The only changes to this week’s 757Teamz.com girls volleyball Top 15 came in the bottom third, as the top nine squads went undefeated last week and held their respective spots.
Top-ranked Cox (10-3) leveled Tallwood 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-21) Thursday as Caroline Butkovich had 25 assists for the Falcons.
No. 2 Grafton (8-0), led by Kenzie Smith’s 16 kills and three blocks for the Clippers, shut out Bruton 3-0. Third-ranked Kellam also won Thursday, defeating Princess Anne 3-0 (25-10, 25-18, 25-20). Mia Schmidt, Chloe Robinson and Vanessa Jarvis combined for 19 kills in the match.
The Knights also swept Salem 3-0 (25-9, 25-17, 25-13) last Tuesday. Jarvis and Anne Marie Pesut led Kellam with nine and six respective kills. Schmidt added five kills and service aces. Stephanie Martillo led defensively with 10 digs, while Emmie Irving contributed 22 assists.
No. 4 Norfolk Academy swept Isle of Wight Academy 3-0 last Tuesday, and No. 5 StoneBridge was idle, a rarity for a team that has played and won 21 matches this season.
No. 6 Ocean Lakes swept Grassfield, Kempsville and Salem last week, while No. 7 Menchville, the top team in the Peninsula District, retains one head-to-head victory over No. 8 Woodside, with a Tuesday matchup at No. 13 Phoebus on tap.
No. 9 First Colonial maintained its ground, beating No. 14 Kempsville 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-16) last week. Avery Alderks had 16 kills for the Patriots.
Maury (5-0), undefeated in the Eastern District, made the biggest jump this week, rising four places to No. 10. The Commodores won a pair of matches last week, sweeping Norview and Churchland.
Western Branch and Grassfield, the two undefeated squads within the Southeastern District, retained their clutches on the No. 11 and No. 12 positions.
The Grizzlies stymied Great Bridge 3-1 Thursday. Ryann Bothof had 22 digs and Alyssa Caras had 16 assists for the Grizzlies. However, they were stopped 3-0 by Ocean Lakes, leaving enough of a gap for the Bruins to pass through.
Landstown (8-4) enters the rankings, buoyed by a 3-1 win over Great Bridge. Kailyn Johnson led the Eagles with 29 assists and 14 digs, while Isabella Decker contributed 12 kills. Cheyenne Wright finished with 18 kills and two blocks, and Maddie Arnett solidified the defense with 32 digs.
Statewide, StoneBridge, with the power of its numerous victories, tops Hampton Roads teams with a fourth-place ranking while Cox is ranked 14th, according to MaxPreps.com. No Virginia teams are in the national top 50.
Team, Record, Previous
1. Cox (10-3), 1
2. Grafton (8-0), 2
3. Kellam (9-3), 3
4. Norfolk Academy (9-1), 4
5. StoneBridge (21-0), 5
6. Ocean Lakes (10-4), 6
7. Menchville (7-3), 7
8. Woodside (6-1), 8
9. First Colonial (4-8), 9
10. Maury (5-0), 14
11. Western Branch (7-2), 12
12. Grassfield (6-3), 10
13. Phoebus (6-1), 13
14. Kempsville (10-3), 11
15. Landstown (8-4), NR
Dropped out: Cape Henry Collegiate.
