Playoff games rocked the MaxPreps ranking of the Volleyball High School’s Top 25 as a handful of teams entered after semifinal and final wins over previously ranked opponents.
None were more impressive than McCutcheon (Lafayette, Indiana) who beat former No.16 Penn in an epic Hoosier State 4A semifinal battle. U.S. Under-18 bronze medalist Chloe Chicoine gave the Mavericks a straight-set victory with 34 kills and 21 digs. McCutcheon shoots Castle for the 4A title after the Knights swept away previous No. 25 Roncalli.
The No.21 Lansing earned 40 straight victories en route to the Kansas State Class 5A title after opening the season with one loss. The Lions defeated Thomas Aquinas in the final.
In Arkansas, No.20 Fayetteville had lost twice to Har-Ber in the regular season, but the Bulldogs won whatever it was, winning the AAA title with a sweep from their rival.
MaxPreps Top 25 Volleyball Leaderboards
1. (Last week # 1) Marymount (Los Angeles), 30-0
Strong points: The Sailors swept the quarter-finals and semi-finals with victories over Harvard-Westlake and Mira Costa to set up a CIF Southern Section Division 1 final showdown with No.6 Mater Dei. In the win over Harvard-Westlake, Elia Rubin and Torrey Stafford each scored 13 kills. Marymount won a 2-0 victory over the Monarchs on September 18.
Next: November 3 against Mater Dei
2. (2) Catholic Saint Pius X (Atlanta), 51-1
Strong points: The Golden Lions defeated Blessed Trinity 3-1 in an epic AAAAA semi-final battle between two ranked teams. Kate Larocco led the St. Pius offense with 16 kills, while Lura Underwood and Annemarie Rakoski each added 11. passer Avery Brown had 42 assists with just one ball handling error. The Golden Lions are seeking their third state title.
Next: November 6 against Greenbrier
3. (3) Papillion-LaVista Sud (Papillion, Neb.), 37-0
Strong points: Hitters Stella Adeyemi and Lauren Medeck and setter Ava Legrand continue to push the Titans to perfection. PLVS is three wins away from its fifth Class A state title and its first since 2019.
Next: November 3 against Fremont
4. (4) Marian (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan), 46-1
Strong points: Michigan’s most dominant team all season is looking for a second straight Division 1 title behind Miss Michigan Volleyball contestants Sarah Sylvester (TCU entry) and Ava Brizard (North Carolina state). No. 7 Notre Dame Prep, a Division 2 team, is the only school to beat the Mustangs all season.
Next: November 3 Farmington
5. (5) Brandeis (San Antonio), 40-2
Strong points: Jalyn Gibson was the driving force behind a five-hittering Broncos offense with over 100 kills. His senior colleague Carlee Pharris is apparently all over the floor, having collected over 1,000 assists, 300 digs and 240 eliminations during the season.
Next: November 2 vs. Center-East
6. (6) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 35-4
Strong points: The Monarchs are looking for their chance for revenge – and the No. 1 seed in the Southern California Open Division – in Saturday’s game against seed Marymount. Mater Dei’s schedule could be the toughest in the country with trips to several national tournaments and a swing in Texas in August.
Next: November 3 against Marymount
7. (7) Notre Dame Prep (Pontiac, Michigan), 57-1
Strong points: The Fighting Irish begin their quest for a Division 2 state title Wednesday after ending the regular season with just one loss to Division 1 Mercy. Aly Borellis propels a relentless six-hit attack and also leads the team with 602 assists.
Next: November 3 against Warren
8. (8) Lovejoy (Lucas, TX), 35-6
Strong points: The Leopards begin their quest for the 5A title three rounds behind perennial MaxPreps All-American Averi Carlson and Rosemary Archer, who leads six hitters with over 100 kills.
Next: November 2 vs Legacy
9. (9) Flower Mound (Texas), 36-5
Strong points: The Jags begin their quest for a state title against 27-12 Prosper. The team emerging from UIL 6A support will deserve to be considered the MaxPreps National Champion, as VR Eaton, Martin, The Woodlands, Seven Lakes and Brandeis are among the heavyweights vying for the state crown.
Next: November 2 against Prosper
10. (11) Catholic Cathedral (San Diego), 31-4
Strong points: The Dons are looking for a San Diego Section Open Division crown behind hitters Julia Blyashov, Ryleigh Patterson and Noemie Glover as well as setter Faith Tyson.
Next: November 3 against San Marcos
11. (12) Marin Catholic (Kentfield, Calif.), 26-2
Strong points: The Wildcats are the crème de la crème of Northern California and are led by a senior trio of Grace Oliva, Leah Wilton-LaBoy and Bella McGirr.
Next: November 3 vs Carondelet
12. (13) Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.), 30-0
Strong points: The Trojans can end the season flawless with a 4A title win over two-seeded Champlin Park. Wayzata has been Minnesota’s best team all season.
Next: November 3 Champlin Park
13. (14) Hudsonville (Michigan), 46-2-1
Strong points: The Eagles continued to roll as Megan Beemer tallied 21 assists, Lauren Wiles added 14 and Olivia Howlett threw 11 assists in a sweep against Holland on Monday.
Next: November 3 vs. Ottawa West
14. (19) Sequoyah (Canton, Georgia), 51-3
Strong points: The Chiefs had 27 kills and 13 digs from junior Rosa Fisher while Catherine Brumbeloe added 17 and Sydney Huyck scored 16 in a five-set AAAAAA semi-final against Lassiter. Junior Taylor Pecht had 62 assists with just two errors as Sequoyah won 15-8 in the deciding set.
Next: November 6 against Buford
15. (15) North Raleigh Christian Academy (Raleigh, NC), 27-2
Strong points: The Knights completed the seven peat, owning the NCISAA 4A division since 2014. Perennial All-American MaxPreps Riley Buckley had 27 assists and nine assists in the Durham Academy sweep while Brianna Frazilus scored 21 kills in victory.
Next: Season ended
16. (21) Ponte Vedra (Florida), 26-1
Strong points: Zeta Washington and Rachel Johnson punctuated the Sharks’ offense with 14 and 12 kills, respectively, in a Booker T. Washington sweep in the Florida 6A quarterfinals.
Next: November 3 against Niceville
17. (10) Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), 30-6
Strong points: The Rockets’ 23rd state title quest ended prematurely with a 3-1 loss to Sacred Heart in the regional final without star hitter Sydney Helmers.
Next: Season ended
18. (NR) McCutcheon (Lafayette, Indiana), 29-6
Strong points: The Mavericks outlasted former No.16 Penn in an Indiana 4A semi-final thriller in five sets. Chloe Chicoine, who earlier this year helped the United States U18 team win a bronze medal at the World Championships, led for McCutcheon with 34 kills and 21 digs. Second-year passer Allie Shondell had 43 assists and Alleigh Dutton won on the service line.
Next: November 6 against Castle
19. (22) Victor (NY), 42-1
Strong points: The Blue Devils started the section game with a Rush-Henrietta sweep and tied Hilton Central on Wednesday. Senior forward Emma Werkmeister is approaching 500 kills for the season.
Next: November 3 vs. Hilton Central
20. (NR) Fayetteville (Arche.), 32-4
Next: Season ended
21. (NR) Lansing (Kan.), 40-1
Strong points: The Lions were perfect after an opener loss to Aquinas, closing a 40-game winning season with the Kansas 5A title against St. James Academy, which beat the Saints in the semifinals. Olivia Mae Van der Werff led five Lansing hitters with over 120 kills with 427. Caitlin Bishop has found her hitters all season, finishing with 1,014 assists.
Next: Season ended
22. (NR) Martin (Arlington, Texas), 35-2
Highlights: Part of the 6A playoff gauntlet, the Warriors fell twice on August 14 and haven’t lost since, winning 32 straight games. Seniors Emily Adams (394 kills) and Zella Baresh (316 kills) fuel Martin’s powerful offense while Courtney Hanson has passed the 1,000 assists mark this season.
Next: November 2 against Berkner
23. (NR) Walton (Marietta, Georgia), 26-6
Strong points: The Raiders are on the hunt for their 15th state crown after sweeping Cherokee in the AAAAAAA semifinals behind Mary Neal’s 15 kills.
Next: November 6 against Alpharetta
24. (24) Nolensville (Tenn.), 43-3
Strong points: Tennessee Division 1 AAA State Champions
25. (NR) Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.), 46-4
Strong points: The Jaguars swept McGill-Toolen to claim the Alabama 6A title behind a dominant night of Audrey Rothman, who finished the game with her 25th kill. Junior Emily Breazeale added 12 assists while Rothman added 13 digs and junior passer Lilly Johnson had 22 assists.
Next: Season ended
On the bubble: Castle (Newburgh, Indiana), 35-10; Steinbrenner (Lutz, Fla.), 25-3; Catholic Montini (Lombard, Illinois), 33-1; Sacré-Coeur (Louisville, Ky.), 26-9; Washburn Rural (Topeka, Kan.), 35-2; San Marcos (Calif.), 33-3; VR Eaton (Fort Worth, Texas), 33-3; Mercy (Louisville, Ky.), 27-11; Leon (Tallahassee, Fla.), 24-4; Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 30-5.
