The O-Zone Volleyball Power rankings will be released on alternating Mondays throughout the volleyball season. Rankings are a measurement of dominance within class and not a head-to-head comparison. Coaches are encouraged to send any information, including stats, milestones and records to Chris Parker (cparker@ky3.com) or Jordan Burton (thejordanburton1989@gmail.com). NOTE: Teams with scores that had not been reported were not considered.
1. (1) Rogersville (Class 3: 20-1)
Tammy Miller hates being in the top spot, but Rogersville continues to earn it. The Lady Cats have won 18 straight games, dropping just one set in that time. Carl Junction and Winnetonka tournament titles are included in that run. Birdie Hendrickson continues to live in Beast Mode, leading LR in kills and digs. Rog will try to put the finishing touches on a Big 8 championship with games against Aurora, Catholic and Reeds Spring. Hendrickson and company are also on a collision course with Willard this weekend at the Lori Endicott Invitational.
2. (4) Ozark (Class 4: 17-2)
Right now, Ozark is the conference leader of a league that has seven of its 10 teams above .500. There isn’t a better volleyball league in Missouri than the COC. The Lady Tigers have won 10 straight games, which includes a pair of sweeps over Kansas City power Liberty. Ozark has dropped just one set in the last three weeks.
3. (2) Fair Grove (Class 2: 17-2-2)
Fair Grove is riding a seven-game winning streak of its own as they look for a Mid-Lakes championship. Alana Findley is still killing it (literally) with 200 on the season and 67 blocks. Senior Sidney Hill has also been an extremely efficient second option. The Lady Eagles are about to hit their toughest stretch of the season with Strafford, Rogersville and Clever, as well as the extremely loaded Willard Tournament. FG is still unbeaten against non-Class 4 teams.
4. (3) Nixa (Class 4: 13-6)
The Lady Eagles loss total looks high, but it’s deceiving; Nixa has lowkey played the toughest schedule in the Ozarks. Their three losses over the weekend came against national top-100 squads Blue Springs South and St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.). Each game went three sets. The Ozark loss went three sets as well. The Willard win was huge and will keep them in contention for a conference title. The COC schedule will get lighter, but the Ozark Grand Slam is two weeks away, which will helped an already battled-tested team be even more prepared for postseason volleyball.
5. (6) Willard (Class 4: 19-3)
Coach Hancock picked up her 500th career win, a testament to how long she’s been doing this at an extremely high level. Willard is on track for yet another 30-win season, which would be the program’s third in the last four seasons. The three-set loss to Nixa was tough, but really drives home the point of how much parity exists locally in Class 4. They’re still in the hunt for a COC championship, with games against Ozark and Carthage remaining, as well as hosting their own loaded tournament this weekend.
6. (7) Miller (Class 1: 17-2-2)
Still unbeaten against everyone in the world not named Fair Grove, Miller continues to prove it is a Class 1 force to reckon with. The Lady Cardinals took pole position in the Southwest Conference with a three-set win over rival Sarcoxie. The schedule will again stiffen up, with New Covenant, Clever and School of the Ozarks to end the season.
7. (5) Kickapoo (Class 4: 18-9)
Kickapoo went to Lee’s Summit, and like Nixa suffered a couple of qualities losses, one of which came to a St. Teresa’s program that has been to three straight Final Fours. The Lady Chiefs are off to an unbeaten start in the Ozark Conference and are hitting the part of their schedule where they traditionally heat up. Hillcrest and Central will be the next obstacles in the Poo’s hunt for OC supremacy. Also, keep an eye on junior Tayte Kozlowski. She could end with 250 kills, assists and digs each. Crazy versatility.
8. (13) Blue Eye (Class 1: 17-4)
Blue Eye has responded nice since the loss to rival Clever, winning eight straight games and continuing its dominance in Class 1. The Lady Jays have dropped just one set since Sep. 8. They’ll have Spokane, Billings and Galena in the next week, which will decide the SWCL crown.
9. (8) Carthage (Class 4: 18-3)
We all knew this would be the first season of a potentially record-setting two-year run for Carthage and so far the Lady Tigers have lived up to the hype. The loss to Nixa is tough because that is a class and conference game, but all of Carthage’s losses are high quality. They’ll continue through the gauntlet that is COC volleyball with Willard and Ozark still on the schedule.
10. (12) Strafford (Class 2: 13-3-1)
Don’t look now, but here comes Strafford. The Lady Indians have won 10 straight and have ironed out roles. That streak includes winning the Strafford VolleyFest with a sweep of Clever, who is the district host this season. This will be a brutal week for Strafford, with road trips to Clever and Fair Grove. Win both and the Lady Indians will be dancing their way to a conference championship and the top seed in District 10.
11. (9) Clever (Class 2: 13-3-2)
The championship of the Strafford VolleyFest was one of our first opportunities to see Clever in a big game against a liked-sized opponent. The Lady Jays have some quality wins, but they’ve come against different classes. Having Strafford and Fair Grove to complete conference play, as well as the Mount Vernon Tournament. Hosting Miller to close the season will also be fun.
12. (10) McAuley Catholic (Class 1: 20-2-2)
McAuley’s unbeaten streak stopped at 16 games, but the Lady Warriors were able to learn about themselves at the Galena Tournament in losses to Class 2 New Covenant and a very good Class 1 Blue Eye team. Led by junior Taylor Schiefelbein (50), no other team has more aces than McAuley’s 259 (MaxPreps). The salty-serving Lady Warriors did bounce back to win the Jasper Tournament without dropping a set. They’ll continue Ozark 7 play this week with Golden City and Exeter.
13. (11) Licking (C2: 14-1-1)
Rolla put a halt to a blazing hot start to Licking’s season, but that’s not an unexpected result; it’s a Class 4 vs. Class 2 matchup. The Lady Cats bounced back by beating Steelville and Conway. It’ll be a busy week with Dixon, Summersville and hosting their tournament. Licking could see its win total hit 25 in the very near future.
14. (14) MV-BT Liberty (Class 2: 13-5-1)
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, Liberty went to a tournament and played larger schools and… Okay, I’m done. The Lady Eagles have five losses, four have come against Class 4 teams and the other came to Class 3 Blair Oaks. Other than that, Liberty has been handing out work, including a win over Class 4 Carl Junction and Neosho. This is the part of the schedule where Liberty settles in and with seniors all over the floor, expect them to take a double-digit winning streak into district play.
15. (NR) Billings (Class 4: 12-3-2)
Billings hops back into the rankings on the strength of a six-game winning streak. Yes, they have a loss to Class 1 Miller, but their other two losses are to Class 2’s Clever and Fair Grove. The Lady Cats continue to just play solid volleyball. They’ll play six games in the next 10 days, including Blue Eye and Spokane, which will go a long way in deciding the SWCL title.
Knocking on the door: Cabool (13-3-1), Lebanon (13-7), School of the Ozarks (13-5-1), Nevada (8-3), El Dorado Springs (17-6-1), Marshfield (4-1), Nevada (15-6), Winona (8-10-1), Hurley (12-4-1), Parkview (15-7), New Covenant (15-4-2)
