That is “Dots,” VolleyballMag.com’s weekly take a look at 10 issues in highschool volleyball, previous or current, that curiosity me and hopefully will curiosity you. Search for Dots each Tuesday till the final highschool state championship in November:
• It has begun.
State championship season is upon us. It began with a trickle final weekend, when the 2 smallest Oklahoma courses topped champions; continues this week with the bigger courses and all of Tennessee; and shortly will flip right into a torrent — no less than a dozen states will decide champions the primary week of November.
Earlier than the month is up, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas and Maine will be a part of Oklahoma and Tennessee in finishing their fall campaigns.
So many groups have made successful titles in 2023 a major aim. Will their hopes and aspirations be realized? Solely a choose few groups will be capable of grasp state championship banners when all is claimed and finished.
• Let the official file replicate that Christian Heritage Academy and Group Christian are the primary two state champions of this fall season.
CHA, of Del Metropolis, received the Oklahoma 3A title for the primary time since successful 4 in a row from 2014-2017.
Group Christian, of Norman, received state for the third time in 4 seasons and fifth general, however first as a 4A faculty.
Christian Heritage’s run to the title is especially fascinating. The Crusaders have been simply 18-17 going into the playoffs earlier than reeling off 5 straight wins to take the title. CHA, the fourth seed at state, took the championship by defeating top-seeded Southwest Covenant in a sweep. Southwest Covenant is coached by Heath Kufahl, who was the coach at Christian Heritage for its earlier 4 titles. Kufahl’s daughter and two nieces performed AGAINST him within the closing. Reese Kufahl, his sophomore daughter who performs on the proper for CHA, had 10 kills and two blocks within the match.
Hannah Pleasure Nuthman led the way in which in victory with 15 kills and 16 digs.
Christian Heritage rallied from a 22-21 deficit with 4 straight factors to shut Recreation 1; in any other case, the consequence might need been very totally different.
Christian Heritage may be very younger, with just one senior on the roster. Search for the Crusaders to contend once more in 2024.
***
Group Christian (41-2) received 4A in 4 units over Bethany. The Royals had an opportunity to comb, however dropped the third set, 29-27, earlier than successful going away within the fourth, 25-16.
The win capped a profession that included three titles in 4 years for senior hitters Landry Braziel and Victoria Grey and setter Stella Gorton.
Braziel was a dominant participant on this match. The UTEP recruit, arguably one of the best senior in Oklahoma no matter faculty classification, had 19 kills in her final highschool match. She completed the autumn with 427 kills, the third straight season she has gone over 400 kills in a season.
Grey added 15 kills, together with the clincher.
Bethany (33-7) completed second after not qualifying for the state event a yr in the past.
• There are eight groups nonetheless alive for the Oklahoma 5A and 6A titles. Bracket play runs Thursday by way of Saturday.
Each defending champions, Edmond Memorial (6A) and Mount St. Mary (5A) stay in rivalry, however each are in 6A this yr. Mount St. Mary was elevated from 5A after successful consecutive titles at that stage.
Mount St. Mary (37-3) is the third general seed however is likely to be the favourite regardless of two in-state losses to second-seeded Jenks. MSM is led by pins Ally Charges and Gia McGrew and setter Livia Ward and personal a win this yr excessive seed in 5A, Bishop McGuinness and two over 4A champion Group Christian.
Deer Creek, the highest general seed in 6A, has benefited vastly from the move-in of OH Emma Converse. The Buffalo recruit had greater than 200 kills and 200 digs final yr for Fossil Ridge in Colorado earlier than transferring one state to the east (the Oklahoma panhandle counts!).
McGuinness, final yr’s 5A runner-up, is a heavy favourite to win this yr. The Preventing Irish, who’re led by libero Taylor Vann, setter Claire Kieri and OH Charlotte Nelson, have misplaced in-state solely to Mount St. Mary’s and Group Christian.
• 5 titles are up for grabs as Tennessee’s state event opens as we speak in Murfreesboro. Play continues by way of Thursday.
Cleveland (AAA), Creek Wooden (AA) Summertown (1A), Briarcrest Christian (Div. II –AA) and Battle Floor Academy (Div. II-A) received titles in 2022
Cleveland and Creek Wooden are again, trying so as to add a second title to the primary they captured a yr in the past. Cleveland is led by celebrity junior hitter Lauren Hurst and senior setter Kinslee McGowan. Creek Wooden is again to defend regardless of having just one senior on the roster and just one participant taller than 5-9.
A younger Briarcrest Christian workforce is chasing its fifth title over the previous six years.
Each Summertown (22-18) and Battle Floor Academy (17-11) did not qualify for Murfreesboro.
• California is an odd animal. As a result of the state is so giant, it’s divided into sections and people sections wield huge energy. That is one cause why, in some components, part titles are thought of as useful or extra so than the state title itself.
That’s very true within the huge Southern Part, which runs from Orange County to the Inland Empire north to Santa Barbara.
On Sunday, pairings have been launched for the NINE Southern Part tournaments, with explicit concentrate on Div. 1, as a result of that’s the place 4 groups ranked among the many nation’s high 25 will compete.
For the second yr, the Southern Part will differentiate between Div. 1 and all different divisions. The opposite divisions will play in brackets – Redondo Union and JSerra are favorites in Div. 2; Beckman and Campbell Corridor head up Div. 3, and so forth. Div. 1 takes the highest eight groups in Divisions 1-2 at first of the season and types them into two, four-team swimming pools. The pool winners will play for the title.
Listed here are the swimming pools:
Pool A
Nationwide No. 1 Mater Dei
Sierra Canyon
Marymount
Palos Verdes
Pool B
Mira Costa
Huntington Seashore
Alemany
Los Alamitos
Matches happen Wednesday, subsequent Tuesday and subsequent Saturday. Whereas Mater Dei and Mira Costa, which is No. 2 or No. 4 nationally relying on which rating service you want greatest, are favorites to emerge to play for the title, all eight groups are adequate to win matches and make a bid for his or her pool. It ought to be very thrilling!
• Benet Academy received the Glenbard East Autumnfest over the weekend. The Redwings defeated defending Illinois 4A champion MotherMcAuley, 25-22, 25-22, within the championship match. MB Lynney Tarnow and libero Aniya Warren have been All-Event picks for Benet, with Warren choosing up her third event MVP award of the season.
Benet, McAuley and Marist stay the clear high three groups in Illinois for the playoffs that begin on Monday. Benet has misplaced simply twice on the yr. The Redwings have break up with Marist and are 2-1 versus Glenbard West, the fourth greatest 4A workforce.
• The one regular-season undefeated workforce in Ohio’s Div. 2? Tippecanoe (not Tyler, too!), which swept Butler on the highway final Wednesday to complete up 22-0 and win the Miami Valley League championship outright. Soph. OH Savannah Clawson led the way in which with 10 kills, 19 digs, six aces and a pair of.6 passing for the Purple Devils.
Regardless of being the one undefeated workforce, Tippecanoe is ranked simply No. 17 in the latest Ohio Div. 2 rankings based on a survey of coaches. Bishop Hartley (16-6) has been ranked No. 1 all season lengthy.
• Reigning Kansas 6A champion Washburn Rural received the Centennial League for the third straight yr and not too long ago celebrated some milestones:
OH Jada Ingram went over 1,000 profession kills and Zoe Canfield, a four-year starter at setter, went over 2,500 profession assists. That’s fairly a feat since she recovered from ACL surgical procedure throughout basketball season and are available again in peak type in very quick order.
Different milestones to have fun:
— Middleburg (FL) OH Connor Rahn – 1,000 profession kills
— Heritage (IL) setter Mary Roland – 2,000 profession assists (earlier faculty file had been 1,492)
— Oconee County (GA) setter Isabel Miller – 2,000 profession assists (Miller additionally named Area 8AAA POY for the second straight yr AND dedicated to Emmanuel Faculty for each indoor and seaside
— Savannah Arts Academy (GA) coach Lauren Lord – 200 profession wins
— Crete (NE) junior OH Sierra Crist and senior setter Reagan Bessler – 1,000 profession kills for Crist; 2,000 profession assists for Bessler
• At Dots, we’re looking out for gamers who put up outrageous single-match stat strains. We’re asking coaches on our record to tell us if any of their gamers achieved any of those benchmarks:
55 assists in a match
35 kills in a match
35 digs in a match
10 blocks in a match
15 aces in a match
We solely have one new addition to the record this week. Electronic mail jtawa@volleyballmag.com if you’re a coach wanting so as to add somebody.
55 assists or extra in a match
58 – Reagan Bessler, 5-8 Sr. S, Crete (Nebraska) – Oct. 5 v. Columbus Lakeview
56– Sophie Mies, 5-8 Jr. S, Palo Alto (California) – Aug. 29 v. Mercy (Burlingame)
56 – Lindsay Hopkins, 5-10 Jr. S, Creekside (St. Johns, Florida) – Sept. 21 v. Christi’s Church Academy
35 or extra kills in a match
48 – Kameron Stover, 5-9 Jr., Highland (Marengo, Ohio) – Aug. 26 v. Jonathan Alder
40 – Julia Hunt, 6-2 Sr. MB, Holy Cross (Covington, Kentucky) – Sept. 5 v. Scott
39 – Charlotte Vinson, 6-2 Jr. OH, Yorktown (Indiana) – Sept. 23 v. Noblesville
35 – Charlotte Vinson, 6-2 Jr. OH, Yorktown (Indiana) – Sept. 23 v. Carroll
35 or extra digs in a match
48 – Sydney Little, 5-4 Sr. libero, Ridgeview (Orange Park, Florida) – Oct. 5 v. Trinity Christian
36 — Erin Dailey, 5-4 Sr. libero, Mandarin (Jacksonville, Florida) – Oct. 11 v. Atlantic Coast
• Lastly, let’s take a fast take a look at the nationwide season-long leaders primarily based on stats enter into MaxPreps.
Main the nation in kills is 5-10 junior OH Aizlyn Dewberry from Wink in Texas. Dewberry has 717 kills for the 30-9 Wildcats, or 6.7 kills per set. The subsequent greatest on her workforce has nearly 500 fewer kills!
Topping the charts in aces is sophomore setter Samantha Donlucas of Lincoln HS of San Diego. She has 205, or 2.4 aces per set, for the 24-4 Hornets.
No. 1 in assists? Rice College recruit Savannah Skopal, who has 1,238 helpers (10.8 per set) for Rouse of Texas. Skopal additionally has 131 kills and 307 digs. It’s no surprise that she’s on the Texas Participant of the Yr Watch Record, which you’ll find this week as a separate article proper right here on VolleyballMag.com!
The nation’s blocks chief is 5-11 junior Helen Guajardo of Incarnate Phrase in San Antonio. She has 240 for the 23-14 Shamrocks.
Lastly, as a result of this one’s at all times sketchy, as digs are notoriously over counted, La Porte of Texas’ junior libero Sophie Sandel is listed as having 1,006 digs THIS YEAR, a median of 11.6 digs per set. In accordance with MaxPreps, her workforce, which is 18-18, has a collective complete of two,672 digs. Additionally based on MaxPreps, the workforce has a collective 268 service receptions…
Till subsequent time …