LA Mission A South Stalwart At #4 On Latest State Women's Volleyball Top 25
Week No. 4 of the 3C2AWVCA State Top 25 Rankings features the last three undefeated teams in #1 Fresno City (13-0), #3 San Diego Miramar (11-0) and #4 Los Angeles Mission (12-0).
The Eagles have advanced to each of the last two 3C2A state championship tournaments and are hoping to make it for a third straight season.
The parity is apparent in both regions especially in the South where San Diego Mesa pulled up one slot to #6, San Bernardino Valley up a spot to #9. They were joined in jumping forward by Saddleback at #12 (up one), Pasadena City #13 (up two), Moorpark #14 (up three), and Ventura #15 (up one).
Although it suffered a 5-set upset loss to Pasadena, Long Beach remains high due to its strong non-conference schedule at #7.
After the upper three in Fresno, #2 Feather River, and #5 San Mateo, the North is as tight as its ever been. San Joaquin Delta remains at #8 and Taft making waves in flying upward 11 slots to reach #10.
The rest of NorCal is up for grabs as eight of the last nine spots in the Top 25 are occupied by North teams that could trade ranks as easily as its next victory or defeat. Monterey Peninsula heads that group at #17 as it stretched Fresno to five sets in defeat and climbs the ladder five rungs up. Shasta shuffled four positions up to #19.
Both American River at #23 and Clovis at #24 regain places in the Top 25.
Santa Rosa (#21) recently celebrated head coach Ally Sather's milestone 100th career win.
The Big 8, Orange Empire, and Pacific Coast Athletic conferences all opened their larger league schedules last week.
Of the 10 current teams with 10 or more victories, three are from the Golden Valley Conference including #18 Lassen and eight are from the North.
The Department of The Battle Tested--Yuba is 3-8, but seven of their matches have reached five sets with all three victories going the distance.
Set of the Year: Moorpark 39, Canyons 37 during the third game in the #14 Raiders' 5-set win on Sept. 16. COC held set point four straight times from 24-23 with MC surviving each time. The Cougars also fought back to tie it an impressive eight times when MC had set point before Moorpark finally finishing off a game that took 46 minutes to play. The extra-point session featured many long rallies. Video, go to 1:06 for start of set.
3C2AWVCA State Top 25 Rankings, #4
| RANK | TEAM, CONFERENCE | RECORD | NOTES | REGION TOP 15 | LAST WEEK'S STATE RANK |
| 1. | FRESNO CITY, Central Valley North | 13-0 | The Rams receive a scare, but edge Monterey Peninsula in 5 (15-9), swept Ohlone. They have won 39 of 45 sets this year. Reina Dvorak named AVCA National 2-Year College Player of the Week. | North #1 | State #1 |
| 2. | FEATHER RIVER, Golden Valley | 15-1 | The Golden Eagles are getting tested weekly it seems. After sweeping Reedley, win in 5 v. San Mateo (15-7) and v. Hartnell (15-11), then swept Monterey Peninsula. FRC is 3-1 in matches that go the distance. | North #2 | State #2 |
| 3. | SAN DIEGO MIRAMAR, Pacific Coast Athletic | 11-0 | The Jets open PCAC play, win in 4 v. MiraCosta, swept Southwestern, now 33-3 in sets this season. Madelyn Wutzke is State Player of the Week #3 | South #1 | State #3 |
| 4. | LA MISSION, Western State North | 12-0 | The Eagles beat Santa Monica in 4, swept Citrus. They've won 36 of 41 sets. | South #2 | State #4 |
| 5. | COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO, Coast North | 10-4 | The Bulldogs beat Reedley in 4, lose to Feather River in 5 (2nd loss v. #2 team), swept Solano, West Valley. | North #3 | State #5 |
| 6. | SAN DIEGO MESA, Pacific Coast Athletic | 9-4 | The Olympians stretch win streak to 8, beat Grossmont in 4, swept MiraCosta to start PCAC play. | South #3 | State #7 |
| 7. | LONG BEACH CITY, South Coast South | 5-5 | The Vikings lose to Pasadena in 5 (15-10). The match was a SCC crossover between what appears to be the leading candidates to win their respective divisions (LBCC-South, PCC-North). | South #4 | State #6 |
| 8. | SAN JOAQUIN DELTA, Big 8 | 8-4 | The Mustangs have won 5 of their last 6, swept Sierra, Sacramento to begin Big 8 play. Emily Yarbrough is a State Player of the Week #3. | North #4 | State #8 |
| 9. | SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY, Inland Empire Athletic | 8-1 | The Wolverines have won 5 straight, beat Cypress in 4, swept Sequoias. SBVC is currently #1 in SoCal in RPI .658. | South #5 | State #10 |
| 10. | TAFT, Central Valley South | 11-1 | The Cougars are red-hot, on a 9-match win streak, winning 27 of their last 28 sets and the last 19 in a row. They swept Ohlone, Pasadena (77-70 points), Cerro Coso, Santa Barbara | North #5 | State #21 |
| 11. | SANTA MONICA, Western State South | 7-3 | The Corsairs are in a tough stretch, lost 3 of their last 4 v. tough opponents--fall in 4 to both LA Mission and Moorpark. | South #6 | State #9 |
| 12. | SADDLEBACK, Orange Empire | 7-1 | The Bobcats swept Orange Coast, Santiago Canyon to open OEC play. | South #7 | State #13 |
| 13. | PASADENA CITY, South Coast North | 8-6 | The Lancers are winners of 5 of their last 6. They swept Ohlone, swept by Taft, then score a huge 5-set W over Long Beach. | South #8 | State #15 |
| 14. | MOORPARK, Western State North | 7-3 | The Raiders edged Canyons in an epic 5 (15-10), including the highest scoring set in recent history--39-37--in 3rd (121-109), then score big victory over Santa Monica in 4 (26-24, 4th). | South #9 | State #17 |
| 15. | VENTURA, Western State North | 7-3 | The Pirates have won their last 12 sets, swept LA Pierce, Bakersfield. | South #10 | State #16 |
| 16. | PALOMAR, Pacific Coast Athletic | 9-1 | The Comets have won 6 in a row, beat Cuyamaca in 4, swept Imperial Valley to open PCAC action. | South #11 | State #12 |
| 17. | MONTEREY PENINSULA, Coast North | 8-4 | The Lobos had a busy week, lost to Lassen in 5 (15-11), beat Sacramento in 4, were swept by Feather River, win reverse sweep over Hartnell in 5 (15-9), give Fresno a battle in 5-set L (103-101), swept Modesto. In all, MPC went 3-3 and played an exhausting 25 sets in a span of three days Sept. 16-18. | North #6 | State #22 |
| 18. | LASSEN, Golden Valley | 12-3 | The Cougars swept Sacramento, beat Monterey Peninsula in 5. | North #7 | State #14 |
| 19. | SHASTA, Golden Valley | 13-4 | The Knights swept Los Medanos, Solano, Skyline, De Anza. | North #8 | State #23 |
| 20. | COSUMNES RIVER, Big 8 | 9-3 | The Hawks lost to ARC in 5, swept Folsom Lake to start Big 8 matches. | North #9 | State #20 |
| 21. | BAKERSFIELD, Western State South | 6-6 | The Renegades swept Cuesta, swept by Ventura. | South #12 | State #11 |
| 22. | SANTA ROSA JC, Big 8 | 10-2 | The Bear Cubs get past Folsom Lake in 5 (15-11), then lose to American River in hard-fought 4 (lose 2nd 26-24, win 3rd 30-28 (102-90 overall) that began Big 8 play. | North #10 | State #18 |
| 23. | AMERICAN RIVER, Big 8 | 6-7 | The Beavers start Big 8 schedule with big wins over Cosumnes River in 5 (15-7) and SRJC in 4. | North #11 | Not Ranked |
| 24. | CLOVIS, Central Valley North | 9-3 | The Crush have won 4 straight, edge West Valley in 5 (15-9), swept Cabrillo, Lemoore. | North #12 | Not Ranked |
| 25. | HARTNELL, Coast South | 7-8 | The Panthers were snakebit, but played well in two 5-set Ls to Feather River and MPC. They are 1-3 in matches that go the distance. | North #13 | State #24 |
| BEST OF THE REST | |||||
| SACRAMENTO CITY, Big 8 | 9-5 | The Panthers 9-match win streak snapped, lose 3 in a row--swept by Lassen, lose to MPC in 4, swept by Delta in its Big 8 opener. | North #14 | State #19 | |
| WEST VALLEY, Coast South | 5-3 | The Vikings lost to Clovis in 5, swept Solano, swept by San Mateo. | North #15 | State #25 | |
| GROSSMONT, Pacific Coast Athletic | 4-7 | The Griffins lost in 4 to SD Mesa in PCAC opener. | South #13 | ||
| MODESTO JC, Big 8 | 10-3 | The Pirates swept Diablo Valley, saw their 10-match win streak stopped in 4 by Ohlone, then swept by MPC. | |||
| EL CAMINO, South Coast South | 7-5 | The Warriors swept Desert, beat Rio Hondo in 4 | South #14 | ||
| ORANGE COAST, Orange Empire | 3-4 | The Pirates were swept by Saddleback, beat Golden West in 4 in starting OEC play. | South #15 | ||
| CERRITOS, South Coast South | 5-4 | The Falcons swept LA City. | |||
| CYPRESS, Orange Empire | 7-5 | The Chargers lost in 4 to SBVC and to Riverside in their OEC opener. | |||
| IRVINE VALLEY, Orange Empire | 4-3 | The Lasers swept Fullerton, Santa Ana to start OEC action. | |||
| GOLDEN WEST, Orange Empire | 3-4 | The Rustlers beat Riverside in 4, lost to Orange Coast in 4 as OEC action commenced | |||
| RIVERSIDE CITY, Orange Empire | 5-5 | The Tigers lost to Golden West in 4, beat Cypress in 4 that began OEC play. | |||
| MT. SAN JACINTO, Inland Empire Athletic | 5-7 | The Eagles outlasted the Battle of the Mounts v Mt. SAC in 5 (16-14). | |||
| COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS, Western State South | 4-8 | The Cougars record is deceiving. Lost to Moorpark in 5 in a 230-point marathon, then snapped a 5-match losing streak by upsetting Santa Barbara in 5. | |||
| COALINGA, Central Valley South | 8-4 | The Falcons lost to Cerro Coso in 4, beat Santa Barbara in 4. | |||
| OHLONE, Coast North | 7-7 | The Renegades were swept by Pasadena, Taft, beat Modesto in 4, swept by Fresno. | |||
| CERRO COSO, Inland Empire Athleti | 6-5 | The Coyotes swept East LA, Lemoore, swept by Taft, beat Coalinga in 4. | |||
| SANTA BARBARA CITY, Western State North | 4-8 | The Vaqueros swept Citrus to stop 4-match slide, then lose in 5 to Canyons (15-10), swept by Taft, Coalinga. | |||
| FULLERTON, Orange Empire | 5-5 | The Hornets were swept by Irvine Valley in their OEC opener, swept Chaffey. | |||
| COLLEGE OF THE DESERT, Inland Empire Athletic | 5-7 | The Roadrunners were swept by El Camino. | |||
| IMPERIAL VALLEY, Pacific Coast Athletic | 3-3 | The Desert Warriors beat Southwestern in 5 (15-10) in their PCAC opener, swept by Palomar. | |||
| VICTOR VALLEY, Inland Empire Athletic | 6-5 | The Rams swept LA Harbor, beat Reedley in 5 (15-6) to be 3-0 in 5-set matches. | |||
| COLLEGE OF THE SEQUOIAS, Central Valley South | 6-9 | The Giants swept Yuba, Siskiyous, swept by SBVC | |||
| ANTELOPE VALLEY, Western State South | 4-5 | The Marauders swept Allan Hancock, then had a 4-match win streak halted 4-set L v. Cuesta (26-24 4th). | |||
| MERCED, Central Valley North | 4-4 | The Blue Devils are 4-1 in last 5. Did not play last week. | |||
| LA PIERCE, Western State South | 4-1 | The Brahmas were swept by Ventura, beat Allan Hancock in 5 (15-13). | |||
| LEMOORE, Central Valley South | 6-5 | The Golden Eagles were swept Cerro Coso, beat Cabrillo in 4, swept by Clovis. | |||
| RIO HONDO, South Coast North | 3-2 | The Roadrunners lost to El Camino in 4. | |||
| SANTA ANA, Orange Empire | 4-2 | The Dons swept Santiago Canyon, had 4-match win streak end in being swept by Irvine Valley as they began their OEC schedule. | |||
| COLLEGE OF THE SISKIYOUS, Golden Valley | 8-6 | The Eagles were swept by Sequoias, lost to Yuba in 5, end 4-match losing streak, beat Mendocino in 4, swept Los Medanos. | |||
| MENDOCINO, Bay Valley | 5-5 | The Eagles swept Skyline, lost to Siskiyous in 4, beat Redwoods in 4. | |||
| COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS, Golden Valley | 6-7 | The Corsairs swept Los Medanos, then 4-match win streak ends with 4-set L v. Mendocino. | |||
| COLLEGE OF MARIN, Bay Valley | 5-4 | The Mariners are 3-0 this year v. Skyline. | |||
| COLUMBIA, Central Valley North | 5-6 | The Claim Jumpers have won 4 in a row, swept Napa Valley, Gavilan, beat Contra Costa in 4. |
Release/Rankings by Robert Lewis, 3C2AWVCA SID