VSN / GeauxPreps Volleyball Power 25 Poll – After Week 3
by: VSN Staff // GeauxPreps.com Partner
Following a week off for many teams across the state due to Hurricane Francine, the VSN/GeauxPreps Volleyball Power 25 Poll is back and it was St. Thomas More receiving all 13 first-place votes to remain the top ranked team in the statewide poll that combines all five divisions.
Riding a seven-game win streak Mt. Carmel jumps one spot into the No.2 ranking followed by 11-0 Slidell who vaults two positions and is now ranked No.3.
Dominican and Country Day round out the Top 5.
1. STM (7-0, 3-0 since week 1)…Received all 13 first-place votes…Beat No.15 LCA 3-1 and had 3-0 wins vs No.18 CHNI and Southside
Coach’s Comments: “We showed some awesome range on defense and continue to gel and improve as a team. Looking forward to some big games this week that will test us and help us to improve.” Jes Burke
2. Mt. Carmel (14-2 overall, 10-1 in LA, 7-0 since Week 1)… Riding a 7-game winning streak after a 10-day layoff. State’s toughest schedule continued with six of the seven wins coming vs Power 25s…beat No.8 Vandebilt 3-0 then won 3-2 vs No.16 Hahnville…5-0 at Catholic Cup with 2-0 wins vs No.4 Hannan, No.12 EDW, and No.17 SSA and had 2-1 wins vs No.13 TC, and PJP II (8-5)
Coach’s Comments: “We had a great week of playing some tough teams after 10 days of not playing and I’m proud of how we came out and handled the pressure. This upcoming week is going to be just as tough, if not tougher. We are excited for the challenges and the opportunities to grow as a team.” Taylor Ricaud
3. Slidell (11-0, 2-0 since Week 1)… Up two spots this week after a pair of 3-0 wins since last poll vs Mandeville and Walker
Coach’s Comments: “We are excited about the 11-0 start. Especially considering We have had a number of nagging injuries Throughout the beginning of the season 5 of the 10 people that get significant playing time have been hurt at some point. We have managed to stay focused and pull out some solid wins. I think we have a long way to go and need to have a vision for the long term while trying to stay as focused as possible in the short term. If we can narrow our focus even more to play with a desire to make every play on every point instead of just being satisfied with the win then I feel like we will have a great shot to be one of the top teams in the end. We need a no plays off mentality.” Danny Tullis
4. Dominican(10-1, 8-1 since Week 1) Lost 3-0 to No.11 Haynes then beat No.21 Northshore 3-0, then had 3-1 wins vs No.20 Dutchtown and No.17 SSA…Went 5-0 at Catholic League Tournament with three Power 25 wins vs No.12 EDW, No.13 TC, and No.17 SSA (2-1) then a pair of 2-0 wins vs Cabrini and PJP II
5. Country Day(8-4, 4-1 in LA, 7-3 since week 1) Impressive start to the season continued by finishing 2nd out 32 teams at the Boarder Battle in Franklin, TN…beat the Willow School 3-0 and No.12 EDW 3-1.
Coach’s Comments: “I am pleased with our energy, effort and competitiveness during the first few weeks of the season. We have some things to improve upon but we are playing with a lot of heart and I am looking forward to continued improvement throughout the season.” Julie Ibieta
6. Parkview Baptist(8-1, 6-1 after Week 1) Quickly taking on the nickname “Cardiac Kids” after their second amazing comeback when they rallied back from an 0-2 deficit to beat No.4 Hannan…Beat Episcopal 3-0 just before the storm…went 3-1 at Dutchtown Tournament losing to No.24 SJA and beating St. Martinville, Crescent City, and Ponchatoula…then beat U-High 3-1
Coach’s Comments: “This team is just different than most in many ways, and I’m so proud of their mental toughness. Win or lose, they never stop fighting regardless of how many points or sets we are down, and you will rarely see, if at all, them showing any frustration with themselves or their teammates. They truly love and support each other every point. It’s a powerful identity to have as a team as we continue to grow our skills, team trust and confidence.” Allison Didier Leake
7. Hannan(9-4 overall, 5-3 in LA, 3-2 since Week 1)…Beat No.25 Chapelle 3-0 then lost to No.7 Parkview Baptist 3-2 after winning 1st two sets 25-14, 25-13…At Catholic League Tourney went 2-1, losing 2-0 to No.3 MCA and winning 2-0 vs No.13 Teurlings Catholic and No.17 SSA
Coach’s Comments: “Hannan is still working on staying consistent. Our schedule will continue to challenge us and prepare us for what’s to come. The matches at the Catholic League this weekend taught us a lot about ourselves.”
8. Haynes (5-0, 3-0 since week 1) Up three spots since last poll after a pair of very impressive wins including 3-0 vs No.2 Dominican and 3-1 vs No.9 John Curtis…Also beat South Lafourche 3-0
Coach’s Comments: “It’s still early in the season, but the girls are all accepting and playing their role well so far. They’ve done a good job of taking things one game at a time and staying focused on the game at hand. I think we’ve kept a balance of working hard and having fun too, which I think is important. We are playing well right now, but like I said it is still super early, and we have plenty of room for improvement.” Ashley Lala Miller
9. Vandebilt (12-2, 6-1 since week 1) Beat Terrebonne and Thibodaux 3-0, lost 3-0 to No.3 MCA…Went 4-0 at Brusly Tournament
Coach’s Comments: “I’m just excited about volleyball overall in the state of Louisiana. Each division is thriving and it’s exciting!! As far as the Lady Terriers, we have to just keep working and getting better!! Good things will happen. Neal Grace Berry hit the 1,000 career kill mark last week against Terrebonne and Shay Sanders now has 600 kills, very exciting!!” Latashia Wise-Jackson
10. John Curtis(12-2, 8-1 since week 1) Beat Riverdale 3-0 just before the storm, then went 4-0 at H.L. Bourgeois Tournament …since then went 3-0 vs Non-Power 25s and lost (3-1) to No.11 Haynes
Coach’s Comments: “It is always satisfying as a coach to see efforts put forth at practice translate to a match. I would like to see my team continue to make improvements each time we step on the floor.” Alyx Carter
11. Ben Franklin(7-2, 2-0 since week 1) Had 3-0 wins vs Cabrini and Madison Prep
12. Hahnville(11-2, 5-1 since week 1)…Went 4-0 at Dutchtown Tournament beating No.20 Dutchtown, Mandeville, St. Amant, and Madison Prep…then had an impressive 3-0 win vs No.14 Newman, then took No.3 Mt. Carmel to five sets losing 3-2.
Coach’s Comments: “We feel good about the first three weeks of the season as we have been competitive in all matches played. We are focused on continuing to grow and look forward to continuing to play challenging opponents!” Mendi LeBoeuf
13. E.D. White(5-5, 2-3 since week 1) Beat Assumption 3-1 then lost to No.6 Country Day 3-1….Played one day at Catholic League Tournament and went 1-2 losing 2-0 to No.3 MCA and No.2 Dominican and beating No.13 TC 2-0
14. Teurlings Catholic(5-5, 2-4 since week 1) Beat Rayne 3-0, then went 1-4 at Catholic League Tournament beating No.17 SSA 2-1, then losing to No.2 Dominican (2-1), No.3 Mt. Carmel (2-1), No.4 Hannan (2-0), and No.12 EDW (2-0)
15. Catholic High N.I. (11-2, 5-2 since week 1)…Beat No.15 LCA 3-0 then lost to No.1 STM 3-0…4-1 at Catholic League Tournament beating No.17 SSA (2-1) and No.25 Chapelle (2-0) and 2-0 wins over Ursuline and St Louis while losing to No.2 Dominican (2-0)
16. Westminster (Opelousas) (10-3, 7-0 since week 1) Went 4-0 at Barbe Tournament with wins over No.15 LCA (2-1) as well as Rayne, U-High, and Iowa…went 3-0 Week 3 with 3-0 wins over Berwick, Iota, and Beau Chene
Coach’s Comments: “We had a few injuries after the STM game, but now we are healthy and playing really good. Hopefully we can staying healthy. Our team is really senior led right now and as coaches it’s nice.” Keith Leon
17. LCA (15-3, 10-3 since week 1)…Beat ASH GC 3-0, then lost to No.1 STM 3-1….went 3-1 at Barbe Tournament losing to No.19 WCA (2-1) and beating three Non-Power 25s…Lost 3-1 to No.18 CHNI, then beat Notre Dame (3-2) and Highland Baptist…went 4-0 at Central Catholic Tournament beating Assumption, Lutcher, Morgan City, and Central Lafourche.
Coach’s Comments: “Players I’d like to mention include would be Sydney Williams (setter), Grace Alexander (6-rotation outside) and Arriyona Ettiene (MB). We are old this year and handle pressure better than previous years. We have been in numerous situations that call for extra games and we have been handling well for the most part. We also have played in a couple games missing a couple key starters so we are still trying to find that consistency that great teams have.
“Quote for us this season would have to be find a way to win. Through injuries and moving personnel to cover gaps in the lineup we have found a way to win lately.” Bryan Barrett
18. Dutchtown(5-1) Beat St. Michael 3-0 then went 3-1 at Dutchtown Tournament beating Mandeville, Madison Prep, and Calvary Baptist while losing to No.16 Hahnville 2-1…Lost to No.2 Dominican 3-1 and beat Prairieville 3-0
Coach’s Comments: “We’ve had a nice start to the season. Our two senior outside hitters Cadie Kusy and Ania Anderson have led the way offensively. Junior middle hitter Hayden Herring has been a nice compliment to the two of them. And we’ve had solid defensive play from our sophomore libero, Caroline Johnson.” Patrick Ricks
19. Newman(7-4, 3-3 since week 1)…lost to No.16 Hahnville 3-0 then went 3-2 at Ruston Tournament beating Sam Houston (2-1) and 2-0 wins vs Airline and West Monroe and losing to Calvary Baptist (2-0) and Dunham (2-1)
20. St. Joseph’s(7-5, 5-1 since week 1)…Up four spots in this week’s poll after going 4-0 at Dutchtown Tourney w/signature win (2-1) vs No.7 Parkview Baptist. Also beat Crescent City, Ponchatoula, and Prairieville….Then during the week beat Prairieville 3-0, then lost 3-2 to St. Michael
21. Northshore (3-2)….Had 3-2 wins vs No.23 Fontainebleau and No.25 Chapelle…lost 3-0 to No.2 Dominican
Coach’s Comments: “I thought the team bounced back nicely last week against our rival Fontainebleau on Tuesday and a solid Chapelle team on Thursday after a tough loss to Dominican to start off the week. Our floor defense stepped up with four players registering 20+ digs in each win, our two middles did a phenomenal job of patrolling the net tallying 18 blocks in the two wins, with the following individuals leading in their respective category: Laynie Guilbeau getting 33 kills (total) and Emily Martin dishing out 93 assists (total) in the two wins over Fontainebleau and Chapelle.” Danny Davis
22. St. Michael (11-2) Entering the poll for the first time this season afterwinning 11 straight since starting the season with losses to No.4 Hannan and No.20 Dutchtown…wins have included vs No.24 St Joe’s (3-2), EA, Calvary Baptist, and Sam Houston twice
23. Northlake Christian (4-4, 2-0 since week 1) Had 3-1 wins vs No.23 Fontainebleau and Lakeshore
24. St. Scholastica (4-5, 2-5 since week 1)…Beat Central 3-2, then lost to No.2 Dominican 3-1…went 1-4 at Catholic League Tournament beating PJP II (2-0) then losing to No.3 MCA, No.4 Hannan, No.13 TC, and No.18 CHNI..
25. Dunham(10-3, 6-1 since week 1) Enters the poll for the first time this season. Lost to PJP 3-1 and beat Prairieville then went 5-0 at Ruston Tournament beating No.14 Newman and C.E. Byrd, Notre Dame, Ruston and Parkway
Other Top Vote getters
26. Fontainebleau (7-7, 4-3 since week 1) Lost to No.21 Northshore 3-2 and No.22 NLC 3-1…Went 4-1 at Ruston Tournament beating Sulphur, Notre Dame, Airline, and Northwood Shreve…lost to Westlake 2-0…
27. Sam Houston (14-3, 7-3 since week 1)…went 7-3…Lost to only Power 25 2-1 to No.14 Newman, also lost twice to St Michael…wins included Calvary Baptist and EA
28. Calvary Baptist (13-5, 10-4 since week 1) beat No.14 Newman, lost to Mandeville, Sam Houston, St Michael, and No.20 Dutchtown
29. Pope John Paul II (8-5, 3-2 since week 1) Beat Dunham Lost to No.3 MCA and No.17 SSA
30. Chapelle(8-4, 3-3 since week 1) Lost to No.4 Hannan and No.21 Northshore, beat Ursuline…2-1 at Catholic League Tournament beating ASH and St Charles, losing to No.18 CHNI….
31. AOL (12-3, 7-2 since week 1) 5wins vs teams with a combined 12-30 record (Livingston College, Warren Easton, East Jeff, South Terrebonne, and Riverdale)… 2-2 at Central Catholic Tourney beating Lutcher and Patterson and losing to Central Catholic and Ascension Catholic
32. East Ascension (7-6, 4-3 wince week 1) Played no Power 25s went 4-3 lost to Sam Houston and St Michael
33. C.E. Byrd (11-2, 5-2 since week 1)… wins included Westlake and Ruston, losses to Dunham and Covington
Breakdown by Divisions
Division I
1. Mt Carmel
2. Slidell
3. Dominican
4. Hahnville
5. Dutchtown
6. SJA
7. Northshore
8. Fontainebleau
9. Sam Houston
10. Chapelle
11. EA
12. C.E. Byrd
Division II
1. STM
2. Ben Franklin
3. Teurlings Catholic
4. SSA
5. Sam Houston
6. AOL
Division III
1. Parkview Baptist
2. Hannan
3. Haynes
4. Vandebilt
5. EDW
6. St. Michael
Division IV
1. John Curtis
2. CHNI
3. LCA
4. Newman
5. NLC
6. Calvary Baptist
7. PJP II
Division V
1. Country Day
2. WCA-Opelousas
VSN Broadcast Live Streaming Schedule
Monday 9/23
No.3 Slidell @ No.2 MCA
Tuesday 9/24
No.7 Hannan @ No.4 Dominican
Chalmette @ No.19 Newman
Central Lafourche @ AOL (12-3)
Wednesday 9/25
St. Martinville @ Cecila (7-1)
Thursday 9/26
No.1 STM @ No.6 Parkview Baptist
Westminster Lafayette @ No.16 Westminster Opelousas
No.2 MCA @ Mandeville
Acadiana @ Cecilia