Continuing to dominate its opposition, Mercy (Louisville, Ky.) remained unbeaten and remained atop the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Volleyball Rankings for the fourth straight week.
Mercy, which has lost just two sets this season (one each in 2-1 wins over No. 12 Mother McAuley and No. 22 Assumption), has shut out its last 11 opponents while improving to 27-0.
The Jaguars' most recent victims were shutouts of 19-2 Mt. Notre Dame (Cincinnati) and 18-4 Dupont Manual (Louisville, Ky.). Mercy has won 70 of its last 72 matches.
St. Ursula Academy (Toledo, Ohio) held on to the No. 2 spot with a trio of wins to improve to 21-0. The Arrows have won 56 sets, while losing three. After the top two spots, however, the Top 10 saw four teams lose at least once (two lost twice or more) and the Top 25 saw seven teams drop matches.
With Nos. 3, 4 and 5 losing, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) moved to No. 3 and unbeatens Jupiter (Fla.) and Lewis-Palmer (Monument, Colo.) rounded out the first five. Brentwood (Tenn.) won its 51st-straight match to improve to 51-1 and jump from No. 10 to No. 6.
Rounding out this week's Top 10 are unbeatens El Camino (Sacramento, Calif.), Benet (Lisle, Ill.), Jesuit (Portland, Ore.) and Bettendorf (Iowa).
Mother McAuley (Chicago) returned to the Top 25 at No. 12 by winning the Asics Volleyball Challenge it hosted last weekend. Also new to the Top 25 this week are Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco), and MaxPreps 2013 mythical national champion The Woodlands (Texas), which has 21 matches in a row.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Volleyball Rankings
Rachel Reed and The Woodlands, last year's mythical national champs, are back in the Xcellent 25.
File photo by Neil Fonville
2. (2) - St. Ursula Academy (Toledo, Ohio), 21-0
3. (6) - Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 16-1
4. (8) - Jupiter (Fla.), 14-0
5. (9) - Lewis-Palmer (Monument, Colo.), 14-0
6. (10) - Brentwood (Tenn.), 51-1
7. (11) - El Camino (Sacramento, Calif.), 24-0
8. (14) - Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.), 22-0
9. (12) - Jesuit (Portland, Ore.), 17-0
10. (13) - Bettendorf (Iowa), 26-0
11. (7) - St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.), 27-2
12. (NR) - Mother McAuley (Chicago), 22-3
13. (4) - Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 34-2-1
Madison Murtagh, Sacred Heart Cathedral
File photo by Jerry Sigua
14. (15) - Charlotte Country Day (N.C.), 37-1
15. (16) - Parkland (Allentown, Pa.), 25-0-1
16. (17) - Eden Prairie (Minn.), 18-0
17. (20) - Pitman (Turlock, Calif.), 25-0
18. (22) - Winter Springs (Fla.), 16-1
19. (23) - Kamehameha (Honolulu), 23-1
20. (24) - Papillion-LaVista (Papillion, Neb.), 23-0
21. (21) - Siegel (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 42-2
22. (5) - Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), 28-4
23. (NR) - Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco), 19-1
24. (NR) - The Woodlands (Texas), 28-2
25 (18) - Torrey Pines (San Diego), 12-2
Dropped Out - St. Francis (Ill.), Desert Vista (Ariz.) and Mercy (Mich.).
