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Midseason WVCA Girls Volleyball Coaches Poll

10/05/2020, 10:30am CDT
By WVCA

--From the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association--

New Groupings, Familiar Faces Highlight Inaugural Coaches Poll

NOTE: Due to the reduced schedule most of our statewide teams are playing in the Fall 2020 season, the WVCA will conduct fewer regular polls. A midseason poll will include matches played through Oct. 1, and a final season poll will include matches played through the regular season.

Division 1
The Greater Metro and Classic Eight conferences are no strangers to the WVCA Coaches Polls as of late, and early 2020 has proven no different. However, the rival suburban leagues will have to duke it out from a distance, as COVID regulations have obviously limited opportunities for head-to-head competition. Regardless, both conferences account for seven of the Top 10 spots in our Midseason Coaches Poll.

Top-ranked Germantown (11-0) is off to an undefeated start with big wins over No. 5 Brookfield Central and No. 9 Divine Savior Holy Angels, and the Warhawks will face No. 4 Hamilton for what could be the Greater Metro title bash early this week. Hamilton suffered its first season loss to DSHA Thursday but could certainly make things interesting with a big road win Tuesday. Brookfield Central dropped a pair of five-set-thrillers to Germantown and Hamilton in the span of a week, but with likely the most dominant attacker in the state, hangs on to the No. 5 spot in Division 1.

Classic Eight heavyweights Arrowhead and Oconomowoc, ranked No. 2 and No. 3 respectively, are on a collision course this week as well, with conference implications with a pair of showdowns Tuesday and Saturday. No. 7 Kettle Moraine was three points away from stealing the season opener from the Warhawks and will get a chance at revenge against Catholic Memorial Tuesday to remain in the league chase.

No. 6 Burlington has continued its Southern Lakes dominance with a 5-0 start to the season, and recent State Tournament regular River Falls (4-0) entered the midseason poll at No. 8. North Shore Conference frontrunner Hartford (10-2) claimed the No. 10 spot, edging Division 1 Honorable Mentions Wisconsin Lutheran, Fox Valley Lutheran, Waterford, Menomonee Falls, and Sauk Prairie.

Division 2
Catholic Memorial’s lone loss of the season came at Arrowhead, splitting the season series in a brutal Classic Eight Conference slate and handing Catholic Memorial the top billing in Division 2. The Crusaders (9-1) have already scrapped out two wins over Oconomowoc, and their Tuesday matchup at Kettle Moraine has major league implications for both squads. Meanwhile, another set of Crusaders about 70 miles west are putting together quite an impressive resume themselves. No. 2 Edgewood (5-0) has all the pieces to contend for whatever title is available (currently, it is playing a modified conference schedule) with big wins over Sauk Prairie and Lake Mills.

No. 3 Luxemburg- Casco (8-0) has yet to drop a set this season with exciting battles against Fox Valley Lutheran and No. 8-ranked Freedom on the near horizon. The Irish, meanwhile, were swept by that same FVL squad last week to hand them their first season loss. Sectional rival and No. 4 Xavier is also unblemished at 5-0.

Platteville enters at No. 5 despite an early-season surprise at Dodgeville, and the Protestant trio of Lakeside Lutheran, Kettle Moraine Lutheran, and Lake Country Lutheran have all essentially beat one another to fall in at No. 6, No. 7, and No. 9 respectively.

Unbeaten Oostburg (6-0) rounds out the Midseason Poll in Division 2, as Oconto, Watertown Luther Prep, Saint Thomas More, Saint Croix Falls, and Mosinee earned Honorable Mention status.

Division 3
In what is already shaping up to be a two-team race atop the Coaches Poll for the second straight year, No. 1 Howards Grove and No. 2 Waterloo remain embattled in the Division 3 rankings. Despite impressive wins over Sauk Prairie, Hartford, Kaukauna, and Lake Country Lutheran, Waterloo’s lone loss of the year came at hands of the top-ranked Tigers in thrilling three-set fashion. Howards Grove’s Tuesday night battle at Oostburg will provide the upper hand in the Big East Conference race.

The rest of the Division 3 rankings shifts northward to feature several prolific programs, including some new to the division itself. No. 3 Grantsburg (7-0) took two big steps toward another Lakeland West crown while defending D4 champion, Lakeland Central frontrunner, and No. 7 Clear Lake is riding a 43-match winning streak. No. 5 Fall Creek (5-1) dropped an early-season showdown to McDonell Central, but has not dropped a set since.

D3 newcomer and No. 4 Randolph has cruised through early Trailways play, as has No. 6 Pacelli with an unblemished 6-0 mark in the Central Wisconsin Conference. While a handful of smaller southern schools have opted for the spring season, River Ridge and Darlington staked claim in the rankings at No. 8 and No. 9, respectively. No. 10 Manitowoc Lutheran, another Big East Conference contender, held off Honorable Mentions Webster, Johnson Creek, Colfax, Manawa, and Rosholt in the inaugural Division 3 poll.

Division 4
Defending D4 runner-up Catholic Central edged No. 2 McDonell Central for the inaugural top spot in the coaches poll, though both squads have shown early dominance with matching 9-0 records in their respective regions. The Hilltoppers have yet to drop a set and picked up two big wins over Saint Thomas More. The Macks were champs of the always-competitive Diocesan Invitational with an unblemished mark and have secured two wins over No. 3 Columbus Catholic (5-2). The Dons have otherwise remained perfect in set play.

Marawood interdivision rivals Prentice and Newman Catholic are perennially in the mix, assuming the No. 5 and No. 10 spots, respectively. The Buccaneers picked up a huge early-season win over now-D2 Stratford, while the Fighting Cardinals and No. 6 Green Bay NEW Lutheran’s early-season schedules are annually two of the toughest in D4.

No. 4 Hillsboro (7-1) elected to play a Ridge & Valley schedule this season while its Scenic Bluffs brethren opted for spring, but the Tigers still look like a contender. No. 9 Shullsburg picked off River Ridge in an early-season Six Rivers tilt, while No. 7 Central Wisconsin Christian has quietly amassed an impressive 8-1 record to start the year.

No. 8 Turtle Lake (5-3) is showing as an early dark horse in Division 4 with some great young talent—its lone three losses coming to a trio of ranked D3 teams. Monticello, Highland, Gresham Community, Wisconsin Valley Lutheran, and Luck round out the midseason rankings in Division 4.

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