Final State Rankings Countdown: Teams 21-25

<p>As we get into our rankings countdown let’s go over the groundwork. Rankings are never perfect and are subjective by nature. These rankings are heavily weighed based on CIF and state playoff results. Except in a rare instance, a team will not be ranked ahead of a team it lost to in CIF or state. There may be an example of a team losing to the same opponent in CIF then beating that team in state and in that instance the state victory usually takes precedent. We tried hard to follow the results chain as closely as possible but in a sport like volleyball with tournament play during the regular season, those results can create more questions than answers.</p> <p><strong>21. San Clemente</strong> (25-11, Southern Section)<br /> <strong>Season Highlight(s)</strong>: CIF State Division 1 Round 2 (lost to Sierra Canyon); CIF Southern Section Division 1 Round 16 (lost to Sierra Canyon); South Coast League co-champion<br /> <strong>Key Graduates</strong>: L/DS Riley Brown; MB Abigail Brown<br /> <strong>Key Returners</strong> (grade this fall): RS [player_tooltip player_id="161762" first="Lily" last="Dwinell"] (Jr); MB [player_tooltip player_id="161763" first="Hannah" last="Eberle"] (Jr); L/DS Carly Hoffmeister (Jr); OH [player_tooltip player_id="162782" first="Sofia" last="Williams"] (Soph); S Reese Torticill (Jr)<br /> <strong>2022 Outlook</strong>: One piece for the Tritons to build around is Dwinell on the right. She should help set the tone offensively while Williams could see a larger role.</p> <p><strong>22. Aliso Niguel</strong> (27-5, Southern)<br /> <strong>Season Highlight(s)</strong>: CIF State Division 1 Round 2 (lost to Redondo Union); CIF Southern Section Division 2 Champion (defeated Huntington Beach); South Coast League co-champion<br /> <strong>Key Graduates</strong>: OH [player_tooltip player_id="161473" first="Kendra" last="Duffey"]; MB [player_tooltip player_id="163269" first="Brooke" last="Pattschull"]<br /> <strong>Key Returners</strong>: L/DS [player_tooltip player_id="161477" first="Danet" last="Whiting"] (Jr); MB [player_tooltip player_id="161483" first="Rian" last="Barr"] (Soph); S/RS [player_tooltip player_id="161482" first="Riley" last="Barr"] (Soph); MB Madyson Smith (Jr); OH [player_tooltip player_id="161479" first="Eva" last="Travis"] (Jr); S [player_tooltip player_id="161478" first="Nicole" last="Feliciano"] (Jr)<br /> <strong>2022 Outlook</strong>: The Wolverines bring back a good portion of the roster but some of the pieces they say goodbye to are not insignificant. Duffey was a huge part of the offense and Pattschull was a presence in the middle that will be missed. The good news though is Feliciano returns to guide the attack and Whiting is back to anchor the back row.</p> <p><strong>23. Bishop’s</strong> (25-12, San Diego)<br /> <strong>Season Highlight(s)</strong>: Coastal League champion; CIF San Diego Section Open Division Quarterfinalist (lost to La Costa Canyon); CIF State Division 1 Round 1 (lost to Aliso Niguel)<br /> <strong>Key Graduates</strong>: OH [player_tooltip player_id="162748" first="Brynne" last="Faltinsky"]; MB Ashley Sottosanti; MB Annecy Crockett<br /> <strong>Key Returners</strong>: L/DS [player_tooltip player_id="160913" first="Sydney" last="Bold"] (Jr); OH Kaia Grieve (Soph); S Nalani Muniz (Soph)<br /> <strong>2022 Outlook</strong>: Faltinsky took more than a third of the total attacks for the Knights this past fall, so her absence is going to be felt. In fact, a majority of the offense is gone which should create a bigger role for Grieve next season. She finished third on the team in kills as a sophomore. Muniz, who did most of the setting, is also back. So is the standout libero in Bold, so that’s one position Bishop’s doesn’t need to be concerned about.</p> <p><strong>24. Eastlake</strong> (35-10, San Diego)<br /> Season Highlight(s): Metro Mesa League champion; CIF State Division 1 Quarterfinalist (lost to Sierra Canyon); CIF San Diego Section Open Division Semifinalist (lost to La Costa Canyon)<br /> <strong>Key Graduates</strong>: S Abigail Macalagium; MB Savannah Johnson; OH Malia Gementera<br /> <strong>Key Returners</strong>: n/a<br /> <strong>2022 Outlook</strong>: n/a</p> <p><strong>25. Palos Verdes</strong> (26-9, Southern)<br /> Season Highlight(s): CIF Southern Section Division 2 Semifinalist (lost to Huntington Beach); CIF State Division 1 Round 2 (lost to Eastlake)<br /> <strong>Key Graduates</strong>: OH Suzy Jellison <br /> <strong>Key Returners</strong>: MB Dani Rusich (Soph); OH Kaci Demaria (Fr); MB Emma Islava (Jr); OH Kendall Beshear (Soph); L/DS Megan Walsh (Jr); S Kahea Carvalho (Jr)<br /> <strong>2022 Outlook</strong>: We should be looking at an improved Sea Kings squad next fall as most of the key pieces return from a young roster. Demaria was one of the best freshmen in the section and with a year under her belt will be a handful. Rusich also played a role as a sophomore this season and is more reason for optimism. With the setter in Carvalho back and Walsh back for defensive duties in the back court the Sea Kings will challenge for the Division 2 sectional title (unless they get bumped up to Division 1 for competitive purposes) and are in line for a deeper state run. </p>