Bay Area News Group girls volleyball Top 15
(Mercury News & East Bay Times)
No. 1 ST. FRANCIS
Previous ranking: 1
Archbishop Mitty took the top-ranked Lancers down this past week in tournament play, securing a 2-1 win. But St. Francis still holds a 3-1 regulation league win over the Monarchs and otherwise went 5-0, sweeping every opponent it faced besides Christian Brothers-Sacramento (2-1). The Lancers take on Mitty this Thursday to determine the likely West Catholic Athletic League and CCS favorite — the rematch of last year’s CCS title game could be a preview of this year’s.
No. 2 ARCHBISHOP MITTY
Previous ranking: 2
Mitty is building momentum ahead of its massive WCAL matchup with St. Francis. The Monarchs went 4-0 last week, sweeping Sacred Heart Cathedral and Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills and avenging previous losses to St. Francis and Marin Catholic.
No. 3 JAMES LOGAN
Previous ranking: 3
After sweeping Washington-Fremont and Newark Memorial in league action, James Logan took a detour down south to Arizona last week. The Colts went 6-1 in tournament play against teams from California, Idaho, Arizona and Florida, losing only to Flagstaff (Ariz.) 2-1. Logan swept four of its seven tournament matches.
No. 4 CARONDELET
Previous ranking: 4
The Cougars are cruising right along, now 8-0 in East Bay Athletic League play after sweeping Granada and Livermore last week. Carondelet continues its league slate against Amador Valley and Monte Vista this week.
No. 5 SAN RAMON VALLEY
Previous ranking: 5
SRV continues to chase Carondelet in the EBAL and is 7-1 in the league after sweeping Livermore and California. The Wolves also split a pair of tournament games on Saturday, sweeping Oak Ridge and getting swept by Rocklin.
No. 6 ST. IGNATIUS
Previous ranking: 7
The Wildcats move up to No. 6 after beating previous No. 6 Foothill 2-1 in tournament action. SI also picked up a WCAL win over Sacred Heart Cathedral and a nonleague sweep of Balboa.
No. 7 FOOTHILL
Previous ranking: 6
The Falcons remain one of the best teams in the EBAL after sweeping Dougherty Valley and Granada in league play last week. Foothill also swept Oak Ridge in tournament play.
No. 8 LOS GATOS
Previous ranking: 9
Los Gatos moves up to No. 8 after securing league wins over Gunn (3-0) and Palo Alto (3-2). The Wildcats take on Sacred Heart Prep in nonleague action this week to go along with a league matchup against Los Altos.
No. 9 PALO ALTO
Previous ranking: 8
At 6-1, the Vikings are still the top team in the Santa Clara Valley – De Anza Division but have lost the head-to-head tiebreaker to Los Gatos. Besides its loss to the Wildcats, Palo Alto was spotless last week, beating Monta Vista and Mountain View in league play and Christopher, Alisal, Monte Vista Christian and Sobrato in tournament action.
No. 10 SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL
Previous ranking: 13
The Irish endured a tough WCAL slate last week, losing 3-2 to St. Ignatius and getting swept by Mitty. They’ll have a chance to bounce back this week against Presentation and Valley Christian.
No. 11 VALLEY CHRISTIAN
Previous ranking: 10
The Warriors were swept by St. Francis and picked up a win by sweeping Presentation in WCAL action. They take on St. Ignatius and Sacred Heart Cathedral this week.
No. 12 SACRED HEART PREP
Previous ranking: 11
The Gators had a tough weekend at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona, going 0-5 against teams from Colorado, Arizona and California. But SHP did pick up a 3-1 league win over Menlo School and has an opportunity for a big nonleague victory today against Los Gatos.
No. 13 BURLINGAME
Previous ranking: 12
The Panthers are on the prowl in league play. Burlingame continues to roll right along in Peninsula Athletic League – Bay Division action, sweeping Aragon and Sequoia last week. The Panthers take on Hillsdale and Carlmont in league action this week.
No. 14 MONTE VISTA
Previous ranking: 14
The Mustangs picked up league sweeps of Dublin and Dougherty Valley before going 2-2 in tournament play. They resume league action this week with consequential tilts against Foothill and Carondelet.
No. 15 MENLO-ATHERTON
Previous ranking: 15
M-A had a productive week of PAL Bay Division play, beating Hillsdale 3-1 before sweeping Aragon. The Bears host Sequoia and travel to Woodside in league action this week.
Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
