The South region (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi) has been highly competitive so far this season, so who better to start off our weekly regional rankings, than the host of two major tournaments already this season. The Nike TOC Southeast and the Florida Gem High School Classic were just two of a number of events that offered up some electric matchups in the past two weeks. Let’s see how our first round of rankings wound up.
1. Carrollwood Day (Tampa, Florida)
Record: 12-1
Impact Wins: Viera (FL), Hagerty (FL), Skutt Catholic (NE), Lakeland (FL)
Notes: CDS took silver at the Nike TOC Southeast and Gold at the Florida GEM HS Classic. The team’s singular loss on the season came at the hands of TOC champions Cornerstone Christian of Texas.
2. Academy of Holy Names (Tampa, Florida)
Record: 7-1
Impact Wins: Braden River (FL), Westminster Christian (FL), North Allegheny (PA), Venice (FL), Winter Park (FL), Sandy Creek (GA)
Notes: The FL Gem silver medalist, Holy Names has dropped just a pair of sets on the season, both against No. 1 Carrollwood Day. They’ve taken wins off teams from three different states, and look to be the real deal this season.
3. Viera (Florida)
Record: 8-2
Impact Wins: Winter Park (FL), North Allegheny (PA), Sandy Creek (GA), Westminster Christian (FL)
Notes: Viera avenged a season opener sweep of a loss by winning five straight matches and finishing third at the TOC Southeast, making it as the semifinals before being knocked out by CDS. Tis past week they picked up a pair of wins over Bishop Moore and Satellite.
4. Winter Park (Florida)
Record: 10-2
Impact Wins: Keller (TX), Hagerty (FL)
Notes: Winter Park finished 4th at TOC Southeast and were undefeated on the weekend and the season until being knocked out of contention by Cornerstone Christian, and Viera in the third-place match. Still, a highly respectable win over a tough Texas team in Keller was high-impact for the Wildcats.
5. Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Florida)
Record: 6-2
Impact Wins: Pace Academy (GA), Plant (FL), Clearwater Central Catholic (FL)
Notes: Berkeley Prep has looked good so far this season, scooping up a nice win over Georgia’s Pace Academy in tournament play in the first weekend of the month, and a big four-set win over Clearwater Central Catholic.
6. Pace Academy (Atlanta, Georgia)
Record: 17-2
Impact Wins: Alpharetta (GA), Buford (GA), Pope (GA), St. Henry (KY)
Notes: Pace has been pounding the pavement this season, notching a dozen straight wins before suffering a pair of tough losses, albeit against top-tier teams in Cornerstone Christian and Berkeley Prep. But it was no more than a speed bump for the Knights, bouncing back and picking up five more wins headed into the week, including Kentucky’s St. Henry, a pair of Florida foes, and an in-state sweep over McIntosh.
7. Pope (Marietta, Georgia)
Record: 18-2
Impact Wins: Walton (GA) twice, St. Pius X (GA), Ravenwood (TN), Cleveland (TN), Sacred Heart (KY), Sequoyah (GA), Buford (GA)
Notes: A pair of losses are the only blemish on Pope’s schedule so far this season, with the potential to cross the threshold of 20 wins this week. They’ve defeated teams from three different states this season, flexing their range, well-rounded play.
8. Bob Jones (Madison, Alabama)
Record: 21-0
Impact Wins: McGill-Toolen (AL) twice, Mountain Brook (AL) twice, Bayside Academy (AL) twice, Collierville (TN), Nolensville (TN)
Notes: Bob Jones has impressed this season, notching 21 straight dubs with just four sets dropped. They’ve made their presence known, and the patriots show no signs of slowing down. Defeating the who’s who of Alabama and a pair of Tennessee titans in Nolensville and Collierville, the Patriots have put themselves on the map in the South region and beyond.
9. Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Florida)
Record: 11-1
Impact Wins: Bishop McLaughlin (FL), Hagerty (FL), Clovis (CA), Skutt Catholic (NE), Westminster Christian (FL), Berkeley Prep (FL), Cardinal Mooney (FL)
Notes: The Warriors have faired well so far this season, earning 11 wins with a single loss to Hagerty in tournament play. They took first in the gold bracket at the Nike TOC Southeast, taking down Nebraska’s perennial state title contenders Skutt Catholic in the quarterfinals, followed by Plant, and No. 5 Berkeley Prep in the finals.
10. Hillgrove (Powder Springs, Georgia)
Record: 25-2
Impact Wins: Marietta (GA), Pope (GA)
Notes: Hillgrove has quietly put together a heck of a campaign so far this Fall, losing just a pair of matches out of 27. A big five-set victory over Marietta and a sweeping win over No. 7 Pope in the midst of a current eight-game win streak may have pushed the team to the a higher gear, and they show no signs of slowing down with just a handful of matches left in the regular season.
11. Archbishop Hannan (Covington, Louisiana)
Record: 7-1
Impact Wins: St. Pius X (GA), McGill-Toolen (AL)
Notes: The Hawks have been soaring so far this season, taking two big wins against out of state opponents, and dropping just one match, a two-set tournament loss to St. Thomas Aquinas of Florida over the weekend.
12. McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Alabama)
Record: 16-4
Impact Wins: Spain Park (AL), Bayside Academy (AL), St. Pius X (GA), Mt. Carmel (LA)
Notes: The Yellowjackets have had an exciting season so far, winning 16 out of 20 matches so far, dropping a pair of matches two undefeated No. 8 Bob Jones, a nail biter of a five-setter against No. 13 Mountain Brook, and three-set against No. 11 Archbishop Hannan that went wire to wire. They’re on a good trajectory that, with the right timing and adjustments, could be headed towards a state title.
13. Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Alabama)
Record: 10-3
Impact Wins: Spanish Fort (AL) twice, McGill-Toolen (AL)
Notes: Outside of a pair of losses to No. 8 Bob Jones, who seems to be the thorn in the side of every team in the state and a five-set heartbreaker to No. 16 Bayside Academy, the Spartans have looked like true warriors this season, ahead of a pair of out-of-state opponents from Tennessee this upcoming weekend. Should they win, it could mean another bump up the ladder for Mountain Brook.
14. Spanish Fort (Alabama)
Record: 22-3
Impact Wins: Bayside Academy (AL), Hernando (MS), Tate (FL), Pace (FL)
Notes: Spanish Fort has pieced together some nice wins this season both in and out of state. No. 13 Mountain Brook and No. 15 Fairhope are the only two teams to best the Toros, who are currently on a nine game stampeding win streak.
15. Fairhope (Alabama)
Record: 23-2
Impact Wins: Hoover (AL), Spanish Fort (AL), Jackson Academy (MS), Madison Central (MS)
Notes: A pair early-season tournament losses are the only smudged on an otherwise clean schedule for the Pirates, who have swept their last eight opponents.
16. Bayside Academy (Daphne, Alabama)
Record: 14-5
Impact Wins: Brandon (MS), Mountain Brook (AL), Fairhope
Notes: Bayside has had a rollercoaster of a season, yet still impressed with 14 wins amongst a challenging field of foes. They’ve snagged some great victories and seen others slip through their grasp, but they’ve done enough to earn the No. 16 spot thanks to wins over No. 20 Brandon, No. 13 Mountain Brook, and No. 15 Fairhope.
17. Venice (Florida)
Record: 8-2
Impact Wins: Bishop Gorman (NV), Braden River (FL)
Notes: Venice earned a place in the platinum bracket at the Nike TOC Southeast but was ousted in the first round against No. 3 Viera. They finished 7th overall at the TOC, and picked up back to back wins since. They’ll face a challenge when they face No. 24 Clearwater Central Catholic next, who just put on a solid performance at the LIVT in Louisville.
18. Madison -Ridgeland Academy (Mississippi)
Record: 26-1
Impact Wins: Jackson Academy (MS) twice
Notes: 26 wins are a lot. MRA has handled almost every team they’ve faced this season outside of No. 25 Hartfield Academy. They’ve lost five sets over 27 matches, and are currently rolling on a ten win streak. They’ll take on No. 20 Jackson Academy today.
19. Brandon (Mississippi)
Record: 22-2
Impact Wins: Madison Central (MS), Jasper (AL)
Notes: The Bulldogs hold just two losses, one against No. 16 Bayside Academy and the other against No. 21 Madison Central. They’ve won 54 of 64 sets on the season.
20. Jackson Academy (Mississippi)
Record: 23-6
Impact Wins: Arlington (TN), Dyer County (TN), Huntsville (AL), Hartfield Academy (MS)
Notes: Jackson Academy has looked good this season, with three of their six losses coming against regionally ranked opponents. They’ve shown moments of brilliance with a lot of season left to go.
21. Madison Central (Mississippi)
Record: 17-4
Impact Wins: Brandon (MS), Jackson Academy (MS), Daphne (AL)
Notes: The jaguars jumped out to six wins in the last seven days before being swept by No. 15 Fairhope. The Mississippi landscape, a microcosm of the region itself has been dog-eat-dog this season with teams swapping wins and losses like trading cards, leaving a lot of room for a path to the podium come the end of the season.
22. St. Mary’s Dominican (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Record: 4-0
Impact Wins: N/A
Notes: St. Mary’s has been making it look easy in the Big Easy, sweeping all four of their opponents so far this season. The season is young, but they’ve been playing in mid-season form so far, ahead of a tough tournament weekend and the heart of their schedule ahead.
23. Plainview (Rainsville, Alabama)
Record: 16-1
Impact Wins: N/A
Notes: It’s plain to see that Plainview has had a phenomenal season so far, with just a single loss on the record, a three-set tournament loss against Brooks. Since the loss they’ve swept five straight opponents in the last week or so.
24. Clearwater Central Catholic (Florida)
Record: 5-3
Impact Wins: Mercy (KY), Presentation (KY), Dunbar (KY), St. Henry (KY)
Notes: CCC opted to head to Kentucky and test their skills against some fierce competition from the Bluegrass State last weekend, picking up four of their five wins on the season in a three-day span. Today, they’ve got their hands full with No. 17 Venice, but a win could see them rise up the list.
25. Hartfield Academy (Flowood, Mississippi)
Record: 13-4
Impact Wins: Madison-Ridgeland Academy
Notes: The Hawks picked up a big win over No. 18 Madison-Ridgeland Academy, in a five-set fight that saw Hartfield run away with the fifth set 15-7. However, a recent loss to No. 20 Jackson Academy slid them down the list a bit. Still, they’ve got No. 18 Madison-Ridgeland Academy and another shot at Jackson Academy on tap in the coming weeks, which, if things go their way, could propel them into the top 20 or even higher.
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