ESPN RISE
	Taylor Sander of Norco signed with BYU

by Kirstin Olsen/ESPN RISE 

November 11-18 was the early signing period for Prospective Student-Athletes Enrolling in the 2010-2011 Academic Year. Usually boys volleyball commits wait until spring period April 14- August 1.

BYU, Hawaii, Stanford and UCLA have signed a few in the early period. Penn State has a verbal commit from Mira Costa bomber Jace Olsen but has not released a press release on early signees. Unlike football, volleyball players usually stick with their verbal commitments, but never say never.

BYU looks to add depth to their outside position with Taylor Sander (Norco). Hawaii reloads at the middle position with two 6-foot-8-ers. Stanford and UCLA have notably the strongest classes for 2010 with a bevy of talent from CA, IL, NY, HI and PA. The Bruins'  commit 7-foot Robert Page (Victor) tops the height charts for early signees.

Below is the list for early signees from November 11-19. 

College   First   Last   High school   city    state   position   

BYU   Joshue   Rivera   Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola   San Juan   Puerto Rico   OH   

BYU   Taylor    Sander   Norco   Norco   CA   OH   

Hawaii   Shane    Popelka   Great Bridge High School   Chesapeake   VA   MB   

Hawaii   Shane   Welch   Douglas   Parkland   FL   MB   

Penn State   Jace   Olsen   Mira Costa   Manhattan Beach   CA   MB   

Stanford   Brian    Cook   Soquel HS   Santa Cruz   CA   OH   

Stanford   Denny   Falls   Providence Catholic HS   New Lennox   IL   MB   

Stanford   Steve   Irvin   Loyola   Los Angles   CA   OH   

Stanford   Eric   Mochalski   Mira Costa   Manhattan Beach   CA   OH   

Stanford   Scot   Sakaida   Iolani   Honolulu   HI   L   

Stanford   Daniel   Tublin   Fox Chapel   Pittsburgh   PA   OH   

UCLA   Michael    Beals   Mira Costa   Manhattan Beach   CA   S   

UCLA   Jackson   Belcher   Palos Verdes    Palos Verdes   CA   Opp/S   

UCLA   Robert    Page   Victor   Victor   NY   OH   

UCLA   Kendall   Partie   La Costa Canyon   Encinitas   CA   S   

UCLA   Spencer    Rowe   Mission Viejo   Mission Viejo   CA   OH/MB  

The next NLI signing period is April 14- August 1.
 
Have you committed?
Did we miss anyone?

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by Kirstin Olsen/ESPN RISE 

	Courtesy Shelby Cloyd
	Taylor Unroe of Muncie Burris is headed to Florida.

Excitement filled the air as the first signing period date arose…November 11-18 was the early signing period for Prospective Student-Athletes Enrolling in the 2010-2011 Academic Year.

Hawaii reloads with California talent. Cal-Berkeley reloads with Texas talent. Penn State replaces some size with more size. Texas replenishes with an array of offensive weapons. UCLA only inks one, Dana Reeves (Cathedral Catholic), but has a notable group of walk ons from the Golden State, Meg Norton (Harvard-Westlake), Allie LaPierre (Bonita), Jenna Scilacci (Marymount) and Angelica Chaghouri (Marymount).
 
Stanford and USC haven't released a press release on early signees but they do have some verbal commits.

Stanford has the golden child Lydia Bai (Beckman), daughter of Jenny Lang-Ping. USC will sign super setter from Texas, Sara Shaw (Westlake), and reload the outside with Falyn Fonoimoana (Mira Costa) and Kirby Burnham (Newport Harbor). All and all 2010's class is definitely strong and big and should come in with a bang.

Below is a list of early signees for top 20-ish NCAA teams.

College   First   Last         High school   city    state   position

Cal-Berkeley   Lauren    Loerch   Georgetown   Georgetown   TX   OH  
Cal-Berkeley   Adrienne   Gehan   Episcopal School    Dallas   TX   Opp
 
Florida   Taylor    Unroe   Muncie Burris   Muncie    IN   OH/L  
Florida   Chanel    Brown   Valley Christian   Tempe   AZ   S
 
Hawaii   Kaela    Goodman   Mission Viejo   Mission Viejo   CA   OH  
Hawaii   Mita   Uiato    Long Beach Poly   Long Beach   CA   S  
Hawaii   Emily    Hartong   Los Alamitos   Los Alamitos   CA   MB  
Hawaii   Michelle    Waber    Elsinore   Lake Elsinore   CA   OH  

Illinois   Jennifer   Bonilla   Marymount   Los Angeles   CA   L   
Illinois   Anna   Dorn   Munster   Munster   IN   MB   
Illinois   Jazmine   Orozco   Lakewood   Lakewood   CA   OH  

Indiana   Melanie   Hicks   Assumption   Louisville   KY   DS  

Iowa State   Kristen    Hahn   Cedar Rapids   Cedar Rapids   IA   DS
Iowa State   Tenisha    Matlock   North Platte   North Platte   NE   MB  
Iowa State   Hannah   Willms   Waterloo   Waterloo   IA   OH  

Kentucky   Elizabeth   Koberstein   Madison West    Madison    WI   S

Michigan   Jennifer   Cross   Birchmount Park Collegiate   Scarborough ON/CA MB  
Michigan  Molly   Toon   Middleton   Middleton   WI   OH
Michigan   Lexi   Erwin   Woodlands College Park   Spring   TX   OH  

Minnesota   Ashley    Wittman   Shakopee   Shakopee   MN   OH  
Minnesota   Tori   Dixon   Burnsville   Burnsville   MN   MB  
 
Nebraska   Morgan Broekhuis   Colorado Spring Christian   Colorado Springs   CO   MB/OH
Nebraska   Kristen   Kelsay   Wheaton St. Francis   Wheaton   IL   OH
 
Notre Dame   Andrea   McHugh   El Dorado   Placentia   CA    OH  
Notre Dame   Lauren   Stuhr   Huntington Beach   Huntington Beach   CA   S
 
Oregon    Camryn    Irwin   Prarie   Bush Prarie   WA   S  
Oregon    Lauren   Plum   Poway   Poway   CA   S  
Oregon    Jaklyn   Wheeler   Red Bluff   Red Bluff   CA   OH  
Oregon    Ariana   Williams   Poly   Riverside   CA   MB
 
Penn State   Maddie   Martin   Plant   Tampa   FL   OH  
Penn State   Katie   Slay   Wakefield   Raleigh   NC   MB  
Penn State   Deja   McClendon   Dupont Manual   Louisville   KY   OH  
Penn State   Mikinzie   Moydell   Chaparral   Parker   CO   S  
Penn State   Ariel   Scott   Union Catholic   Newark   NJ   OH/MB 
 
Pepperdine   Kellie    Woolever   Long Beach Wilson   Long Beach    CA   S
Pepperdine   Emily    Cook   Murrieta Valley   Murrieta   CA   OH

Stanford   Sam   Wopat   Dos Pueblos   Goleta   CA   OH  
Stanford   Carly   Wopat   Dos Pueblos   Goleta   CA   MB/OH  
Stanford   Rachel   Wiliams   Archbishop Mitty   San Jose   CA    OH  
Stanford   Lydia   Bai   Beckman   Irvine   CA    OH 

Tennessee   Kelsey    Robinson   Wheaton St. Francis   Wheaton   IL   OH  
Tennessee   Carly   Sahagian   Bartlett   Bartlett   IL   OH  
Tennessee   Kylann   Scheidt   Farragut   Knoxville   TN   S 
 
Texas   Hannah   Allison   Siloam Springs   Siloam Springs   AR   S/Opp  
Texas   Ashley    Bannister   Travis   Richmond   TX   OH  
Texas   Haley    Cameron   La Jolla   La Jolla   CA   MB  
Texas   Sarah   Palmer   Hawaii Baptist Academy   Honolulu   HI   OH 
 
UC Irvine   Shannon   Fleming   Archbishop Mitty   San Jose   CA    MB
 
UC Santa Barbara   Katey    Thompson   Newport Harbor   Newport Beach   CA   MB 

UCLA   Kelly   Reeves   Cathedral Catholic   San Diego   CA   OH  

USC   Sara   Shaw   Westlake   Austin   TX   S  
USC   Kirby   Burnham   Newport Harbor   Newport Beach   CA   OH  
USC    Falyn    Fonoimoana   Mira Costa   Manhattan Beach   CA   OH

Washington   Kaleigh   Nelson   Sprague   Salem   OR   OH/MB  
Washington   Gabbi   Parker   Sheldon   Eugene   OR   OH  
 
The next NLI signing period is April 14- August 1.
 
Have you committed?
Did we miss anyone?

Let us know…
kolsen@studentsports.com

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ESPN RISE FAB 50

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL RANKINGS

Getting into the final top 10 of the ESPN RISE FAB 50 rankings in girls volleyball is beginning to resemble a line looking for the hottest tables at the trendiest restaurants.

Good seats are filling up fast and there's only a handful left to be had. Unlike the powerful maitre d', don't bother slipping us a $20 to make it easier for your team to gobble up one of those positions. We can't be bought.

One week after Muncie Burris won the Class 2A state title in Indiana to secure no worse than a No. 2 position for the final rankings, three more Midwest schools completed strong seasons with state championships and in effect have also wrapped up at least no worse than a No. 8 final national ranking. 

For the second year in a row, Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati, Ohio) had the chance to end the season undefeated and this time the Lions capitalized as they defeated Dublin Coffman (Dublin, Ohio) in four sets for the Ohio Division I state championship. 

Jade Henderson led the Lions with 16 kills while Christina Beer added 10 kills in the 25-16, 25-19, 18-25, 25-17 victory. Dani Reinert also had 48 assists while Kori Moster led the way with 15 digs as the Lions handed the Shamrocks their only loss of the season. 

For the season, Ursuline Academy lost a total of just four sets out of 84 played and because of totals like that the team has jumped to No. 3 in this week's rankings. For losing to a team like that, Dublin Coffman only fell from No. 9 to No. 12.

In Illinois, Joliet Catholic captured its second straight Class 3A state championship in straight sets over Mater Dei of Breese. Recent ESPN RISE National Girls Athlete of the Week Annemarie Hickey had a match-best 13 kills as the Angels won the first set 25-20 and then rallied from a four-point deficit in the second set for the clinching 25-23 set victory. 

With their 41st win, the Angels set a school record for wins in a season while losing just four sets out of a total of 87 sets all season long. Like Ursuline Academy, they also have secured a top five final national ranking but we will still move Ursuline one spot higher since that team is unbeaten and Joliet Catholic is not.

The final three of these teams to cement a final top 10 national ranking is Shakopee (Minn.), which has moved up to No. 8 this week after winning its third straight Class 3A state final.

Seeing the Sabers lose even a set this year was a rare sight but it was just one hiccup against Wayzata as they won in four sets in their state final. 

Elizabeth Benusa, Mollie Geske, Claire Sames and Ashley Wittman were all named to the All-Tournament Team. In 88 total sets played this year, the Sabers never dropped more than one set to an opponent while losing a total of just four sets all season.

Next week, at least one and perhaps two more final top 10 slots will be sealed by winners of the Texas state tournament, which will be held from Thursday through Saturday at Strahan Coliseum on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos.

The California Interscholastic Federation state finals will be staged on Saturday, Dec. 5 at UC Irvine's Bren Events Center. Current FAB 50 No. 1 Archbishop Mitty hopes that the final top 10 position it secures on that night will be the best one of them all. The Monarchs will be going for their sectional title this weekend.

 (Read full post)

Every week ESPN RISE Volleyball will voice high school bloggers from across the nation. This week we would like to introduce junior outside hitter Noelle Gipson of FAB 50 No. 34 Elkhart Memorial of Elkhart, Indiana.

My name is Noelle Gipson. I am currently a junior at Elkhart Memorial (Ind.) High where I play volleyball and run track, as well as many other things. I would like to share with you my volleyball experiences. They are action filled, sometimes tense, but always a GREAT time.

	Courtesy Gipson Family
	Noelle Gipson of Elkhart Memorial

We bleed red at Memorial, but last weekend we were fighting for Blue. State Championships were to be held at 8:10 p.m. and in order to get there we first had to win the semi-finals: #1 Elkhart Memorial against #3 Floyd Central!

The scoring of the two teams was very close throughout the entire match. The first set went to Floyd Central 20-25. The Highlanders controlled the first set with as much as a six point lead at one point. But the second set, on the other hand, belonged to us. 

Coach Rost often remarked in timeouts, "I want this set!” and not wanting to disappoint her we fought hard to give her the second set as well as the third 25-22, 25-21. Floyd Central had a lot of fight in them, and fought hard to win the fourth set, 22-25. 

 Fifth set, very important to say the least. Only going to 15 meant that this set would be a sprint, and also that one had less room for error. There was no set 6, it was either win and go on to play at Worthern Arena, or lose and watch from the sidelines and be announced.

 We started the set off pretty even, but with a 9-2 run we took the first lead of the fifth set 13-12. A service error led the set to a tie 13-13. A kill straight down to the floor put the Highlanders ahead on the scoreboard 14-13. 

"Don't panic”, is what we all were thinking. So we listened and did not panic. Brittany Anglemyer, smacked back-to-back kills to put our team back on top at 15-14. Match point Chargers. In this final rally both teams fought hard to stay alive. 

In the mind set, "whatever it takes,” senior libero Amanda Troyer ran from the back row and tipped the ball over the net  (of course without and jumping and without breaking the plane of the net).

The Highlanders attempted to bump the ball back over three times, but it went out of bounds as their season came to a disappointing conclusion. It was Troyer's only kill of the match. 

Winning the semis meant that our quest for blue was still in motion and we only had one more opponent to defeat!

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By Kirstin Olsen, ESPN RISE

It's a special day for senior outside hitter Kelly Reeves of Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) Not only is she signing her National Letter of Intent early today, but also she is following her mother's legacy at UCLA. 

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Reeves is following in her mother's footsteps as she is off to UCLA.

NEW ESPN RISE FAB 50
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL RANKINGS
 
Compilers: Andrew Drennen, Kirstin Olsen, Mark Tennis
Contributing: Paul Muyskens
 
With the Indiana state playoffs now in the books, the race to be the ESPN RISE Girls Volleyball FAB 50 national champion can be whittled down to just two teams.
 
Muncie Burris, as expected, wrapped up its 13th consecutive Class 2A state crown and in the process also put an exclamation point on an unblemished 40-0 record. The Owls recorded a straight set win over Southwood (Wabash, Ind.) by scores of 25-9, 25-8, 25-16 that continued their straight set dominance since they also won in straight sets in the semifinals over Brownstown Central.

University of Florida recruit Taylor Unroe and teammate Chelsea Toth each led the team with 10 kills while four different players recorded double digit dig totals.

The situation at the top of the FAB 50 is simple. If current No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) completes an unbeaten season next month and wins a divisional title at the California Interscholastic Federation state finals, then it would be No. 1 in the nation for the second straight season. If the Monarchs get upset, however, then it would go to Muncie Burris.

Other teams from around the country needed for Muncie Burris to somehow get knocked off in its state playoffs to have a shot at the final No. 1 ranking. That didn't come close to happening.

In the two other largest-class state finals held last weekend in Indiana, Brebeuf Jesuit (Indianapolis) knocked off top seed Yorktown in Class 3A while Muncie Central topped Elkhart Memorial (Elkhart) to win the Class 4A banner.

After losing in the semifinals the past two seasons, Brebeuf Jesuit not only made it to the finals but avenged its only loss of the season with a 25-21, 14-25, 25-15, 25-21 win over Yorktown. Sloan White led the Braves with 16 kills while Lauren Rafdal and Jeme Obeime each had 12 kills and Jadyn Yarling stared defensively with 19 digs. The result gave Brebeuf Jesuit a jump from No. 45 to No. 19 in this week's FAB 50 and dropped Yorktown from No. 10 down to No. 30.

Muncie Central captured the fifth state championship in school history by defeating Elkhart Memorial in straight sets. Jamie Drummer had 14 kills and Alyssa Sorrell had 10 kills to lead the way offensively after starter Marquita Marshall had to leave the title game early due to injury. The Bearcats moved up to No. 17 in this week's FAB 50 with the Chargers dropping just a few spots from No. 23 down to No. 34.
 
This week's major state finals also will be in the Midwest.
 
On Saturday at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, it could be a matchup of unbeatens in the Ohio Division I championship between FAB 50 No. 6 Ursuline Academy and FAB 50 No. 9 Dublin Coffman. Both of those teams need to win in semifinal matches on Thursday, however, to set up their showdown.
 
The Illinois state finals also are on Saturday at Redbird Arena in Normal. In Class 3A, FAB 50 No. 5 Joliet Catholic is favored and is going for its second straight state title. In Class 4A, FAB 50 No. 25 Lyons is the favorite but has not won a state crown since 1989.(Read full post)

Every week ESPN RISE Volleyball will voice high school bloggers from across the nation. This week we would like to introduce freshman outside hitter Kaitlyn Granger of Arlington High School in Arlington, Texas.

I'm Kaitlyn Granger and a 14-year-old playing varsity for 5A Arlington High School in Arlington, Texas. I have been playing volleyball for seven years, but it wasn't my first activity or my first love!

At three, I started dance and gymnastics and competed in both until I was in the third grade. Soccer and basketball were the sports I began playing at the age of five.

	Photo Courtesy of Granger Family
	Kaitlyn Granger of Arlington (Tex.)

Honestly, I thought soccer was going to be the sport I would play the longest. My D1 soccer team was Solar Red and I played forward. Basketball was the other sport I played and when I first started, boys and girls played together. I was fearless and loved to compete against them (boys)!!

However, when I began to play YMCA volleyball at the age of eight, I instantly fell in love with a something I didn't know existed...volleyball!!

I couldn't get enough of playing!! I went to Arlington Courts (club team ACE) that started a league for kids on Friday nights! I loved that because I had cheer, soccer, and basketball on Saturdays. At 10 years old, I wanted to tryout for the 12's at ACE and made the top team. I decided to limit other activities and focus more time on volleyball.

Texas Advantage (TAV) is where I spent my next two years playing. I was on their top team, 12 TAV Asics, and went to Nationals and placed third, in American Division. That was an awesome feeling!! After 13 TAV Asics the next season, I met my current 14s and future 15s club coaches, the Drewnicks at one of their summer camps.

What attracted me to train with Cilene Drewnick was been the fact that she played in two Olympics for Brazil and had played professional volleyball for 16 years. Over the summer she was involved in the training of the USA Youth National Team, spent a week training University of Nebraska in August and even took Penn State, last May, to train with the Brazilian National Team.

Cilene and her husband, Eduardo Drewnick, took a new club (called Instinct Volleyball Club) and in our first year our 14s Instinct Tigers, won North Texas regionals, qualified for the Tour of Texas (seventh overall), and did well at Nationals in Miami this past summer.

Their drive and enthusiasm helped me decide that my goal was to make varsity as a freshman for a 5A high school team and reached it. Our team had eight seniors, five sophomores, and two freshmen.  I wanted to earn the respect of the coaches (Sue Cauley and Kim Spencer), but most of all the seniors, and know that when I'm out on the court, they can trust me to play my position, and know their experience and guidance has helped me get through my first year.

After making the team, my new goal was to start, and I have done that almost every match this season. As a 5'11 outside hitter, I currently have over 300 kills in my first season. 

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Compilers: Andrew Drennen, Kirstin Olsen, Mark Tennis
Contributing: Paul Muyskens
 
As the top-ranked Archbishop Mitty Monarchs of San Jose (Calif.) were winning their third major invitational of the season, state playoffs were concluding elsewhere around the nation and there were some major developments involving ESPN RISE Girls Volleyball FAB 50-nationally ranked teams.
 
* In Kentucky, Mercy (Louisville, Ky.) was the surprise winner and moved up to No. 17 in this week's rankings. Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), which has been as high as No. 4 in the FAB 50, did not make the finals and had to drop from No. 20 to No. 36 in this week's rankings.
 
Despite losing seven seniors from last year's team, the Jaguars (32-6) won a come from behind title match over Sacred Heart (Louisville) to capture their sixth state championship, but this time in back-to-back fashion. The win also marked the second straight year the two teams met in the finals in a battle of brothers as coach Todd Garvey picked up his second championship win over brother Eric Garvey, who coaches at Sacred Heart. Libero Caitlin Welch recorded 15 digs in the championship match for Mercy and was named tournament MVP. Amanda Crask added 28 assists and Madison Welsh had 12 kills.
 
* In Hawaii, season-long leader Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii) couldn't get it done in its state final as the Buffanblu dropped a five-set match to Kamehameha. That result lifted the winners from unranked up to No. 46 in this week's FAB 50. Punahou had to fall in right behind.
 
Kamehameha captured the Division I state championship for the fifth straight year. The Warriors twice lost to the Buffanblu during the regular season but they made sure they won when it mattered the most as they rallied from a 2-1 set deficit and also trailed in the fourth set by a 14-8 score before rallying. Sophomore setter Kelci Renshaw recorded 52 assists while Chelsey Keoho led the defense with 38 digs. Taylor Akana was named the tournament's most outstanding player after recording 19 kills and 21 digs in the season finale.
 
* In Kansas, St. James (Lenexa) hoisted the Class 4A state title trophy and likely wrapped up no worse than a top 30 final ranking for the season. In the Class 5A final, previous No. 43 St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park) fell to No. 44 Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission). This caused St. Thomas Aquinas to drop out of this week's rankings with Bishop Miege going up to No. 41.
 
The Stags continue to show their dominance in Kansas as they won their second straight state final. Facing their rivals in the finals for the second year in a row, Bishop Miege also was looking to avenge an October loss to the Saints and wasted no time in winning the first set 25-11 before a back and forth second set. St. James also repeated in winning its Class 4A state title. After losing the first game, coach Nancy Dorsey's squad won twice to pull past Hayden of Topeka.
 
This week's most significant state finals will take place in Indiana. Muncie Burris, which is on a current 87-match winning streak, is heavily favored to win the Class 2A crown since the Owls won't have to play any of the other FAB 50-ranked teams from the state. All of those other teams are in different divisions.
 
Once Muncie Burris is done and likely will be done with a perfect record, the waiting game will begin. Obviously, with its strength of schedule, Archbishop Mitty will finish No. 1 in the nation if it wins in the CIF state championships. But if the Monarchs slip up, Muncie Burris appears to be the next strongest choice.
 
We would like to offer our thoughts and prayers to the girls and coaches at Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.). The Bruins had to play at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions last weekend in Santa Barbara one night after a classmate, track and field athlete Melody Ross, was killed in a drive-by shooting just outside the Wilson football stadium following a football game between the Bruins and Long Beach Poly.(Read full post)

by Kirstin Olsen/ESPN RISE 

Santa Barbara's gym was packed on Halloween night to watch the two top guns of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions square off, ESPN RISE FAB 50 No. 1 Archbishop Mitty and No. 6 Dos Pueblos.

Dos Pueblos advanced with wins over Liberty, Harvard Westlake and a big win over No. 5 Newport Harbor in the semifinal, 25-13, 26-25, 25-14. The Wopat twins, Sam and Carly, lead their team with versitile hitting and physical presence at the net. Sophomore Taylor Racich, boosted her team on the right side and earned all tournament honors.

	Kirstin Olsen/ESPN RISE
	The TOC win marks the third tournament win of the year for Mitty.

Archbishop Mitty walked through the tournament beating San Marcos, Corona del Mar, and La Costa Canyon in the semi-final 25-20, 25-30, 28-26. Their "never say die” defense lead by libero Ryan Shaffer, great setting and array of offensive weapons helped the Monarchs dominate the field.

The final was a rematch of the Archbishop Mitty Invitational final. 

In game one Dos Pueblos had no passing rhythm.  The Monarchs seemed to better every ball and the Chargers let some balls drop.  Dos Pueblos fought back to tie it up at 15, but Mitty showed strength on defense and the Monarchs took the first game 25-21.

Game two started out the same with some unstable passing in serve receive by the Chargers. Mitty continued to dig Dos' twins array of shots and hits and proved to be in control with good ball handling skills.

Game three Carly Wopat came out on fire leading 2-0.  Mitty tied it up at 12, but  (Carly) Wopat's fire was contagious as Taylor Racich hammered a ball down the line for Dos Pueblos. Sam Wopat came up with some key serves to give them 18-15.

The game was once again tied up at 22, when Sally Yengst served two tough jumpers for 24-22. Mitty sided out with a Rachel Williams kill, but Dos Pueblos pulled it out, 25-23.

(Carly) Wopat is definitely one of the most versatile hitters in the state. She was effective everywhere she was set, on the left, quick in the middle, on the right and in the back row. She elevates well and has an extremely high reach. There is no question why Stanford wants both Carly and her sister Sam.

Game four was mostly dominated by Mitty with big outsides Kristina Graven and Rachel Williams coming alive. Monarchs' setter Joan Caloiaro spread her offense evenly and left the Chargers guessing with her dumps. Dos Pueblos tried to rally back at 16's with a big dig and kill by Taylor Racich. Rachel Williams ripped one down line and then angle to give the Monarchs their third game-match championship point of the year and win 25-21.

Mitty's head coach, Bret Almazan-Cezar stated after the game, " I hope to see Dos Pueblos winning their division at state [championships]. They are so physical and so well coached, they really challenge us.”

Kristina Graven ended with 18 kills and Rachel Williams with 15. Libero Ryan Schaffer posted 20 digs for the Monarchs.

This tournament win marks the first time in Archbishop Mitty history that the team has won all the tournaments they played in a season. Their tournament victories this year include the prestigious Durango Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada, their own tournament, the Archbishop Mitty Invitational and finally the Tournament of Champions in Santa Barbara.

All Tournament Team

Cathedral Catholic   Kelly Reeves

Torrey Pines            Katie Dutchman

Harvard Westlake    Meg Norton

Corona del Mar         Madison Smith

La Costa Canyon      Kendall Poland

Newport Harbor         Katy Thompson

Saint Francis             Jordan Shaw

Dos Pueblos              Taylor Racich

Dos Pueblos              Sally Yengst

Archbishop Mitty        Kristina Graven

Archbishop Mitty        Joan Caloiaro

by Kirstin Olsen/ESPN RISE

The Tournament of Champions in Santa Barbara is one of the oldest and prestigious tournaments in California. The TOC starts today and ends on Halloween at Santa Barbara High School.

The tournament will consist of sixteen teams, including six ESPN FAB 50 teams, No. 1 Archbishop Mitty, No. 5 Newport Harbor, No. 6 Dos Pueblos, No. 26 La Costa Canyon, No. 27 Long Beach Wilson, No. 33 Santa Barbara.  Torrey Pines, Corona Del Mar, Harvard-Westlake, Cathedral Catholic, Bishop Montgomery, Bakersfield, Liberty, St. Francis, Buchanan and San Marcos are all in the field as well.

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Carly Wopat of Dos Pueblos

This tournament is credited as the first in California to make the change from 2 out of 3 to 3 out of 5. Earlier this season Dos Pueblos faced Mitty at the Archbishop Mitty Invitational, where the Monarchs came out on top 3-1.  Mitty's next biggest challenge was at the Durango Classic in Las Vegas where they bested the field and squared off against Newport Harbor in the final (16-25, 25-21, 25-20) after dropping the first set.

Mitty continued its dominance sweeping through Nor Cal teams since then and will possibly face Newport or Dos Pueblos in the semis and finals, should they take care of business.

"We hope that our practices and competition we provide ourselves is proficient,” Mitty Head Coach Bret Almazan-Cesar stated. "Playing in the big tournaments all year is what we do to prepare for the state championship.”

A win at the TOC would be the first time that Mitty has won all of their tournaments in a season.

Dos Pueblos' lone loss on the year came against Mitty at the Archbishop Mitty Invitational.

Chargers' Head Coach Todd Garret feels confident his team is ready to face the No. 1 team in the nation again.

"We have grown immensely as the season has progressed. We talk a lot at practice about "getting better today".  We have won some close 5 gamers.  Those are big confidence boosters and we use that to make us better, ” Garret stated.

"We are taking it one game at a time.  We have a to play a lot of volleyball against very good teams before we would see Mitty,” he added. 

Newport Harbor has had a long week with a tough five game loss against Los Alamitos Thursday night. 

"We are still a little banged up right now so if we get the opportunity to play either DP or Mitty that means we were able to defeat two quality opponents in the first two rounds,” remarked Newport Head Coach Dan Glen.  "I have not seen DP in person this season but we did play them last year and it is virtually the same team, except they are a year older and a year better.”

"I think we have the size to play with both of them but they both present serious match up problems,” Glen added. "We have seen many good teams this season but nobody as physical as either DP or Mitty.  We would have to serve tough and play great defense to have a chance against either team.”

Friday's first Round Match-ups

Archbishop Mitty vs. San Marcos

Santa Barbara vs. Corona Del Mar

Long Beach Wilson vs. Cathedral Catholic

La Costa Canyon vs. Bishop Montgomery

Newport Harbor vs. Babersfield

Torrey Pines vs. Saint Francis

Harvard Westlake vs. Buchanan

Liberty vs. Dos Pueblos

The TOC final will be at 6:15 pm at the Santa Barbara High School gym. Check back soon for results!

Every week ESPN RISE Volleyball will voice high school bloggers from across the nation. This week we would like to introduce junior outside hitter Noelle Gipson of FAB 50 No. 24 Elkhart Memorial of Elkhart, Indiana.

My name is Noelle Gipson. I am currently a junior at Elkhart Memorial (Ind.) High where I play volleyball and run track, as well as many other things. I would like to share with you my volleyball experiences. They are action filled, sometimes tense, but always a GREAT time.

	Courtesy Gipson Family
	Noelle Gipson of Elkhart Memorial

For the last couple of years, winning sectionals and competing at regionals were no brainers for our varsity team. We never underestimated teams because everyone seems to play up when they play us. On October 24^th, I don't think we under estimated Warsaw, [Warsaw Community High School, Warsaw, Indiana] but boy did we not expect them to push us to the edge!

"Hey, we kind of knew that they could take a set from us,” Coach Rost remarked after losing the first set 25-20. What we didn't know or expect was that the Lady Tigers would take TWO consecutive sets from us.

Something just wasn't clicking with our team at the start of the match and everything was going well for Warsaw. Its players were excited and its crowd went wild after every play made. For the Crimson Chargers, on the other hand, tension was rising! We knew that going home losers was not an option. With nothing left but to play how we knew we could, we slowly came together.

I guess you can say we slowly started to spin our flywheel. Once we started spinning, there was no stopping.            

Gradually, we increased our play and played like we deserved to be number one in the state. Warsaw did not roll over easily, they still contended. The drive and passion in our hearts was just too much for the Lady Tigers to handle.

A big key in our win was serving; a long rally of three or more serves "a snow cone” as we call it at Memorial. But our front row play was equally good, the last three sets we finally put the ball in open areas on the court, which were open all day. Our defense always had someone coming from nowhere and dug tons of  balls!! The score was…23-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-10

Yes, we did it! But we still had championship round six hours later!!

Championship Round: Elkhart Memorial vs. Elkhart Central. Can you say cross-town rivalry?

Central improved a great deal this year with a few minor adjustments in the back row, and where we would set up a block against their BTP, (big time player) lefty hitter. It was complete domination. We took our cross-town rivals in three 25-20, 25-13, 25-11. Elkhart Memorial Crimson Chargers again victorious. For the third consecutive year we were Sectional Champs!!

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UPDATED ESPN RISE FAB 50 

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL RANKINGS

Compilers: Andrew Drennen, Kirstin Olsen, Mark Tennis

Other than previous No. 7 Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) suffering a second loss of the season to city rival Sacred Heart, there was little movement in this week's ESPN RISE Girls Volleyball FAB 50 national rankings.

That could change next week as arguably the biggest tournament in California outside of the CIF state playoffs is going to take place in scenic Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions will include three of the top six teams in the FAB 50, including No. 1 and unbeaten Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.).

The Monarchs could meet local favorite and No. 6-ranked Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Calif.) in that event, but also in the field is No. 5 Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.) plus No. 25 La Costa Canyon, (Carlsbad, Calif.), No. 26 Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.) and No. 33 Santa Barbara (Calif.).

If Mitty were to lose, standing poised and ready to move up is Muncie Burris. The Owls are just four wins away from winning their 13^th straight Class 2A state title. The state finals in Indiana will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Muncie Burris would not meet any of the other Indiana teams in this week's FAB 50 in those playoffs as they are in other divisions.  No. 11 Yorktown is favored in Class 3A while it likely will boil down to No. 21 Muncie Central vs. No. 24 Elkhart Memorial for the Class 4A crown.

(After results of Saturday, Oct. 24; Previous ranking in parentheses)(Read full post)

By Kirstin Olsen/ESPN RISE 

The recruiting process these days seems to focus on younger players. We have seen the recruiting process in football and basketball slowly trickle down to man-child like freshmen, but now in volleyball?

Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) senior Falyn Fonoimoana, who was one of those woman-child like figures hitting 6-feet in the eighth grade, verbally committed to USC the summer after her freshman year.

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Falyn Fonoimoana of Mira Costa decided to become a Trojan before she started her sophomore year.

"I think the common physical attributes of athletes for highly successful programs at the collegiate level is becoming more apparent,” commented Brett Almazan-Cezar from Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)  The Monarchs are currently ranked No. 1 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 National Rankings. 

"To win national championships, to be ranked near the top, to win conferences; programs need to have athletes that are tall and very athletic,” Almazan-Cezar  continued. "With women these physical attributes appear earlier than in male athletes. Skill development can come later. Programs are jumping at the chance to get these athletes when they become identified.”

Plus, there is the pressure to win.

"Mainly by their win/loss record. So, the coaches are trying to get the edge or advantage and win the recruiting war,” said Francis Parker (San Diego, Calif.) Head Coach and 1988 Gold Medalist Eric Sato.

Jeff Jendryk, the father of two heavily recruited daughters in Illinois, Jessica and Jenna, has been through the process twice. Both girls attended Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.), which has turned out seven Division One players last year.

His first daughter Jessica, now a freshman at University of Illinois, was getting looks from college coaches when she was 13 years old at the USAV High Performance Championships in 2004. Jessica received about 100 letters from interested programs in her high school career. She received five offers after five visits from Michigan, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Illinois and Purdue. She later signed with Illinois.

One of the questions on the recruiting questionnaires is if you have any other siblings, which automatically puts younger siblings, like Jenna, on the recruiting radar because of their bloodlines. Jenna is a sophomore this year and started to get looks at 13 as well. She has already received 40 letters and has five colleges interested in her, Michigan State, University of Florida, Maryland and Dayton. She plans on verbally committing in January.

So what is the benefit of verbally committing to a school so early?

"Committing early alleviates pressure off of all the college prep stuff and the athlete can focus on grades and get a great score on their ACT's and SAT's,” Jeff Jendryk elaborated. 

The senior Wopat twins of Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Calif.), Samantha and Carly, have both committed to Stanford. They feel they weren't contacted, too, early about college.

"We do not feel like we received information from colleges, too, early. Looking over the brochures and media guides, in addition to talking to the coaches actually helped us know the colleges and programs better,” said the sisters. "We were definitely not ready to make a decision at that age or that time (we were 15 years old as sophomores).”

There are a limited to supply of Blue Chip athletes and college programs are all looking for an edge/advantage in recruiting the top kids. Paying attention to the younger ones seems like the natural process.

With all of the rules and red flags in the recruiting process some kids do not get the opportunity to visit a college until their junior year. This makes verbally committing to a college your sophomore year unrealistic unless you can afford to visit a school for an unofficial visit before then.

UCLA assistant head coach Kim Jagd is in her 17th year with the Bruin program.

"The evolution of the recruiting process has occurred to gain advantage and in order to not get left behind,” Jagd stated. "It will continue until there is legislation to influence or alter the current course." 

The general consensus is for parents and athletes is to stay informed. Getting letters from schools your sophomore year motivates an athlete to think ahead and explore all the opportunities that colleges offer. Athletes interested in certain schools should not be afraid to show interest.

The NCAA offers a lot of great need to know information at...NCAA.org

As talent gets bigger sooner and college coaches start peering into middle school matches, stay informed and in control of the situation and remember that no decision needs to be made until junior year.

By Kirstin Olsen, ESPNRISE.com Volleyball

Breast Cancer Awareness has found its way into the volleyball community.  In support of Breast Cancer Awareness month, teams all over the country are wearing pink and donating proceeds to find the cure. Cancer affects many lives and the movement spread to the NFL.   Professional players wear pink outlined gloves or shoes and even some goal post pads have been pink.
 
Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calf.) head volleyball coach, Lisa Zimmerman, came up with the idea of the "Passionately Pink” For the Cure fundraiser volleyball match in 2007. Partly, in support of her late mother's long battle with the disease.
 
That year Costa raised $3,963 in donations from local friends, families and businesses for breast cancer research.
 
Every October the fundraiser is held at the Redondo (Calif.) Union vs. Mira Costa match. The Sea Hawks and Mustangs play in front of a sell out crowd, which unites wearing pink and supporting the cause.
 
This year Costa and Redondo wore an array of pink warm up shirts, headbands, ribbons and socks and the gym was sprinkled with pink balloons and banners and pink accessories were given away at the door. Costa's warm up shirts read, "Go pink with the Mustangs.”
 
Last year, in its second year the fundraiser raised $5,000 for Breast Cancer Research. Costa Assistant Coach and AVP Veteran Nancy Mason handed the reigns over to a parent this year to handle the fundraiser.
 
"Obviously, Lisa's mom passing away a couple of years ago makes this night very special for all of us.” Mason stated.
 
Last night, they raised over $5,000 for the cure.
 
Senior outside hitter and USC commit Falyn Fonoimoana has been on the team since the culmination of the event.
 
"This is our third year of doing the fundraiser and we always get a great turnout,” Fonoimoana commented, "it's amazing how we can bring people and a community together to give money to a good cause.”
 
Proceeds will go to the Susan G Komen Fund. You can also donate on-line here.

 
GAME NOTES: Mira Costa prevailed over Redondo Union 25-21, 33-31, 25-18. Fonoimoana lead with 30 kills and 14 digs.

Compilers: Andrew Drennen, Kirstin Olsen, Mark Tennis

Rankings can be a weird science at times and a good example of that is explaining why Joliet Catholic Academy (Joliet, Ill.) dropped one spot in this week's ESPN RISE FAB 50 girls volleyball rankings even though the team impressed in winning a key Midwest tournament.

After finishing second the past two years at the Glenbard East Autumnfest tournament, Joliet Catholic finally won the event with an impressive 25-7, 25-18 win over rivals Mother McAuley (Chicago, Ill.).

The win was especially sweet for the Angels with the final win coming against a Mother McAuley team that has handed them four of their eight losses the last four years. Outside hitter Annemarie Hickey led the team and earned her second straight tournament MVP honor while Alyssa Warren had 15 kills and 30 digs to earn a spot on the all-tournament team.

With the tournament win, the Angels improved to 31-1. That one loss, however, is to Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) and since Assumption did not lose last week it was not possible to rank Joliet Catholic higher than Assumption.

And while the Angels looked good in their tourney win, Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Calif.) was just as impressive, maybe even more impressive, in topping a roster of ranked teams such as La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.), Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.) to take top honors at the California Challenge tourney in San Diego.

Dos Pueblos also has the opportunity to perhaps match up against No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) in two weeks at a tournament in Santa Barbara. Given that situation, the Chargers just had to move up to No. 6 in this week's FAB 50 even though that meant that Joliet Catholic had to drop one spot.

Speaking of No. 1 Mitty, the Monarchs showed why they're the top ranked team in the FAB 50 as they went 4-0 to improve to 23-0 on the year and didn't lose a set on their way to win the Panther Challenge in San Jose.

In the finals, the Monarchs faced the host of the tournament, Presentation (San Jose, Calif.), and won in two sets as Rachel Williams led the Monarchs with eight kills. In pool play, Mitty defeated Mountain View (Calif.) and Marin Catholic (Kentfield, Calif.) and then defeated Los Gatos (Calif.) to earn s spot in the finals as Williams led the way with 17 kills.

(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1. (1) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 23-0

2. (2) Muncie Burris (Muncie, Ind.) 33-0

3. (3) Reagan (San Antonio, Texas) 38-1

4. (4) Amarillo (Amarillo, Texas) 38-3

5. (5) Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.) 17-3

6. (9) Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Calif.) 18-1

7. (6) Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) 32-4

8. (7) Joliet Catholic (Joliet, Ill.) 32-1

9. (8) Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati, Ohio) 22-0

10. (12) Plant (Tampa, Fla.) 20-1

11. (11) J.J. Pearce (Richardson, Texas) 35-5

12. (10) Yorktown (Yorktown, Ind.) 31-1

13. (16) O'Connor (Helotes, Texas) 32-3

14. (17) Canyon Randall (Amarillo, Texas) 33-1

15. (23) Dublin Coffman (Dublin, Ohio) 22-0

16. (20) Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, N.C.) 19-1-1

17. (21) Shakopee (Shakopee, Minn.) 22-0

18. (42) St. Francis (Wheaton, Ill.) 30-2 

19. (15) St. Ursula Academy (Toledo, Ohio) 19-2

20. (26) Elsinore (Lake Elsinore, Calif.) 18-1

21. (27) Redlands East Valley (Redlands, Calif.) 18-3

22. (28) Rose (Greenville, N.C.) 19-0-1

23. (NR) Muncie Central (Muncie, Ind.) 18-4

24. (29) Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) 17-7 

25. (24) The Woodlands (The Woodlands, Texas) 33-6

26. (45) La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.) 15-3

27. (13) Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.) 16-4

28. (25) Elkhart Memorial (Elkhart, Ind.) 30-2

29. (32) Mercy (Louisville, Ky.) 25-7

30. (18) Lakewood (Lakewood, Calif.) 18-5

31. (35) Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii) 28-1

32. (38) Martin County (Stuart, Fla.) 22-1

33. (31) Lyons (La Grange, Ill.) 29-2

34. (14) Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, Calif.) 13-5

35. (39) Allen (Allen, Texas) 34-6

36. (41) Westwood (Round Rock, Texas) 33-5

37. (43) Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.) 20-3

38. (19) Benet (Lisle, Ill.) 30-3

39. (44) St. James (Lenexa, Kan.) 28-4

40. (47) Marian (Omaha, Neb.) 30-1

41. (48) Westlake (Austin, Texas) 30-6

42. (33) Chaska (Chaska, Minn.) 19-2

43. (36) Marymount (Los Angeles, Calif.) 16-5

44. (37) St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park, Kan.) 27-4

45. (22) Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 29-4

46. (49) Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.) 15-5

47. (34) Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, Calif.) 20-7

48. (NR) Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) 31-1

49. (NR) Eagle (Eagle, Ida.) 25-3

50. (30) Redondo Union (Redondo, Calif.) 17-6-4

Dropped out:

Previous No. 46 Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio); No. 40 Carl Sandburg (Orland Park, Ill.); No. 50 Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville, Ky.).

On the bubble:

Brebeuf Jesuit (Indianapolis, Ind.) 27-1l; El Dorado (Placentia, Calif.) 14-6; Evanston (Evanston, Ill.) 28-5; Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 11-6; Huntsville (Ala.) 57-2; Magnificat (Rocky River, Ohio) 18-3; Mother McAuley (Chicago, Ill.) 17-11; Penn (Mishawauka, Ind.) 30-3; St. Joseph's (St. Louis, Mo.) 24-5; Xavier Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) 29-6.