Latest Daily News Volleyball Rankings

We’re halfway through league play and several girls volleyball teams find themselves on a roll.

Here’s the Daily News new Top 5. Guess who’s No. 1?

1. Cal-Hi (10-0)
DN Preseason Ranking: 1
Received votes in Division III-AA, but unranked

When you haven’t lost a match this season it’s hard to be anything other than No. 1. The Condors are the area’s deepest squad and have at least four girls that could post 10 kills a match in Marissa Rangel, Channelle Puou, Kelsey Stehle and Dannielle Beauvais. Cal-Hi has already defeated La Mirada, Whittier Christian, La Serna and St. Paul this season to name a few local programs. The last game of the season against La Serna should be great. Only oddity is that while the Condors win, they keep on falling on the CIF-SS polls.

2. La Habra (16-4)
DN Preseason Ranking: 3
Ranked No. 5 in Division II-AA

La Habra has only lost ONE GAME in the last month and has reeled off eight straight wins. It’s hard to pick against the towers of Jocelyn Neely (6-foot-1) and Whittany Radcliffe (6-foot-2). It’s a good thing the Highlanders are competing in the Redondo Tournament later on in the month because this league schedule isn’t really preparing them for the playoffs.

3. La Serna (8-7)
DN Preseason Ranking: Unranked
Unranked in Division III-AA

Winners of 7-of-9, the Lancers had a bit of a setback Tuesday against Cal-Hi in a four-game defeat. However, Mollie Kavanagh’s bunch knows that they can play with the best in the area and will be primed for the end of the season rematch against Cal on Nov. 1, which will likely be for a league title. It’s been exciting to see the rapid development of sophomores Karli Nelson (OH) and Kelcie Randazzo (S).

4. La Mirada (17-3)
DN Preseason Ranking: 2
Ranked No. 8 in Division III-A

La Mirada has the most wins of any area squad and has been crushing teams left and right in an average Suburban League. La Mirada did beat La Serna earlier in the year, however, both teams have changed since that game. Like La Habra, the Matadores haven’t had much of a challenge in league and have been led by the solid play of Kiki Salazar and Jodi Watkins. One area of concern comes in the kill ratio department, where the Matadores need to be more proficient if they are to make a run in the postseason.

5. St. Paul (15-3)
DN Preseason Ranking: 4
Ranked No. 7 in Division IV-AA

Any other year and the Swordsmen would be higher on this list. St. Paul’s three losses have come against quality opponents and the Swordsmen seem to be a shoe-in for a Camino Real League title. While much attention has been given to star hitter Katie Saavedra, St. Paul’s Victoria Polo (2.6 kills a game) and Shannon Young (1.8 kills a game) have proven that this team is not one-dimensional. The bad news for St. Paul is that play in an incredibly tough Division IV-AA. We’ll see how they do come playoff time.

On the bubble: El Rancho (6-7), Santa Fe (6-4) and Montebello (6-5).

Agree or Disagree with the rankings? What’s your opinion…

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