Lauren Harden and junior middle Breonna Goss combined for 35 kills for the Royals in that victory. McCutcheon is the only team to defeat HSE (32-1) so far. The recent victory propelled HSE to No. 4 nationally while dropping McCutcheon to No. 17. A rematch in the final between HSE and Yorktown would be something. HSE defeated Yorktown in five sets, 25-19, 25-17, 14-25, 23-25, 15-10,

Even though the season is winding down and we’ll soon have our postseason awards and accolades, there’s still enough time left to tour the country and check in on players having or who have had amazing seasons. For this edition, we focused on 25 Show Stoppers from the Class of 2024. Nora Wurtz MB Douglas County West NE – The Falcon (28-3) are looking to surprise in the Class C1 playoffs. Anything they do starts with the 6-4 Wurtz. The 3-star Creighton commit is having an incredible year. She leads her team with 393 kills. Wurtz is averaging 4.9 kills per set and hitting a mind-boggling .540 in the process. She also has a team-high 76 blocks and put up a season-high 22 kills in a win over Platteview on Sept. 22. Mackenzie Parsons MB Poway CA – The Titans continue the CIF-SDS Division 1 playoffs Friday when they face El Capitan. The 6-2 Parsons is putting up eye-popping stats. She’s hitting .532 and leads the way with 407 kills, averaging 4.2 per set. She’s also sent down a team-high 82 blocks. Four times she’s recorded 22 kills in a match and set a season high with 23 in win over Del Norte in early October. Alice Volpe L Bridgeland TX – The Bears (37-8) wrapped up their regular season schedule Tuesday and turn their attention to the postseason where Volpe and her teammates will look to pull off a few upsets. The junior has been a wall in the backrow. She’s tallied 593 digs and is averaging 4.9 per set. She also leads the team in aces with 44. Her season-high mark is 27 digs, which she made in a four-set victory against Lake Creek in late August. Jordan Smart S Reagan NC – The Raiders (36-0) put their undefeated record on the line when they continue the 4A state playoffs. They face South Iredell in Round 3 with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line. Smart has directed the offense well this fall. She’s delivered 821 dimes, averaging 10.5 per set. It features a season-best 37 assists in a recent sweep over West Forsyth. Reagan Sharp OH Keller TX – Can the Indians (28-11) be the surprise of the 6A playoffs? They’ll give it their best shot behind Sharp. The 3-star recruit has been at the center of it this fall. She’s carried the offense, registering 454 kills and averaging 3.9 per set. Sharp blasted a season-high 34 kills in a four-set victory against Southlake Carroll in early October. Alec Rothe MB Dublin Scioto OH – The Irish (20-4) are looking to fight their way into the Division 1 state playoffs. Rothe has caused plenty of opponent headaches this fall with her performance. She has a team-high 308 kills. She’s averaging 4.2 per set and is hitting .356. She registered a season-high 24 kills in a five-set victory over Big Walnut in early September. Amanda Mack OH Maryville TN – The Red Rebels (33-15) had their season ended by Hillsboro in the second round of the Division 1 Class 3A state playoffs. It ended a big year for Mack, a 6-2, 4-star Bradley commit. She finished with 447 kills, averaging 3.8 per set. She was also second in both digs and aces. Mack had her best match of the year when she put down a season-high 21 kills and hit .571 in a sweep over Morristown-Hamblen West in mid-October. Lilly Wagner S Oconomowoc WI – Wagner, a 6-0, 4-star Maryland recruit, and her Raccoons (35-1) are seeking to cap their season with a Division 1 state title. It’s been a remarkable year, with Wagner running the show. She’s racked up 887 assists to date, averaging 10.3 per frame. She’s recorded double-digit assists in every match, including a season-high 38 in a victory against Kettle Moraine in late September. Lola Davila L Brandies TX – The Broncos’ (28-15) regular season ended with a five-set loss to Reagan on Tuesday. Davila’s been a backrow standout this fall, putting up 882 digs. She averaged an incredible 6.7 per set. She had a season-high 44 digs in a five-set loss to New Braunfels on Sept. 16. Evan Hendrix OH Notre Dame Prep AZ – The Saints (24-14) look to play spoilers in the 5A playoffs that begin next week. Hendrix – a 4-star TCU commit – is the engine that makes the offense go. She’s notched a team-leading 488 kills entering Thursday’s regular-season finale. She’s averaging 4.9 per set and nailed down a season-high 40 kills in a five-set victory against Verrado in early September. *** Fallon Stewart OH Winter Park FL – The 7A state playoffs started Wednesday for the Wildcats (20-7). Stewart is an integral part of the lineup as the 6-3, 4-star Cincinnati commit entered the week with a team-high 437 kills. She’s averaging 5.2 per set and is hitting .303. Nine times she’s topped 20 or more kills, including a season-high 32 against Lake Brantley in mid-September. Briana Lauersdorf L Waterloo WI – The Pirates (23-10) have a Division 3 sectional semifinal meeting with Randolph on Friday. No doubt the Pirates will be counting on Lauersdorf to deliver like she has all season long. She’s made 536 saves to date and is averaging an outstanding 6.2 digs per set. She’s twice had 30 or more, including a season-best 36 against New Glarus in early September. Paisley Douglas L Skutt Catholic NE – Douglas and her Skyhawks teammates face Duchesne in a subdistrict match Wednesday evening for a spot in the Class B state playoffs. Douglas has turned in a monster season. The recent USC commit has put up 508 digs. She’s averaging 4.9 per set. She made a season-high 33 saves in a four-set victory against St. Teresa’s Academy in September. Kinslee McGowan S Cleveland TN – McGowan played an instrumental role in the Blue Raiders (49-5) capturing the Division 1 Class 3A state championship. She totaled 1256 assists on the year, averaging 8.5 per set.