Which teams should you keep an eye on this fall? Each Wednesday, the ESPN FAB 50 Volleyball rankings will be released, tracking the top teams in the country.
The ESPN RISE FAB 50's No. 1 team Lakewood will face No. 27 Los Alamitos in the Gahr Tournament (Cerritos, Calif.) final.
Rankings: Preseason | Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15
ESPN RISE.com FAB 50 Volleyball
| Rk. | School (City, State) | Record | Prv. | Notes |
| 1 | Lakewood (Lakewood, Calif.) | 4-0-0 | 1 | After warming up in a scrimmage versus Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif., the Knights went 4-0 at the Gahr Invitational. Coach Mike Wadley's squad will face off against No. 32 Los Alamitos Wednesday in the final. |
| 2 | Plant (Tampa, Fla.) | 2-0-0 | 2 | The Panthers are undefeated after two matches with a win last week over Leto (Tampa). Junior outside hitter Maddie Martin (Penn State) is sidelined with an ankle injury yet the Panthers continue to impress with their underclassmen. Martin should return next week, however the squad will remain short-handed this week against Middleton, (Tampa) and Armwood (Seffner). |
| 3 | Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) | 8-0-0 | 3 | The Monarchs opened their season at the Milpitas Spikefest and ran the table with a 6-0 start. Coach Almazan-Cezar's squad downed Woodside (Calif.) in three straight, but needed all five to get by Menlo (Atherton, Calif.), (25-11, 23-25, 25-18, 22-25, 15-10). The Monarchs will travel to the Durango Classic which features twelve schools ranked in the FAB 50. |
| 4 | Churchill (San Antonio, Texas) | 26-3-0 | 4 | Churchill tops the 5A District 26 with a 5-0 record even though Reagan has a better overall record because Churchill downed the Rattlers in District play. After New Braunfels gave the Chargers a jolt with a five-gamer, they went on and downed SA Johnson, SA MacArthur, and SA Madison in three. A rematch with Reagan will come on October 3. |
| 5 | Benet (Lisle, Ill.) | 9-0-0 | 5 | The Redwings continued their domination in the state of Illinois, as they improved their record to 9-0. After going 5-0 in the Willowbrook Tournament, they will face Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.) and more competition at the Wheaton Classic Tournament this weekend. |
| 6 | Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) | 10-0-0 | 7 | The Mustangs downed Marymount (Los Angeles), but not before the Sailors stole a game away with gutsy defensive play. Costa also made quick work of Bishop Montgomery (Torrance). Coach Lisa Zimmerman's squad will travel to the acclaimed Durango Invitational before they open league play on October 7. |
| 7 | Reagan (San Antonio, Texas) | 28-2-0 | 6 | Reagan continued to roll as it defeated Lee, Roosevelt and Wimberley in straight sets. The Rattlers play New Braunfels Wednesday, the team that gave Churchill a run for its money. |
| 8 | La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.) | 2-0-0 | 8 | The Mavericks bested a pair of San Diego Section perennials in Cathedral (San Diego) and Poway. Now, coach Pat McDougal's squad will travel to Vegas to test their skills amongst the best in the nation. |
| 9 | Mercy (Louisville, Ky.) | 14-1-0 | 9 | After a hard fought loss at rival Assumption last week, the Jags rallied and dominated at the Louisville Invitational. The Jags took down Notre Dame (Covington, Kent.), Assumption, and Sacred Heart (Louisville, Kent.) to win the tournament. The Jags will travel to St. Louis, Mo. this weekend for the St. Joseph Academy Invitational. |
| 10 | O'Connor (San Antonio, Texas) | 23-3-0 | 12 | The Panthers defeated SA Seguin, SA Warren, and SA Clark in straight sets. Coach Yamilet Garcia's squad sits atop the 5A District 28 with a 4-0 record. O'Connor will face Taft and Holmes in District play next. |
| 11 | Muncie Central (Muncie, Ind.) | 10-0-0 | 13 | The Bearcats continued their streak with wins over Bellmont (Decatur, Ind.) and Penn (Mishawaka, Ind.) at the New Castle Invitational. Central sits as the top cat in Indiana with their undefeated record. Their next victims include Logansport (Ind.) and Marion (Ind.). |
| 12 | Downers Grove South (Downers Grove, Ill.) | 4-0-0 | 19 | The Mustangs improved their record last week with a win over Downers Grove North. This week they will face Neuqua Valley (Naperville, Ill.) and Willowbrook (Villa Park, Ill.). |
| 13 | Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) | 11-2-0 | 14 | The Rockets proved that inexperience is not indicative of a lack of confidence, as they ousted Louisville rival Mercy (25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 25-22). But Mercy evened the score 1-1 at the Louisville Invitational (26-28, 25-18, 25-22). The Rockets will face Seneca this week before their big test against national powerhouses at the Durango Classic in Las Vegas. |
| 14 | Papillion La Vista (Papillion, Neb.) | 6-0-0 | 15 | The Monarchs had a win last week over Milliard West (Omaha, Neb.). They plan to continue their domination at the Lincoln Public Schools Tournament this weekend. |
| 15 | Ursuline (Cincinnati, Ohio) | 9-0-0 | 11 | The Lions continued their streak in Ohio with wins over St. Ursula Academy (Toledo) and Butler (Vandalia) and they currently occupy the No. 2 spot in the OHSCVA poll. This week they will play McAuley (Cincinnati, Ohio) and heralded OHSCVA No. 1 Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati, Ohio). |
| 16 | Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, N.C.) | 14-0-0 | 16 | The Crusaders continued their winning ways while staying perfect with wins over Graham, Cummings (Burlington) and Broughton (Raleigh). Coach Jim Freeman's squad will face the Durham School of the Arts and Raleigh Charter next. |
| 17 | Clear Creek (Houston, Texas) | 25-6-0 | 14 | The Wildcats bounced back after their losses to Reagan and Churchill, as they prevailed over Deer Park, Cy-Fair (Cypress), and Clear Brook (Friendswood). The Wildcats are just beginning district play and will face Ball (Galveston) and Dickinson next. |
| 18 | Long Beach Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.) | 8-2-0 | 18 | The Bruins laid low last week as they only participated in scrimmages. Coach Susan Pescar's squad heads to the battle in the desert at the Durango Classic. |
| 19 | Mount Notre Dame Academy (Cincinnati, Ohio) | 12-0-0 | 34 | The Cougars are on a winning streak right now with two wins this past week over Magnificat and Walsh Jesuit. This week will test their OHSVBCA No. 1 ranking when they face Cincinnati No. 4 Mother of Mercy and No. 2 Ursuline. |
| 20 | Naperville Central (Naperville, Ill.) | 8-0-0 | 10 | The Redhawks had a busy week as they won six matches, including the Prairie Ridge Invitational where they ousted St. Charles East 25-22, 28-26. This week they will face Wheaton North and Naperville North. |
| 21 | Eagle (Idaho) | 5-0-0 | 20 | The Mustangs defeated Vallivue and Boise. Borah and Caldwell are next. |
| 22 | Mead (Spokane, Wash.) | 1-0-0 | 22 | The Panthers open their season with a rematch of last year's state championship versus Lewis and Clark (Spokane, Wash.) this Thursday in a non-league match. Coach Judy Kight's squad will utilize its ball control along with recent USC commit Alexis Olgard, who stands 6-foot-5, at the net to knock out opponents. Mead enters the 2008 season ranked first in Washington by the Everett Herald. |
| 23 | Amarillo (Amarillo, Texas) | 34-4-0 | 21 | The Sandies continued to work it out as they went 6-0 in District play. |
| 24 | Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.) | 4-4-0 | 24 | The Sailors took stock at the Ann Kang as they finished third behind Wilson and Mira Costa. The squad now prepares for the league season that begins mid-September. |
| 25 | Grandview (Aurora, Colo.) | 6-0-0 | 25 | Two of the toughest high school volleyball tournaments in Denver took place last Saturday and the Eaglecrest High School tournament was won by Grandview, which was led by tournament MVP Erica Denney and All-Tournament selection McCall Paynter. |
| Rk. | School (City, State) | Record | Prv. | |
| 26 | Corona del Marl (Newport Beach, Calif.) | 6-3-0 | 30 | |
| 27 | Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, Calif.) | 9-2-0 | 31 | |
| 28 | Lee's Summit West (Lee's Summit, Mo.) | 8-1-0 | 28 | |
| 29 | Chaska (Chaska, Minn.) | 8-0-0 | 29 | |
| 30 | Washburn Rural (Topeka, Kan.) | 5-1-0 | 26 | |
| 31 | Northview (John's Creek, Ga.) | 7-1-0 | 33 | |
| 32 | Lake Highlands (Dallas, Texas) | 27-3-0 | 32 | |
| 33 | Kamehameha (Honolulu, Hawaii) | 5-0-0 | 42 | |
| 34 | Mother of Mercy (Cincinnati, Ohio.) | 7-1-0 | 35 | |
| 35 | Sacred Heart Academy (Louisville, Ky.) | 6-2-0 | 37 | |
| 36 | Menlo School (Atherton, Calif.) | 9-2-0 | NR | |
| 37 | Marian (Omaha, Neb.) | 7-1-0 | 44 | |
| 38 | Muncie Burris (Muncie, Ind.) | 11-2-0 | 27 | |
| 39 | Iolani (Honolulu, Hawaii) | 8-3-0 | 40 | |
| 40 | Elkhart Memorial (Elkhart, Ind.) | 6-1-0 | 47 | |
| 41 | Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy (La Canada Flintridge, Calif.) | 0-0-0 | NR | |
| 42 | Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (San Francisco, Calif.) | 3-0-0 | 38 | |
| 43 | Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) | 6-3-0 | 36 | |
| 44 | Marymount (Los Angeles, Calif.) | 1-1-0 | 49 | |
| 45 | Delta (Muncie, Ind.) | 12-4-0 | 39 | |
| 46 | St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.) | 8-2-0 | 46 | |
| 47 | Harvard Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) | 5-3-0 | 48 | |
| 48 | Westlake (Austin, Texas) | 26-5-0 | 50 | |
| 49 | St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park, Kan.) | 7-2-0 | 43 | |
| 50 | Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.) | 5-0-0 | NR | |
