After an eventful first week, St. Thomas More remains in the top spot, but 23 others showed movement in this week’s VSN Volleyball Power 25 poll led by Vandebilt Catholic who moved up five spots jumping to No.8 after winning the Assumption Mustang Classic and beating three Power 25 teams in the process.
“I’m extremely happy for the girls and couldn’t be more proud of them,” said Vandebilt head coach Latashia Wise-Jackson. “They have worked extremely hard since June in the weight room and I’m just happy that they can see some results!!!”
Following STM is Dominican up two spots at No.2.
Mt. Carmel after playing four defending state champions in five days remains No.3, with Hannan dropping two spots at No.4 and 9-0 Slidell rounding out the Top 5.
Country Day dropped one spot and is No.6, followed by Parkview Baptist, Vandebilt, John Curtis, and Ben Franklin who finished Runner-Up to the Terriers at the Mustang Classic.
1. STM (4-0) Opened with a 5-set win at Westminster (25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-12 ) We had some streaming issues of that match during the live broadcast but the on-demand version which is clean is now available at VSN. The Cougars then went 3-0 at the Southside Tournament against teams outside the Power 25 (Beau Chene, Sulphur, and Highland Baptist). Received 12 of the possible 13 first place votes.
2. Dominican (2-0) Opened with a 3-1 win over No.14 Ben Franklin (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 25-23) and a 3-0 win over No.13 Vandebilt Catholic (25-14, 25-23, 25-22) who went on to win the Assumption Tournament. Received the other first place vote moving up two spots this week.
Coach’s Comments: “We definitely started the season off against two very strong teams in Ben Franklin and Vandebilt Catholic. It was great to see our girls have to battle in every set we played last week. Playing against 3 top ranked hitters in Cori (Staes), Annika (Roberson), and Neal Grace (Berry), everyone had the chance to be in a pressure situation and that’s exactly what you want at this point in the season so we can learn and continue to get better each day.” Jessica Chatellier/Dominican Head Coach
3. Mt. Carmel (7-2) Opened with 3-0 wins over No.12 NLC (25-17, 25-11, 25-5) and No.19 Northshore (25-17, 25-13, 25-22) then lost to No.5 Country Day 3-0 (23-25, 22-25, 21-25 ) who stuffed MCA’s offense w/several big blocks. MCA finished 2nd at Catholic Cup in Mobile going 5-1 with notable wins vs No.2 Hannan (25-19, 26-24) and Blessed Trinity (GA) (23-25, 25-12, 19-17) losing their only match to defending 7A Alabama State Champs McGill-Toolen (22-25, 13-25)…McGill graduated 6 key players from that team, 5 of which are playing in college including middle Emma Moore who is currently starting at Auburn, but they are still loaded as earlier reports of their demise are greatly exaggerated! MCA played 4 defending state champs in 5 days.
Coach’s comments: “It was fun to watch and was good to see this early on what we need to focus on in practice. It added the fuel to the fire that we need to continue working hard. I’m so proud of my girls and how hard they played. Some of those games were mentally and physically exhausting and the girls played well together.” Taylor Ricaud/Mt. Carmel Head Coach
4. Hannan (6-2) Opened up the season with wins over EA 3-0 and St Michael 3-1 (25-22, 25-18, 18-25, 16-25 ) then went 4-2 at the Catholic Cup in Mobile, AL. They opened that tournament with a 2-0 loss to Mt Carmel (19-25, 24-26) and won their other two matches Friday…opened with a 2-1 loss to host school McGill-Toolen then went 2-0 the rest of the day including a big 2-0 win over Blessed Trinity (GA 5A State Semifinalist last year).
5. Slidell (9-0) Opened the season with three straight wins including a 3-1 win over No.25 Fontainebleau then went 6-0 winning the Woodlawn Tournament without losing a set…3 notable wins in the tournament vs Power 25 teams included No.18 Westminster, No. 20 Hahnville, and No.25 Fontainebleau…Senior OH Reagan Robinson was Tourney MVP and junior setter Ava Labat was All-Tournament
Coach’s Comments: “We are excited to start the season with 9 wins. We have played great in stretches so far this season. We need to gain a little more consistency especially after doing well in set one. We have played some great competition, so that makes me even more excited about the start. The Woodlawn tournament was a good win for us. We lost in the finals last season, so getting over the hump was a nice change. We have been battling a few nagging injuries, so escaping this first week with some big wins was great. We have some younger kids that have stepped up and have done some good things, and our core group is doing a great job keeping things stable. We look forward to the rest of the season, and we are excited to see if we can make a big push in the end.” Danny Tullis/Slidell Head Coach
6. Country Day (1-1) Opened with 3-2 loss to No.9 Parkview Baptist after winning the first two sets (25-17, 25-15, 20-25, 23-25, 14-16) then bounced back in impressive fashion sweeping No.3 Mt. Carmel 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-21) in a match that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate. In Set 3 the Cajuns led 24-11 before MCA scored 11 straight to make the score look more respectable than it really was.
7. Parkview Baptist (2-0)…Highly impressive season opening win vs then No.5 Country Day 3-2 after falling behind 0-2 and rallying back big time (17-25, 15-25, 25-20, 25-23, 16-14) then beat a much-improved from last season Dunham team 3-0 (25-14, 29-27, 25-22). Up two spots from last week.
8. Vandebilt (6-1)…Opened the season with 3-0 W vs Chapelle (25-17, 25-13, 25-22) then a 3-0 L to No.4 Dominican (14-25, 23-25, 22-25)…then went 5-0 and won the Assumption Tournament….those 5 W’s included 2-1 vs No.15 St Joe’s (17-25, 25-8, 15-5), 2-0 W’s vs Ascension Catholic and Assumption…2-1 W vs No.16 Newman in Semis (25-14, 20-25, 15-11) and 2-1 vs No.14 BF in Finals (19-25, 25-23, 15-12), Biggest jump up in the poll of any team moving up five spots.
9. John Curtis (4-1)…Started off the season with 3-1 win over McGehee (25-21, 22-25, 25-12, 25-21) then went 3-1 at Woodlawn Tournament beating Ascension Catholic 2-0, and No.23 Dutchtown 2-1 (25-19, 23-25, 15-10) on Friday then on Saturday beat Denham Springs 2-0 and lost 2-0 to No.25 Fontainebleau (20-25, 19-25)
Coach’s Comment: “Being ranked top 10 is an honor, but not one that is easily kept. We will need to continue to put in the hard work, and that is only half the battle. We have some challenging teams on our schedule in the coming future and I’m excited to see how we perform.” Alyx Carter/John Curtis Head Coach
10. Ben Franklin (5-2)…Opened the season with 3-1 loss to No.4 Dominican (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 25-23)…and a 3-1 win vs PJP (25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-15)…then went 4-1 to finish 2nd at the Assumption Tournament which included 2-0 W’s vs EA and Berwick and a 2-1 W vs No.7 EDW (20-25, 25-23, 15-10) and a 2-1 W vs No.11 TC (3-25, 25-16, 15-13) and a 2-1 L to No.13 Vandebilt in the Finals (25-19, 23-25, 12-15). Up four spots this week.
11. Haynes (2-0) Opened with 3-0 win vs Mandeville (25-17, 25-16, 25-15) then 3-0 win over Thomas Jefferson…Big test for this talented team comes over the next nine days when they play No.5 Country Day, No.4 Dominican, and No.3 Mt. Carmel
12. E.D. White (3-2) Opened the season with a 3-0 win vs Thibodaux…then 2-2 at Assumption Tournament…Beat Berwick 2-0, lost to No.14 Ben Franklin (25-20, 23-25, 10-15) on Thursday…beat Assumption, lost to No.16 Newman 2-1 (25-21, 22-25, 16-18) on Saturday. Both losses came after winning the first set.
13. Teurlings Catholic (3-1) Opened the season at the Assumption Mustang Classic and beat Assumption 2-1 (18-25, 26-24,15-12) and Lutcher 2-0 in pool play Thursday…beat No.15 SJA 2-0 in Quarters then lost to No.14 Ben Franklin 2-1 (5-13, 16-25, 13-15) in Semis
14. Newman (4-1) Beat Central Lafourche to start the season then went 3-1 at Assumption Tournament beating Central Catholic and EA on Thursday…then beat No.7 EDW 2-1 (21-25, 25-22, 18-16) and lost to No.13 Vandebilt 2-1 (14-25, 25-20, 11-15) on Saturday. Up two spots from last week.
15. LCA (5-0) Opened the season with 3-0 win vs Iowa, then went 4-0 not losing a set in the Ascension Episcopal Tournament against four non-Power 25s. Up two spots from last week.
16. Hahnville (6-1)…Opened with a 3-1 W vs No.12 NLC (21-25, 25-22, 25-10, 25-23), then went 5-1 in Woodlawn Tournament which included a 2-1 W vs No.12 NLC (25-18, 26-28, 15-10) and 2-0 Ws vs Baton Rouge, Episcopal of Acadiana, Covington, and PJP, and a 2-0 L to No.6 Slidell (19-25, 23-25).
Coach’s Comments: “We are excited about a solid start to the season and looking forward to continuing to grow.” Mendi LeBoeuf/Hahnville Head Coach
17. St. Scholastica (2-0) A pair of 3-0 wins to open the season vs Covington and Cabrini. Up four spots from last week.
Coach’s Comments: “The first week of the season is always an exciting one. There can be a lot of nerves floating around. I was happy that the girls were able to put together all the things we have been working on in practice and get the 3-0 wins in both of our games. It was great to see our team win by committee in both games. We are looking forward to our upcoming schedule where we will really be able to put our skills to test with Chapelle this Tuesday and Slidell on Thursday.” Lisa Cardinale/SSA Head Coach
18. Catholic High N.I. (6-0) Opened with 3-0 wins vs ASH GC and ESA…then went 4-0 at Ascension Episcopal Tournament with 2-0 Ws vs West Ouachita , Acadiana, Ruston, and Rayne. Up four spots from last week.
19. Westminster (Opelousas) (3-3) Opened with a 3-0 win vs Southside then a hard-fought 5-set loss to No.1 STM (19-25, 25-20, 25-23, 17-25, 12-15). That match whcih had technical issues live, is now available on demand. Then the Crusaders went 2-2 at the Woodlawn Tourney with 2-0 W’s vs Scotlandville and White Castle and 2-0 Ls to AOL (17-25, 21-25) and to Slidell (17-25, 21-25).
20. Dutchtown (5-1) Opened with 3-0 win vs Assumption and unlike the last two seasons, held on to a 3-2 win vs No.15 St. Joseph’s after winning the first two sets (25-22, 25-22, 21-25, 24-26, 15-12) …Went 3-1 at the Woodlawn Tourney which included 2-0 Ws vs Ascension Christian, Destrehan, and No.25 Fontainebleau (26-24, 27-25) and a 2-1 L to No.8 John Curtis (19-25, 25-23, 10-15). Up three spots from last week.
21. Northshore (1-1)…Opened with a 3-0 loss to No.3 MCA (17-25, 13-25, 22-25) then beat Pearl River 3-0…No.2 Hannan and No.4 Dominican next up on the schedule this week.
22. Northlake Christian (2-4) Injuries to a pair of starters (OH and Setter) just prior to the season…Last season started 17-0, this season lost first four…3-0 loss to No.3 MCA (17-25, 11-25, 5-25) then lost 3-1 to No.20 Hahnville (25-21, 22-25, 10-25, 23-25)…at Woodlawn Tournament opened with 2-1 L to No.20 Hahnville (18-25, 28-26, 10-15) and 2-1 L to Chapelle (25-10, 19-25, 15-17) on Friday, then 2 W’s on Saturday vs Baton Rouge (2-0) and Episcopal of Acadiana 2-1 (25-16, 25-27, 15-4)
23. Fontainebleau (3-4) Opened with 3-2 loss to Lakeshore (25-19, 25-27, 28-30, 25-14, 5-15) and a 3-1 loss to No.6 Slidell (16-25, 25-22, 15-25, 21-25) then went 3-2 at the Woodlawn Tournament which included 2-0 Ws vs No.8 John Curtis, Denham Springs, and Destrehan…and 2-0 Ls to No.6 Slidell (20-25, 23-25) and No. 23 Dutchtown (24-26, 25-27). Up two spots this week.
24. St. Joseph’s (2-4)… Injuries again hitting SJA with 2 players out with concussion protocol… Opened with a 3-0 win vs St. Amant then for the third year in a row fell behind to Dutchtown 0-2 only to rally back and force a 5th set. Unlike the last two years, they couldn’t complete the comeback falling in 3-2 (22-25, 22-25, 25-21, 26-24, 12-15)…At the Assumption Tournament beat Ascension Catholic, lost in three sets to both EA and No.13 Vandebilt and lost 2-0 to No.11 Teurlings Catholic
25. Chapelle (5-1) Only new team this week to enter the poll for the first time this season. After losing the opener to No.13 Vandebilt 3-0 (17-25, 13-25, 22-25) the Chipmunks have won five straight including wins vs No.12 NLC (10-25, 25-19, 17-15) and 3-1 vs PJP (25-20, 25-14, 19-25, 25-18)
Coach’s Comments: “Excited to see what the future holds for us. we are now on the bus now let’s see where it brings us. We are humbled to crack the top 25.” Jodee Pulizzano/Chapelle Head Coach
Other Top Vote getters
26. AOL (5-1) Beat No.18 Westminster 2-0 (25-17, 25-21) Lost to No.6 Slidell 2-0 (17-25, 20-25)
27. East Ascension (3-3) with a Power 25 W vs No.15 SJA (25-23, 24-26, 16-14). Also 3 L’s to Power 25s including 2-1 to No.16 Newman (15-25, 25-21, 13-15)
28. Sam Houston (7-0)…Opened with 3-2 W vs St Louis (25-20, 24-26, 23-25, 17-25, 15-6) and 3-0 W vs Westlake…then went 5-0 playing in lower division at Assumption Tournament 2-0 wins vs Non-Power 25s Morgan City, Chalmette, South Lafourche, Prairieville, and St. Amant
29. Dunham (4-2) started the season off 1-1 with a 3-0 win vs Madison Prep and a 3-0 L to No.9 Parkview Baptist (14-25, 27-29, 22-25)…then 3-1 vs Non-Power 25s at Woodlawn Tournament losing to PJP
30. Pope John Paul II (3-3) 3-1 vs Non Power 25s, 0-2 vs Power 25s 3-1 to No.14 BF (22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-25) and 2-0 vs No.20 Hahnville (21-25, 14-25)
31. Assumption (1-4) beat Lutcher 3-0, lost to four Power 25s: No.23 Dutchtown 3-0 (24-26, 15-25, 13-2), No.11 Teurlings Catholic 2-1 (25-18, 24-26, 12-15), No.7 EDW 2-0 (12-25, 22-25) and No.13 Vandy 2-0 (19-25, 17-25)32.
32. C.E. Byrd (6-0) beat Natchitoches Central 3-1 (20-25, 25-13, 25-20, 27-25) in regular season and at Northwood Shreveport Falcon Invitational which they won
33. Calvary Baptist (3-1) Beat No.24 Notre Dame 2-0 (25-16, 25-23) and lost 2-0 to Southside (19-25, 18-25)
34. Mandeville (1-1) Lost to Haynes in 3 beat Walker in 4
35. Notre Dame(3-2) Opened with 3-0 Ws vs St. Edmund and St. Louis Catholic …then 1-2 at Southside Tournament with a 2-0 W vs Iowa and a 2-1 L to Southside (15-25, 25-13, 9-15) and a 2-0 L vs Calvary Baptist (16-25, 23-25)
Breakdown by Divisions
Division I
1. Dominican
2. Mt. Carmel
3. Slidell
4. Hahnville
5. Dutchtown
6. Northshore
7. Fontainebleau
8. St. Joe’s
9. Chapelle
10. East Ascension
11. Sam Houston
12. C.E. Byrd
Division II
1. STM
2. Ben Franklin
2. Teurlings Catholic
3. SSA
4. AOL
5. Assumption
Division III
1. Hannan
2. Parkview Baptist
3. Vandebilt
4. Haynes
5. EDW
Division IV
1. John Curtis
2. Newman
3. LCA
4. CHNI
5. NLC
6. Dunham
7. PJP II
8. Calvary Baptist
9. Notre Dame
Division V
1. Country Day
2. WCA (Opelousas)
VSN Volleyball Broadcast Live Streaming Schedule:
Tuesday September 10
5:45pm Fontainebleau @ Newman
6:00pm New Iberia at Cecilia
Wednesday September 11
5:30pm Kenner Discovery at Sacred Heart
5:30pm Mt. Carmel at AOL
Thursday September 12
5:30pm Mt. Carmel at Vandebilt
5:30pm Northshore at Dominican
5:45pm Newman at PJP II
6:00pm LCA at STM
Links to all volleyball broadcast live streams: https://www.varsitysportsnow.com/volleyball-games-1