Bay Area News Group girls volleyball Top 15
(Mercury News & East Bay Times)
No. 1 ARCHBISHOP MITTY
Previous ranking: 2
The time has come for the Monarchs to ascend to the top spot. After losing its first matchup against St. Francis, Mitty has won two in a row against the Lancers, most recently a 3-1 victory last Thursday. Mitty has actually played (and beaten) St. Francis in its last two competitive matches overall, also topping the Lancers 2-1 in tournament play on Oct. 5. The Monarchs take on St. Ignatius on Tuesday and Presentation on Thursday.
No. 2 ST. FRANCIS
Previous ranking: 1
The Lancers aren’t far off the pace, but Mitty is the new team to beat in the West Catholic Athletic League and likely in the Central Coast Section. Still, St. Francis is tied for the WCAL lead thanks to its early-season win over the Monarchs. The Lancers have the opportunity to pick up two more WCAL wins this week against Presentation (Tuesday) and St. Ignatius (Thursday).
No. 3 JAMES LOGAN
Previous ranking: 3
It was another breezy week for the Colts in Mission Valley Athletic League play. James Logan swept Irvington and Mission San Jose and is now 10-0 in MVAL action. Logan takes on Kennedy and American this week.
No. 4 SAN RAMON VALLEY
Previous ranking: 5
SRV moves up to No. 4 after Carondelet was swept by Amador Valley in East Bay Athletic League play last Tuesday. The Wolves swept Granada and Dougherty Valley in league action last week and have won three matches in a row, including a tournament victory over St. Ignatius.
No. 5 CARONDELET
Previous ranking: 4
Carondelet endured a surprising sweep at Amador Valley but rebounded to take down Monte Vista 3-1. The Cougars get another crack at SRV on Tuesday and face Dougherty Valley on Thursday.
No. 6 ST. IGNATIUS
Previous ranking: 6
The Wildcats faced Valley Christian and Presentation last week, taking down VC 3-1 and Presentation 3-0 in WCAL play. Up next is a big showdown with Mitty on Tuesday and a date with St. Francis on Thursday.
No. 7 FOOTHILL
Previous ranking: 7
The Falcons remain one of the best teams in the EBAL, sitting in third place at 8-2 in league play after sweeping Monte Vista and California last week. Foothill takes on Dublin and Livermore in EBAL action this week.
No. 8 LOS GATOS
Previous ranking: 8
The Cats have won six matches in a row. Their latest exploits include a big 3-2 nonleague win over Sacred Heart Prep and a league sweep of Los Altos. Los Gatos faces Mountain View and Homestead in league action this week.
No. 9 PALO ALTO
Previous ranking: 9
Palo Alto had another productive week on the court, beating Mountain View (3-0) and Homestead (3-2) in league play. The Vikings also took part in a tournament, sweeping Leigh, Milpitas and Sacred Heart Cathedral in best-of-three matches and losing in a sweep to Lincoln-San Francisco. Paly faces Gunn in league play this week.
No. 10 BURLINGAME
Previous ranking: 13
Burlingame is rolling in both league and nonleague play at the moment. The Panthers took down Hillsdale (3-1) and Carlmont (3-0) in league play, then swept Gilroy, Gunn, Lowell and Sacred Heart Cathedral in tournament play. Their lone blemish was a 2-0 sweep at the hands of an excellent Lincoln-San Francisco team.
No. 11 SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL
Previous ranking: 10
The Irish picked up league wins over Presentation (3-0) and Valley Christian (3-1). They also took part in a tournament, sweeping Live Oak, University Prep Academy-San Jose and Branham in shortened matches. SHC closed out the weekend getting swept by Burlingame and Palo Alto in tournament play.
No. 12 SACRED HEART PREP
Previous ranking: 12
SHP lost narrowly to Los Gatos (3-2) and picked up a league win over Notre Dame (3-1). The Gators face Notre Dame-Belmont and Menlo School in league play this week.
No. 13 VALLEY CHRISTIAN
Previous ranking: 11
Valley Christian had an up-and-down week, losing 3-1 to both St. Ignatius and Sacred Heart Cathedral in WCAL play. The Warriors then embarked upon a weekend tournament, going 2-1 with wins over Sequoia (2-1) and Carlmont (2-1) and a loss to Aragon (2-1). VC takes on Archbishop Riordan in league play this week.
No. 14 AMADOR VALLEY
Previous ranking: Not ranked
Amador enters the rankings after an impressive sweep of Carondelet at home. The Dons have won eight matches in a row, also swept Granada last week in league play and have slotted into fourth place in the EBAL standings. A big week of league action beckons with home matchups against Livermore and San Ramon Valley.
No. 15 MENLO-ATHERTON
Previous ranking: 15
M-A picked up sweeps of Sequoia and Woodside in PAL Bay Division play, then went 3-1 in tournament play with three sweeps. The Bears take on San Mateo and Burlingame in league play this week.
Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
Teams, please update MaxPreps with results each week.