JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 6 high school volleyball rankings will be published each Wednesday during the regular season. Records are through Sept. 23 games.
Varsity 4 News4JAX Super 6 volleyball rankings
Rank, (previous), team, record, classification
1. (1) Beachside (14-1, Class 5A)
Quality wins: Bishop Kenny, Bolles, Doral Academy, Episcopal, Gulliver Prep, Lake Highland Prep, New Smyrna Beach, Northside Christian, Ponte Vedra, Providence, South Walton.
Notable: The Barracudas dominated at Venice High’s Battle of the Beach, blazing through five matches with sweeps. Four of those wins (Bishop Kenny, Gulliver Prep, Lake Highland Prep, Northside Christian) ranged from quality to high quality Ws. Beachside returned to the area on Tuesday and swept Bolles. Adriana Jeanpierre (187 kills) and Mollie VanDeusen (117 kills) are hitting it extremely well. Senior setter Erica Duffy said this week at fall sports media day that Beachside took quite a bit from last year’s run to the regional finals before losing to powerhouse (and eventual state champ) Chiles.
2. (2) Bishop Kenny (13-7, Class 4A)
Quality wins: Creekside, Doral Academy, Fleming Island, Mountain Brook (Ala.), Northside Christian, Providence, Ridgeview, Riviera Prep, Santa Fe, Strawberry Crest, True North.
Notable: The Crusaders went 5-3 since our last Super 6, including a 3-3 mark at the Venice tournament. Kenny returned to the area this week and swept Tocoi Creek and Ridgeview. Even with a 2-1 tournament loss to Middleburg, I grade best-of-three games a little easier than the regulation best-of-five, so no need to move the Crusaders this week. They’ve got Episcopal (Thursday) and Ponte Vedra (Sept. 30) up next. Mattie Wilkey (136 kills), Chelsea Akakatang (129 kills) and Lilian Heldenbrand (123 kills) lead the attack. Sophia Miller (288 assists) and Mia Ancayan (218 assists) lead the offense, while Alexis Sowers (350 digs) and Lauren McCarthy (168 digs) lead the defense.
3. (3) Fleming Island (10-3, Class 5A)
Quality wins: Bartram Trail, Bolles, Fletcher, Mandarin, Ponte Vedra, Ridgeview.
Notable: The Golden Eagles had a 2-1 week since our last Super 6. They beat Tocoi Creek and Bartram Trail, and sandwiched a 3-1 loss to Trinity Christian between those. A tough Middleburg squad on Thursday rounds out the week for the Golden Eagles. Lauren Brosky (153 kills) and Lillie Eason (149 kills, 105 digs), Hazel Williams (236 assists, 34 aces) and Alana Santiago (181 assists) are powering Fleming Island.
4. (4) Ponte Vedra (10-10, Class 5A)
Quality wins: Auburn (Ala.), Boca Raton Christian, Bolles, Daphne (Ala.), Middleburg, Providence, Ridgeview, Trinity Christian.
Notable: The Sharks went 3-3 since our last Super 6, including a 2-3 mark at the Venice tournament. They returned to the area with a sweep of Trinity Christian. Ponte Vedra has a jarring number of losses, although only two (Beachside, Fleming Island) have come to local teams. Vivi Woodbury (119 kills) and Lily Keely (112 kills) and Khloe Murray (82 kills) lead the hitters. Avery Webb (221 digs, 38 aces) and Haydin Froehlich (470 assists) pace the defense, service game and the offense.
5. (5) Providence (10-4, Class 2A)
Quality wins: Bartram Trail, Christ’s Church, Holy Trinity Episcopal, Olympia, Santa Fe, Tocoi Creek, Trinity Christian.
Notable: Just one game since our last Super 6, a sweep of a quality Christ’s Church team. Providence closes out the week at Atlantic Coast on Thursday. Isabela Lopez (171 kills) leads Providence at the net. Emma Clifton (292 assists), Addison Shaw (164 digs) and Julianna Baskin (30 blocks) are leaders in those categories.
6. (6) Trinity Christian (14-7, Class 2A)
Quality wins: Bishop Kenny, Christ’s Church, Fleming Island, Gainesville, Middleburg, Ridgeview, St. Augustine, Timber Creek.
Notable: Trinity went 3-1 since our last Super 6. The Conquerors swept Ridgeview and University Christian and had a 3-1 over Fleming Island. They dropped a 3-0 game to Ponte Vedra. Bolles on Sept. 29 is up next for Trinity. Nova Hewlett has 221 kills and 138 digs to lead the offense and defense. Emma Hernesman has 404 assists and 130 digs.
Teams to watch
Bartram Trail (6-8, Class 6A); Bolles (8-6, Class 3A); Christ’s Church (11-3, Class 1A); Episcopal (9-7, Class 3A); Fletcher (12-1, Class 6A); Harvest Community (14-5, Class 1A); Mandarin (6-8, Class 7A); Middleburg (10-9, Class 5A); Ridgeview (10-5, Class 5A); Union County (12-6, Rural); Wolfson (9-0, Class 3A).