Prep Volleyball- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) released their fifth edition of the volleyball rankings for the season and the top teams kept their spots, but the bottom of the rankings involved some scrambling of teams.
Ankeny Christian is still the team to beat in Class 1A, but there’s a new #2 in Holy Trinity Catholic as the Crusaders have now won 12 straight games including a three set to two victory over Class 2A’s #10 team in West Burlington last Thursday. North Tama moved back one spot to #3. Janesville has ripped off four wins in-a-row elevating the Wildcats to 9th on the list after previously being unranked. Edgewood-Colesburg participated in the West Delaware Invite over the previous weekend and it did not go well for the Vikings as they dropped all five of their matches, resulting in a collapse in the rankings as the Vikings went from 4th to 12th. Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s slide down the rankings concluded in their exodus of the top 15, the only team in Class 1A this week.
In Class 2A, the top eight teams remained with Denver and Sumner-Fredericksburg switching spots to be ranked 4th and 5th, respectively. Aplington-Parkersburg jumped up the list from 15th to 9th after beating previously ranked Gladbrook-Reinbeck and still ranked AGWSR twice and in straight sets. Additionally, a sweep over #11 Wapsie Valley has the Falcons soaring high. West Burlington tumbled from 10th to 15th after losses to Holy Trinity Catholic and Wapsie Valley. No teams were dropped from the top 15.
The top three teams stayed put in Class 3A with Western Christian on top followed by Mount Vernon and Des Moines Christian. Union was the first team to fall down rankings as they went from being ranked 4th to 7th. Mid-Prairie hopped up a spot from 10th to 9th. Anamosa and Tipton ranked 14th and 15th, respectively, after previously being unranked. Osage and Roland-Story were knocked out of the top 15.
Lewis Central is now ranked 6th with Norwalk switching spots to now be ranked 7th. Besides that one move, the top 10 in Class 4A is identical to last week’s rankings with Clear Creek-Amana still unbeaten and rightfully ranked #1. Bondurant-Farrar’s mixed bag of wins and losses, including a fall to #12 Dallas Center-Grimes, resulted in the Blue Jays’ removal from the top 15. Pella jumps into the top 15 at the #14 slot.
The top three finally shifts in Class 5A with previously ranked #3 Ankeny sliding down to #5 and Waukee Northwest filling in the void. Dowling Catholic and Ankeny Centennial are still locked at #1 and #2, respectively. Iowa City Liberty’s loss to Dubuque Senior resulted in the Lightning streaking from 10th to 15th and the Rams bullying their way up the rankings from 12th to 10th. Muscatine’s loss to West Liberty last weekend caused their departure from the top 15. Iowa City High, previously unranked, took over the vacancy in the #13 slot in the top 15.