ESPN RISE FAB 50

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL RANKINGS

Much of the scrambling for final spots in this year's ESPN RISE Girls Volleyball FAB 50 national rankings is just about done, except for one rather important state.

With the Texas and Florida state playoffs concluding last week and with favored teams like Amarillo and Tampa Plant impressing in state finals, most of the drama about the FAB 50 is beginning to focus in on No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.).

The Monarchs faced a Palo Alto (Calif.) team in the CIF Central Coast Section Division II championship last Saturday that was red-hot with a 33-match win streak and has visions of pulling off an upset.

Head coach Dave Winn told Palo Alto Online: "They make those Disney movies for a reason. The underdog does win once in a while.”

Despite Winn's optimism, Mitty was on its game from the start. The Monarchs won the match and were only challenged in the third game. Mitty's 25-14, 25-12, 25-23 win earned the program its seventh straight CCS title and a top-seed in the CIF Northern California regional playoffs. Leaders in the match included Kristina Graven with 16 kills, Rachel Williams with 11 kills and Joan Caloiro with 24 assists.

Mitty's final match of the season is expected to be the CIF Division II state championship, which will be played on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the UC Irvine Bren Events Center.

If Mitty were to suffer an upset, No. 2 Muncie Burris  (Muncie, Ind.) or No. 3 Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati, Ohio) would seem to have the strongest resumes for a move up to the top. Both of those teams have finished their seasons.

Amarillo also has seemingly cemented its position with at least a No. 4 final FAB 50 rankings. The Lady Sandies didn't have it easy against Westlake (Austin, Texas), but they captured their fourth straight UIL Class 5A state championship in a five set thriller. 

Senior libero Eden Williams was named tournament MVP after registering a match-high 25 digs. Micah Nolan led the victors with 17 kills while Danielle Barker set everyone up with 32 assists. The final three sets couldn't have ended any closer as the scores for the five sets were 19-25, 25-20, 28-26, 23-25, and 16-14. A fifth straight title next year might be a big task as Amarillo loses 11 seniors but head coach Jan Barker, who has led the school to eight state titles, sure knows how to win them.

Tampa Plant, meanwhile, will go down as the No. 1 team in Florida and will be no lower than No. 6 in the final FAB 50. The Panthers won their fourth straight state championship, and their first in Class 6A, as they defeated the three-time defending Class 6A champion Winter Park, in four sets. 

With their fourth straight title, Plant also has now won nine state championships in school history with seven of those nine coming this decade. Penn State commit Maddie Martin led the way with 22 kills while Alex Johnson also had a big game with 20 kills. Libero Ali McCurdy had a team-best 23 digs in her final high school game before heading to Duke and Becca Howard had 48 assists.

This week's biggest mover in the FAB 50 is Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.). The Sailors jumped from No. 22 to No. 11 after winning the CIF Southern Section Division IAA championship. Other teams winning CIFSS titles were Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Calif.) in Division IA, Redlands East Valley (Redlands, Calif.) in Div. 2AA and Elsinore (Wildomar, Calif.) in Div. 2A.(Read full post)

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)

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)

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)

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 Christine Jinbo

The Week 3 girls' volleyball ESPN RISE FAB 50 ranking is here, previous rank in parenthesis. Click the FAB 50 link for more information.

ESPN RISE FAB 50
National girls' volleyball rankings
Week 3 Rankings- Records reflect games played through September 28.

Rank School City, State Record  
1 (1) Archbishop Mitty San Jose, Calif. 16-0
2 (2) Joliet Catholic Chicago, Ill. 13-0
3 (3) Reagan San Antonio, Texas 34-1
4 (5) Muncie Burris  Muncie, Ind. 26-0
5 (NR) Newport Harbor Newport Beach, Calif 11-4
6 (6) Amarillo Amarillo, Texas 33-3
7 (8) St. Francis Wheaton 17-0
8 (7) Assumption Louisville, Ky. 21-3
9 (20) Mira Costa  Manhattan Beach, Calif. 6-4
10 (12) J.J. Pearce Richardson, Texas 25-4
11 (14) Ursuline Academy  Cincinnati, Ohio 13-0
12 (NR) Yorktown Yorktown, Ind. 23-0
13 (18) Marymount  Los Angeles, Calif. 10-3
14 (13) Wilson Long Beach, Calif. 7-2
15 (22) Benet Lisle, Ill. 15-2
16 (21) Berkley Prep  Tampa, Fla. 13-2
17 (33) O'Connor  Helotes, Texas 27-3
18 (19) St. Ursula Academy Toledo, Ohio 12-1
19 (10) Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, Calif. 15-4
20 (9) Sacred Heart Academy Louisville, Ky. 13-6
21 (28) Lakewood  Lakewood, Calif. 7-4
22 (25) Cardinal Gibbons  Raleigh, N.C. 13-1
23 (15) Dos Pueblos  Goleta, Calif. 8-1
24 (24) Canyon Randall Amarillo, Texas 26-1
25 (36) Hinsdale Central Hinsdale, Ill. 15-2
26 (23) St. James  Lenexa, Kan. 15-1
27 (35) Shakopee  Shakopee, Minn. 17-0
28 (NR) Redlands East Valley  Redlands, Calif. 7-2
29 (29) Plant  Tampa, Fla. 11-0
30 (30) Bishop Miege  Shawnee Mission, Kans. 14-3
31 (31) Dublin Coffman Dublin, Ohio 14-0
32 (NR) El Dorado  Placentia, Calif. 9-6
33 (32) Elkhart Memorial  Elkhart, Ind. 14-1
34 (26) Evenston Evanston, Ill.  15-2
35 (16) The Woodlands Woodlands, Texas 29-5
36 (37) Rose Greenville, N.C. 13-0
37 (17) Santa Barbara  Santa Barbara, Calif. 7-2
38 (27) Chaska Minn. 12-1
39 (NR) Lyons (LaGrange, Ill.) LaGrange, Ill.  19-1
40 (NR) Redondo Union Redondo Beach, Calif. 11-3
41 (39) Sandburg Orland Park, Ill. 16-2
42 (NR) St. Thomas Aquinas  Overland Park, Kans. 19-3
43 (40) Allen Allen, Texas 27-3
44 (11) Floyd Central  Floyds Knobs, Ind.  19-2
45 (43) Punahou Honolulu, Hawai'i  13-0
46 (4) La Costa Canyon  Carlsbad, Calif. 8-2
47 (41) Marist Chicago, Ill. 13-3
48 (NR) Washburn Rural  Topeka, Kan. 15-2
49 (45) Lakota West West Chester, Ohio 11-0
50 (47) Westlake Austin, Texas
 

By Christine Jinbo

This week, Los Alamitos (Calif.) made a climb in the ranking with back to back tournament titles at the Gahr Invitational (Cerritos, Calif.) and the Dave Mohs Memorial (Huntington Beach, Calif.).

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Halli Amaro celebrates with Los Alamitos at the Dave Mohs Memorial Tournament.

ESPN RISE FAB 50 No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) hosted 16 teams with six ranked in the FAB 50.

The Dave Mohs Memorial hosted by Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) High School accepted 64 teams split into two divisions into its tournament.

Check out the week 2 girls' volleyball ESPN RISE FAB 50 ranking for 2009 below, previous rank in parenthesis.  Click the link for more.

ESPN RISE FAB 50
National girls' volleyball rankings
Week 2 Rankings- Records reflect games played through September 20.

Rank School, City, State, Record
1 (1) Archbishop Mitty San Jose, Calif. 9-0
2 (2) Joliet Catholic Chicago, Ill. 12-0
3 (3) Reagan San Antonio, Texas 31-1
4 (4) La Costa Canyon  Carlsbad, Calif. 2-0
5 (5) Muncie Burris  Muncie, Ind. 20-0
6 (6) Amarillo Amarillo, Texas 31-3
7 (9) Assumption Louisville, Ky. 15-2
8 (12) St. Francis Wheaton, Ill. 15-0
9 (7) Sacred Heart Academy Louisville, Ky. 11-3
10 (18) Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, Calif. 11-0
11 (10) Floyd Central  Floyds Knobs, Ind.  17-1
12 (8 ) J.J. Pearce Richardson, Texas 23-4
13 (11) Wilson Long Beach, Calif. 1-0
14 (14) Ursuline Academy  Cincinnati, Ohio 10-0
15 (20) Dos Pueblos  Goleta, Calif. 6-1
16 (NR) The Woodlands Woodlands, Texas 27-4
17 (39) Santa Barbara  Santa Barbara, Calif. 6-1
18 (13) Marymount  Los Angeles, Calif. 4-2
19 (33) St. Ursula Academy Toledo, Ohio 9-1
20 (15) Mira Costa  Manhattan Beach, Calif. 1-1
21 (21) Berkley Prep  Tampa, Fla. 7-2
22 (NR) Benet Lisle, Ill. 14-1
23 (26) St. James  Lenexa, Kan. 6-0
24 (30) Canyon Randall Amarillo, Texas 24-1
25 (23) Cardinal Gibbons  Raleigh, N.C. 7-1
26 (NR) Evenston Evanston, Ill.  13-2
27 (28) Chaska Chaska, Minn. 7-0
28 (22) Lakewood  Lakewood, Calif. 4-2
29 (29) Plant  Tampa, Fla. 10-0
30 (47) Bishop Miege  Shawnee Mission, Kans. 11-2
31 (19) Dublin Coffman Dublin, Ohio 8-0
32 (32) Elkhart Memorial  Elkhart, Ind. 10-0
33 (16) O'Connor  Helotes, Texas 25-3
34 (17) Marian  Omaha, Neb. 15-1
35 (35) Shakopee  Shakopee, Minn. 10-0
36 (46) Hinsdale Central Hinsdale, Ill. 14-2
37 (37) Rose Greenville, N.C. 7-0
38 (31) St. Joseph's Academy  St. Louis, Mo.  12-3
39 (24) Sandburg Orland Park, Ill. 10-1)
40 (34 Allen Allen, Texas 23-3
41 (36) Marist Chicago, Ill. 7-2
42 (41) Lee's Summit West  Lee's Summit, Mo. 11-0
43 (42) Punahou Honolulu, Hawai'i  9-0
44 (43) Blue Springs  Blue Springs, Mo. 11-2
45 (45) Lakota West West Chester, Ohio 10-0
46 (49) Kamehameha Honolulu, Hawai'i  9-1
47 (38) Westlake Austin, Texas 22-6
48 (48) Mount Notre Dame Academy Cincinnati, Ohio 8-1
49 (50) Corona del Mar Newport Beach, Calif 6-2
50 (40) Harvard Westlake North Hollywood, Calif. 1-3
 

By Christine Jinbo

This week, ESPN RISE FAB 50 top ten teams, previoiusly ranked No. 3 Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and No. 2 Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) sustained upset losses.  The Mustangs fell to previously ranked No. 40 Marymount (Los Angeles, Calif.) High School on their own turf.  The Sailors traveled to Mustang territory and toppled the giants, 25-21, 25-27, 19-25, 25-23 15-11.  USC commit, Sam Hirschman had a team high 20 kills, 15 digs and four blocks. 

Assumption traveled to the Burris Invitational (Muncie, Ind.) and took a beating from tournament host, No. 18 Burris in the finals.  Florida commit Taylor Unroe led the team and propelled the Owls into the top ten with their straight set win over Assumption.  The Rockets redeemed themselves in straight sets over rival No. 7 Mercy (Louisville, Ky.) (25-14, 25-18, 25-16), which knocked the Jags out of the top ten.  The Rockets went into the Louisville Invitational Tournament with one loss and emerged with one more to Sacred Heart (Louisville, Ky.) in a best of three match (25-21, 23-25, 25-18).

The season is heating up with early tournaments set for the coming weeks.  Competitive tournaments take place in Northern and Southern California.  No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) hosts its Invitational with 16 teams on four courts.  No. 21 Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.) and No. 23 Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, N.C.) will travel to the event, which includes top California talent.  Besides host Mitty, No. 13 Marymount, No. 20 Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Calif.) and No. 39 Santa Barbara will be in attendance.  In Southern California, the 32nd annual Dave Mohs, hosted by Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) High School will feature top Southern California teams. The tournament field has 64 teams competing in two divisions with Orange County well represented. Championship matches are on Sept. 21.

ESPN RISE FAB 50 No. 31 St. Joseph (St. Louis, Mo.) will host its Invitational also this weekend.  Louisville  schools, No. 25 Mercy and No. 7 Sacred Heart will travel to St. Louis for the event.  The much anticipated Durango Classic is set for Sept. 25-26 and will feature, five ESPN RISE top ten teams and 12 ESPN RISE ranked teams.   The tournament represents eight states and has expanded its field to 48 teams this year.  This is one nobody wants to miss.

Check out the pre-season girls' volleyball ESPN RISE FAB 50 ranking for 2009 below, previous rank in parenthesis.  Click the link for more.

ESPN RISE FAB 50
National girls' volleyball rankings
Week 1 Rankings- Records reflect games played through September 13.

Rank  School, City, ST, Rec.   
1 (1) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 6-0
2 (5) Joliet Catholic (Chicago, Ill.) 8-0
3 (8) Reagan (San Antonio, Texas) 29-1
4 (9) La Costa Canyon  (Carlsbad, Calif.) 1-0
5 (18) Muncie Burris  (Muncie, Ind.) 15-0
6 (4) Amarillo (Amarillo, Texas) 28-3
7 (12) Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville, Ky.) 7-2
8 (6) J.J. Pearce (Richardson, Texas) 21-4
9 (2) Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) 12-2
10 (22) Floyd Central  (Floyds Knobs, Ind.  11-0
11 (11) Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.) 0-0
12 (20) St. Francis (Wheaton, Ill.) 8-0
13 (40) Marymount  (Los Angeles, Calif.) 1-0
14 (14) Ursuline Academy  (Cincinnati, Ohio) 6-0
15 (3) Mira Costa  (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) 0-1
16 (23) O'Connor  (Helotes, Texas)  23-3
17 (16) Marian  (Omaha, Neb.) 9-0
18 (15) Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, Calif.) 4-0
19 (19) Dublin Coffman (Dublin, Ohio) 4-0
20 (21) Dos Pueblos  (Goleta, Calif.) 2-0
21 (25) Berkley Prep  (Tampa, Fla.) 5-0
22 (17) Lakewood  (Lakewood, Calif.) 3-0
23 (37) Cardinal Gibbons  (Raleigh, N.C.) 4-0
24 (NR) Sandburg (Orland Park, Ill.) 5-0
25 (7) Mercy  (Louisville, Kent.) 10-2
26 (32) St. James  (Lenexa, Kan.) 3-0
27 (24) Mother McAuley (Chicago, Ill.) 3-0
28 (28) Chaska (Chaska, Minn.) 3-0
29 (35) Plant  (Tampa, Fla.) 8-0
30 (NR) Canyon Randall (Amarillo, Texas) 21-1
31 (34) St. Joseph's Academy  (St. Louis, Mo.)  8-1
32 (38) Elkhart Memorial  (Elkhart, Ind.) 8-0
33 (NR) St. Ursula Academy (Toledo, Ohio) 6-0
34 (NR) Allen (Allen, Texas) 22-3
35 (39) Shakopee  (Shakopee, Minn.) 8-0
36 (NR) Marist (Chicago, Ill.) 3-0
37 (44) Rose (Greenville, N.C.) 6-0
38 (13) Westlake (Austin, Texas) 19-5
39 (NR) Santa Barbara  (Santa Barbara, Calif.) 2-0
40 (42) Harvard Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) 0-1
41 (NR) Lee's Summit West  (Lee's Summit, Mo.) 9-0
42 (43) Punahou (Honolulu, Hawai'i) 7-0
43 (49) Blue Springs  (Blue Springs, Mo.) 8-2
44 (26) Center Grove  (Greenwood, Ind.) 9-1
45 (33) Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio) 6-0
46 (NR) Hinsdale Central (Hinsdale, Ill.) 6-0
47 (45) Bishop Miege  (Shawnee Mission, Kans.) 7-1
48 (48) Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati, Ohio) 6-1
49 (50) Kamehameha (Honolulu, Hawai'i) 6-1
50 (46) Santa Margarita  (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) 0-1

By Christine Jinbo

ESPN RISE FAB 50
2009 First Girls' Volleyball Ranking -
Records and previous ranking from final 2008 FAB 50 Rankings

Last year, ESPN RISE crowned, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) High School the ESPN RISE National Champion.  The Monarchs picked up where they left off, atop the rankings as the pre-season No. 1, with nine seniors and six of seven starters who returned from the 2008 squad.  Head Coach Bret Almazan-Cezar prepares his veteran squad to achieve national excellence again this year.

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Bret Almazan-Cezar coached Archbishop Mitty to a CIF State Div. II Championship.

Last year, Almazan-Cezar told ESPN RISE Volleyball, "This team really enjoys hanging out with each other."  To promote team unity this year, the team hiked 14 miles and camped in the Big Basin (Redwoods State Park, Calif.).

The Monarchs will host their own national tournament with Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.) and Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, N.C.) traveling from out of state to test the competition.

Check out the pre-season girls' volleyball ESPN RISE FAB 50 rankings for 2009 below or click the link for more.

ESPN RISE Volleyball FAB 50
Pre-season Rankings

Rank School, City, ST 2008 Record
1 (1) Archbishop Mitty San Jose, Calif.  42-1
2 (22) Assumption Louisville, Ky.  30-7
3 (18) Mira Costa  Manhattan Beach, Calif. 28-6
4 (4) Amarillo Amarillo, Texas 48-3
5 (17) Joliet Catholic Chicago, Ill.  39-3
6 (NR) J.J. Pearce Richardson, Texas  36-6
7 (3) Mercy  Louisville, Kent.  40-1
8 (23) Reagan San Antonio, Texas  45-3
9 (2) La Costa Canyon  Carlsbad, Calif.  37-1
10 (6) St. Charles East  St. Charles, Ill. 39-4
11 (20) Wilson Long Beach, Calif.  28-4
12 (19) Sacred Heart Academy Louisville, Ky.  29-10
13 (8) Westlake Austin, Texas  40-8
14 (24) Ursuline Academy  Cincinnati, Ohio  28-1

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Carly Wopat along with twin sister Samantha will lead the Chargers this season.

15 (41) Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, Calif.  25-6
16 (36) Marian  Omaha, Neb.  34-8
17 (NR) Lakewood  Lakewood, Calif.  19-8
18 (50) Muncie Burris  Muncie, Ind.  36-4
19 (NR) Dublin Coffman Dublin, Ohio  25-2
20 (NR) St. Francis Wheaton  27-9
21 (29) Dos Pueblos  Goleta, Calif.  28-7
22 (NR) Floyd Central  Floyds Knobs, Ind.   35-4
23 (32) O'Connor  Helotes, Texas  38-5
24 (13) Mother McAuley Chicago, Ill.  39-3
25 (45) Berkley Prep  Tampa, Fla.  28-3
26 (NR) Center Grove  Greenwood, Ind.  25-10
27 (NR) Nevada Union Grass Valley, Calif.  24-9
28 (NR) Chaska Minn.  25-5
29 (35) Notre Dame  Covington, Ky.  29-5
30 (NR) Redondo Union Redondo Beach, Calif.  13-13
31 (12) Papillion La Vista  Papillion, Neb.  41-1
32 (5) St. James  Lenexa, Kan.  45-1
33 (NR) Lakota West West Chester, Ohio  14-12
34 (NR) St. Joseph's Academy  St. Louis, Mo.   28-9
35 (27) Plant  Tampa, Fla.  28-3
36 (NR) Grandview Aurora, Colo.  27-4
37 (49) Cardinal Gibbons  Raleigh, N.C.  29-0
38 (38) Elkhart Memorial  Elkhart, Ind.  36-2
39 (43) Shakopee  Shakopee, Minn.  32-2
40 (47) Marymount  Los Angeles, Calif.  25-6
41 (46) Washburn Rural  Topeka, Kan.  35-2
42 (NR) Harvard Westlake North Hollywood, Calif.  22-6
43 (NR) Punahou Honolulu, Hawai'i   22-4
44 (NR) Rose Greenville, N.C.  27-1
45 (NR) Bishop Miege  Shawnee Mission, Kans.  36-5
46 (7) Santa Margarita  Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.  29-8
47 (14) Clear Creek  Houston, Texas  44-5
48 (NR) Mount Notre Dame Academy   Cincinnati, Ohio  23-5
49 (NR) Blue Springs  Blue Springs, Mo.  33-3
50 (NR) Kamehameha Honolulu, Hawai'i  20-4
 

Teams to watch list (in alphabetical order):

Beckman, Irvine, CA
Bingham, South Jordan, UT
Brighton, Salt Lake City, UT
Buchanan, Clovis, CA
Carson City, Carson City, NV
Chugiak, Chugiak, AK
Clovis, Clovis, CA
Clovis West, Clovis, CA
Cottonwood, Salt Lake City, UT
El Dorado, Placentia, CA
Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
Newport Harbor, Newport Beach, CA
Ponderosa, Shingle Springs, CA
Redlands East Valley, Redlands, CA
Saint Mary's, Stockton, CA
Saint Pius X, Albuquerque, NM
Torrey Pines, San Diego, CA
Xavier College Preparatory, Phoenix, AZ
Marist, Chicago, Ill.
Olmsted Falls, Olmsted Falls, Ohio
Benet, Lisle, Ill.
Roncalli, Indianapolis, Ind.
St. Thomas Aquinas, Overland Park, Kans.
Eastview, Apple Valley, Minn.
Incarnate Word Academy, Houston, Texas
Lee's Summit West, Lee's Summit, Mo.
Mother of Mercy, Cincinnati, Ohio
Friendswood, Friendswood, Texas
Lake Highlands, Dallas, Texas
Timber Creek, Orlando, Fla.
Sandburg, Orland Park, Ill.
Glenbrook South, Glenview, Ill.
Naperville Central, Naperville, Ill.
Naperville North, Naperville, Ill.
New Castle Chrysler, New Castle, Ind.
Muncie Central, Muncie, Ind.
Cathedral, Indianapolis, Ind.
Delta, Muncie, Ind.
West Henderson, Hendersonville, N.C.
Grand Island, Grand Island, Neb.
Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Orange Lutheran, Orange, Calif.
Thousand Oaks, Thousand Oaks
Cherry Creek, Greenwood Village, Colo.
St Michael-Albertville, Albertville, Minn.

Tips for stat takers from the NCAA.org

If you only have one person to do your team's stats, have them sit next to the person doing the opposing team's stats – frequent checks are then possible to make sure that an attack is awarded a dig, an ace is awarded a reception error, etc.  Sitting on your team bench may be more familiar, but the purpose in being there to stat the match is to do the job correctly. The box score must balance at the end of the match, and it's a lot harder to go back afterward and try to make corrections. 

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Lesli Akeo of Kamehameha (Honolulu, Hawai'i) controls the ball.

Become a member of ESPN RISE Volleyball, FREE and post a comment below.

By Christine Jinbo

Meet USA Volleyball's Junior National Beach Team member Chase Ross (Carlsbad, Calif.).  Ross, along with partner Steven VanderWerp (Grand Haven, Mich.) will represent the U.S. in the 2009 SWATCH FIVB Junior World Championships on Sept. 16-20 in Blackpool, England.  Ross' sister Summer is currently representing the US in Alanya, Turkey with partner Jane Croson at the FIVB Youth World Championships.

Ross talks to ESPN RISE Volleyball about training with the Junior National Beach Team, USA Beach Coaches Anjinho Bacil and Jon Aharoni and gives some advice for younger players coming through the ranks.

By Christine Jinbo

Meet USA Volleyball's Junior National Beach Team member Kyle Stevenson (Palos Verdes, Calif.).  Stevenson, along with partner Parker Kalmbach (Coto de Caza, Calif.) are in Alanya, Turkey representing the U.S. in the 2009 SWATCH FIVB Youth World Championships.

Stevenson talks to ESPN RISE Volleyball about training with the Junior National Beach Team, USA Beach Coaches Anjinho Bacil and Jon Aharoni and learning everyday.

By Christine Jinbo

Meet USA Volleyball's Junior National Beach Team member Parker Kalmbach (Coto de Caza, Calif.).  Kalmbach, along with partner Kyle Stevenson (Palos Verdes, Calif.) are in Alanya, Turkey representing the U.S. in the 2009 SWATCH FIVB Youth World Championships.

Kalmbach talks to ESPN RISE Volleyball about training with the Junior National Beach Team, USA Beach Coaches Anjinho Bacil and Jon Aharoni and his excitement for the game.

By Christine Jinbo

Meet USA Volleyball's Junior Beach National Team Head Coach Eduardo "Anjinho" Bacil and assistant coach Jon Aharoni, coordinator of beach coaching and development for USA Volleyball. Learn about the Junior National Beach Program and how to improve your beach game.

The USA Volleyball beach department has announced its selections for the Under-19 (youth) and Under-21 teams that will represent the United States in international competitions this summer.

	Christine Jinbo/ESPN RISE
	Dalas Dodd swings for Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) High School.

For more, visit USA Volleyball .

By Christine Jinbo

Orange County Riptides crowned National Championship in Atlanta.
 
The USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championship gathered the best boys' volleyball teams in the nation in Atlanta, Ga.   The championship match for the boys' 18 Open Division, held on Saturday, July 4, featured Riptides OC (Orange County, Calif.) and Balboa Bay 18-Quiksilver (Orange County, Calif.).

In the all-Orange County final, both teams advanced through a bracket which contained high level Mid West, East Coast and California teams as well. The two-set championship thriller ended as underdog Riptides OC defeated Balboa Bay Quicksilver, coached by John Speraw, the Head Coach at NCAA Champion UC Irvine, (27-25, 25-22).

In a, riches to rags and back to riches story, Riptides OC dominated the Southern California Region early in the season. But without starting setter Arik Metzger, who was injured, the squad did not place in the Gold Division of the Boys Classic and bowed out to Epic (San Diego, Calif.) Volleyball Club in the semifinals of the Silver Division playoffs.

Riptides OC needed a player to fill the setting spot before J.O.'s and picked up 5-foot-10 setter Brett McGarry to replace the injured Metzger one week prior to departing for Atlanta.  Marking their solidarity and mission, the players shaved their heads the night before heading to Atlanta.  The squad, reborn, stormed through the brackets and defeated:

Adversity Elite 18 (Des Plaines, Ill.) (25-16, 23-25, 15-10)
Richmod Volleyball Club 181 (Richmond, Va.) (25-19, 25-13)
Balboa Bay 18White (Newport Beach, Calif.) (25-12, 25-23)
Eden Mizuno 18 (Eden, N.Y.) (25-15, 18-25, 15-11)
STLHP 18 Orange (St. Louis, Calif.) (19-25, 25-21, 17-15)
SMBC 18-Black (Santa Monica, Calif.) (25-19, 25-20)
Pali 18 Kaepa (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) (25-15, 26-24)
Seaside 18-Black (San Diego, Calif.) (25-12, 25-16)

Sports Performance Volleyball 18 Mizuno was the only team to get the best of the Riptides OC  Club, in a third set deciding game, 23-25, 25-21, 16-14.

Riptides downed both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds of the tournament en route to the gold medal.  In the Gold Division semifinal, it defeated first seed, MB Surf 18's (Manhattan Beach) (25-18, 25-23) and second seed Balboa Bay 18Q (27-25, 25-22) in the final.

McGarry, who was cut from his high school varsity team, Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.) was an inspirational leader for Riptides.  He led the team through the week of competition and knocked out the Loyola replica team MBSurf.  The MB Surf team started four Loyola athletes and added Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii) High School standout Maddison McKibbin along with other standout players.

Redeemed, McGarry stood with his gold medal around his neck.  He starred at the shiny memento and shook his head at the road he took to get there.

All Tournament Team:

From the Silver Medal Team; Connor Hughes (Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif.), Tanner Janzen (Santa Margarita, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and Ian Castellano (San Clemente, Calif.);

From the Gold Medal Team, Maurice Torres (Orange Lutheran, Orange, Calif.), Chase Frishman (Dana Hills, Calif.) and "Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament" Dane Worley (Foothill, Santa Ana, Calif.).

By Christine Jinbo

Many volleyball athletes, both boys and girls are competing at a national tournament at this very moment.  These athletes play for many reasons, one of which is to get recruited to play in college.

UC Irvine Mens Volleyball team recently bested USC in the NCAA Div. I National Championship in Provo, Utah. UCI Asst. Coach Mark Presho spoke with ESPN RISE Volleyball about building a national championship team and the type of athletes college coaches want to recruit.  He answered many common questions athletes have about the recruiting process.

Video Link

By Christine Jinbo

Brett Anderson of the Riptides O.C. 17 Orange team spoke to ESPN RISE Volleyball after his team earned first place at the Boys Classic, hosted by Southern California Volleyball Association (SCVA).  Riptides O.C. defeated the tournament favorite, Orange Coast Volleyball Club (OCVC) 17-1 in the final. 

The junior setter looks forward to the J.O.'s hosted by USA Volleyball.  His team finished as the runner up in the Boys Invitational that hosted over 300 teams from around the nation.  This recent first place finish, he hopes, will help his team in the Junior Olympic Championship in Atlanta, Ga.

Video Link

By Christine Jinbo

USA Volleyball conducts two large scale events which overlap and close out the junior club volleyball season, the Girls' and Boys' Junior Olympic Volleyball Championship. Miami, Fla. is the home for the 2009 Girls' JOVC and Atlanta, Ga. plays host to the boys.

	Courtesy Christine Mirick
	Peter Jasaits passes for MB Surf, a top contender from Southern California.

With a maximum field size of 36 teams in the Open Division, there will be fierce competition among teams, which earned bids through selected "bid" tournaments

The tournaments selected as Bid Tournaments for the 2009 Boys season are as follows:

Bid Tournament - Dates - Maximum Number of Bids
No Dinx Boys Far Westerns
-   January 3-4  -   2
Dennis Lafata Gateway Boys Festival 
-   January 17-18  -   4
Rochester CAN-AM  
-  January 17-18   -   3
SCVA Junior Boys Invitational 
-   January 17-19 -   10
USAV Southeast BBQ  
-  January 23-25  -   2
Molten Wisconsin Boys Volleyball Festival 
-   February 7-8-   4
Nittany Ninvitational (17 & 18 Open)  
-  February 14-15 -   4
NIKE Great Lakes Festival for Boys 
-   February 14-15  -   3
Nittany 2 (14O, 15O, 16O) 
-   February 22-23 -    2
Boys East Coast Championships
-    May 23-25  -   2

USA Volleyball's goal for the Open Division of the Boys Junior Olympic Volleyball Championship, "is to produce an event which will promote the highest level of Boys competition."

By Christine Jinbo

ESPN RISE FAB 50 No. 2 Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.) will face off against No. 11 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in the finals of the CIF Southern Section CIF Div. I finals on Saturday.  Check out the video below for highlights from its semifinal victory over No. 8 Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.).  

Junior outside hitter Steven Irvin and senior libero Peter Jasaitis talk to ESPN RISE Volleyball.

Video Link

By Christine Jinbo

The Top Ten Tips about communicating with your child's coach effectively continues with the next three "rules.
           
Observing the communication between parents and coaches helps develop a young athlete's communication, cooperation and leadership skills.  It is important to realize how closely children watch adults talk and behave toward each other and they often mimic those behaviors. Therefore, you may want to reconsider saying something to your child's coach (or about your child's coach) that you would not want your child repeating.(Read full post)

By Christine Jinbo

Top Ten Tips
About communicating with your child's coach effectively
           
Parents often do not know the "rules" when approaching a coach to discuss their child and the team.  Rules of communication are often thrown out and emotions fuel a debate, especially when parents decide that the coach is coaching in an unsatisfactory way. You can help make the season better, as well as help your child enjoy their team experience more, by following a few simple rules:(Read full post)

By Christine Jinbo

This week brings the final ESPN RISE FAB 50 National Volleyball Rankings. The three part series, "Who will be No. 1? debated each team's argument for the spot atop the rankings and the title, ESPN RISE National Champion.  Many teams had exceptional seasons, and three have legitimate claims to the title: current ESPN RISE FAB 50 No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), No. 2 La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.) and No. 3 Mercy Academy (Louisville, Ky.).

&nb...

(Read full post)

Special to ESPN RISE Volleyball

Following this year's volleyball season, Wesleyan senior Anne Marie Armstrong spent a rare day off studying at a local Barnes & Noble. Sure, that isn't exactly ideal R&R, but she'll take any free moment she can get.  Such is life for Armstrong, who excels in basketball, volleyball and track.

(Read full post)

By Christine Jinbo

The newest installment of the ESPN RISE FAB 50 has little movement as the volleyball season winds to a close.  Final rankings wait as California finishes its state playoffs this weekend.
 
In the CIF Division II race, No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) looks primed to take the CIF Northern Region State Championship for the seventh consecutive year.  The Central Coast Section proved to be the most dominant section in the Northern Region as Mitty matches up against a Central Coast Section

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Redlands East Valley (Redlands)faces off agains Corona del Mar (Newport) again.

By Christine Jinbo

With the exception of California, the state playoff races are over. Florida and Texas came to a close and crowned their state champions this past weekend.  With these last few states playing their most meaningful games of the season, teams jostled in the rankings as upsets occured in California and Florida.
&nbs...

(Read full post)

By Christine Jinbo

Teams from California, Illinois and Texas battled in their perspective playoff races.  The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoffs have all gone according to seed, without major upsets in the top divisions, but not all state races were that simple.
 
In the CIF Div. II Central Coast Section, ESPN RISE ranked No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) received a bye, then defeated Presentation (San Jose), 25-14, 25-15, 25-22.  The Monarchs will face Palo Alto on Wednesday nig...

(Read full post)

By Christine Jinbo

California:
The race in California has just begun as many other states moved on to their winter seasons. CIF Southern Section released its brackets in ten divisions on Sunday and ESPN RISE FAB 50 No. 7 Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) received the top seed in Div. I-A.  No. 11 Wilson (Long Beach), No. 15 Santa Margarita, and No. 22 Los Alamitos followed behind in the No. 2, 3 and 4 spots.  The top four seeds of Div. I-A all went undefeated in their leagues with the exception of Santa Margarita, which split with No. 29 Orange Lutheran. 

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Can Falyn Fonoimoana take Costa to another CIF Title?

ESPN RISE Girls Volleyball National FAB 50

Games through November 11, 2008. Previous rank in parenthesis.

Rank      Team          Record
1    (1)    Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)    35-1
2    (2)    La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.)    29-1
3    (3)    Mercy (Louisville, Kent.)    37-1
4    (4)    Reagan (San Antonio, Tex.)    43-2
5    (8)    St. James (Lenexa, Kan.)    45-1
6    (5)    Mother McAuley (Chicago, Ill.)    38-2
7    (7)    Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)    24-4
8    (14)    Amarillo (Amarillo, Tex.)    43-4
9    (29)    St. Charles East (St. Charles. Ill.)    36-4
10   (18)    Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.)    36-2
11   (15)    Long Beach Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.)    24-3
12    (9)    Joliet Catholic (Chicago, Ill.)    37-3
13    (21)    Clear Creek (Houston, Tex.)    38-4
14    (20)    Olmsted Falls (Olmsted Falls, Ohio)    29-0
15    (23)    Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)    22-7
16    (12)    Benet  (Lisle, Ill.)    39-1
17    (16)    Papillion La Vista (Papillion, Neb.)    40-1
18    (17)    Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville, Kent.)    29-10
19    (19)    Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Calif.)    24-5
20    (24)    Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.)    31-0
21    (10)    Muncie Central (Muncie, Ind.)    37-3
22    (22)    Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, Calif.)    22-5
23    (6)     O'Connor (San Antonio, Tex.)    38-4
24    (13)    Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati, Ohio)    28-1
25    (25)    Lake Highlands (Dallas, Tex.)    39-3
26    (27)    Redlands East Valley (Redlands, Calif.)    31-1
27    (42)    Thousand Oaks (Thousand Oaks)    22-3
28    (28)    Grand Island (Grand Island, Neb.)    33-1
29    (36)    Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)    27-4
30    (NR)    Westlake (Austin)    36-7
31    (31)    Notre Dame (Covington, Ky.)    29-5
32    (32)    Assumption (Louisville, Ky.)    30-7
33    (34)    Marian (Omaha, Neb.)    35-6
34    (11)    Churchill (San Antonio, Tex.)    39-5
35    (35)    Lee's Summit West (Lee's Summit, Mo.)    38-1
36    (30)    Elkhart Memorial (Elkhart, Ind.)    36-2
37    (37)    Timber Creek (Orlando, Fla.)    27-2
38    (41)    Shakopee (Minn.)    32-2
39    (NR)    Marymount (Los Angeles, Calif.)    21-5
40    (40)    Berkley Prep (Tampa, Fla.)    25-2
41    (43)    Plant (Tampa, Fla.)    24-3
42    (26)    Naperville Central (Naperville, Ill.)    33-6
43    (NR)    Torrey Pines (Torrey Pines, Calif.)    18-8
44    (38)    Washburn Rural (Topeka, Kan.)    39-4
45    (45)    West Henderson (Hendersonville, N.C.)    26-0
46    (46)    Eastview (Apple Valley, Minn.)    28-5
47    (47)    Delta (Muncie, Ind.)    33-6
48    (48)    Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, N.C.)    29-1
49    (33)    Mount Notre Dame Academy  (Cincinnati, Ohio)    23-5
50    (50)    Muncie Burris (Muncie, Ind.)    36-4
 

By Christine Jinbo

Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) rose to the No. 1 spot in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 National Rankings this week, as La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) suffered a late season loss to previously ranked No. 42 Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) in the finals of the Redondo Power Classic. The newly crowned No. 1 ascended to the top spot on their own accord, with their win loss record, with the help of a common opponent and the perfection ending loss by the Mavericks at the Redondo Tournament. 

	Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE
	Joan Calpiaro sets the table for Mitty's stong attack.

ESPN RISE Girls Volleyball National FAB 50

Games through the week of November 1, 2008. Previous rank in parenthesis.

Rank       Team    Record
1    (2)    Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)    33-1
2    (1)    La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.)    27-1
3    (3)    Mercy (Louisville, Kent.)    37-1
4    (4)    Reagan (San Antonio, Tex.)    41-2
5    (5)    Mother McAuley (Chicago, Ill.)    34-2
6    (6)    O'Connor (San Antonio, Tex.)    36-3
7    (7)    Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)    23-4
8    (9)    St. James (Lenexa, Kan.)    45-1
9    (8)    Joliet Catholic (Chicago, Ill.)    34-3
10    (10)    Muncie Central (Muncie, Ind.)    36-2
11    (11)    Churchill (San Antonio, Tex.)    37-5
12    (12)    Benet  (Lisle, Ill.)    36-1
13    (13)    Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati, Ohio)    27-0
14    (14)    Amarillo (Amarillo, Tex.)    41-3
15    (18)    Long Beach Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.)    23-3
16    (17)    Papillion La Vista (Papillion, Neb.)    37-1
17    (15)    Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville, Kent.)    29-10
18    (16)    Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.)     34-2
19    (19)    Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Calif.)    22-5
20    (20)    Olmsted Falls (Olmsted Falls, Ohio)    27-0
21    (21)    Clear Creek (Houston, Tex.)    36-4
22    (22)    Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, Calif.)    19-5
23    (42)    Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)    20-7
24    (23)    Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.)    26-0
25    (38)    Lake Highlands (Dallas, Tex.)    36-3
26    (28)    Naperville Central (Naperville, Ill.)    32-5
27    (26)    Redlands East Valley (Redlands, Calif.)    29-1
28    (31)    Grand Island (Grand Island, Neb.)    29-1
29    (36)    St. Charles East (St. Charles. Ill.)    33-4
30    (43)    Elkhart Memorial (Elkhart, Ind.)    36-1
31    (27)    Notre Dame (Covington, Ky.)    29-5
32    (29)    Assumption (Louisville, Ky.)    30-7
33    (37)    Mount Notre Dame Academy  (Cincinnati, Ohio)    23-4
34    (33)    Marian (Omaha, Neb.)    31-6
35    (35)    Lee's Summit West (Lee's Summit, Mo.)    34-1
36    (44)    Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)    26-4
37    (32)    Timber Creek (Orlando, Fla.)    27-2
38    (NR)    Washburn Rural (Topeka, Kan.)    39-4
39    (30)    Avon (Avon, Ind.)    36-2
40    (34)    Berkley Prep (Tampa, Fla.)    24-2
41    (41)    Shakopee (Minn.)    28-2
42    (NR)    Thousand Oaks (Thousand Oaks)    19-3
43    (40)    Plant (Tampa, Fla.)    24-3
44    (46)    St Michael-Albertville (Albertville, Minn.)      28-2
45    (NR)    West Henderson (Hendersonville, N.C.)    26-0
46    (NR)    Eastview (Apple Valley, Minn.)    26-4
47    (39)    Delta (Muncie, Ind.)    31-6
48    (24)    Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, N.C.)    29-1
49    (49)    Blue Springs (Blue Springs, Mo.)    33-3
50    (50)    Muncie Burris (Muncie, Ind.)    34-4