Monday Whiteboard: News and Notes 10/16

Rankings, Polls, and RPI!   Here is our look at the RPI computer rankings from the WIAA and the coaches' poll rankings from the WSVBCA.   All the top RPI teams continue to have an unblemished record, and remember only official matches count, tournaments are not taken into account. Here are the top teams in each class in the RPI compared to the rankings from the September 27th Washington State Volleyball Coaches Association:   4A: Coaches- Camas and Puyallup (3rd & 4th in RPI). RPI: Kennedy Catholic (4th in Coaches).   3A: Coaches- Lynwood. (3rd in RPI). RPI: North Thurston (2nd in Coaches).   2A: Coaches-Columbia River (3rd in RPI) RPI: Shadle Park (7th in Coaches).   1A: Coaches and RPI- Cedar Park Christian (Bothell).   2B: Coaches- Manson (3rd in RPI). RPI: Adna (2nd in Coaches).   1B: Coaches: Oakesdale (2nd RPI). RPI: Neah Bay (2nd in Coaches)   The WSVBCA coach rankings and the WIAA RPI Computer rankings continue to draw closer the longer the season lasts, ultimately winning matches is what teams can control the most. With a 5-set loss to Mead on the road in league play, Gonzaga Prep dropped out of the top spot in RPI they have held for most of the season. Kennedy Catholic jumped up in RPI, and tonight Puyallup and Curtis both have a chance to move up in 4A with a win. Mead rose 4 spots with the win in the 3A RPI and moved up in the coach rankings as well, the Panthers had their defense dialed in against the Bullpups with 4 players recording 12 or more digs.   The biggest differential is in the 2A Division, with coaches ranking Columbia River at the top and the RPI having Shadle Park ranked first. It's fair to say that Columbia River punches well above its 2A size, with an SEC commit in [player_tooltip player_id='201023' first='Lauren' last='Dreves'] playing on the pin, sister [player_tooltip player_id='249444' first='Sydney' last='Dreves'] not far behind as the L2, and an excellent senior setter in [player_tooltip player_id='259072' first='Macey' last='Mccoy']. Arguably the two best players in the state are playing at 2A high schools within the same conference in Dreves and [player_tooltip player_id='201074' first='Elizabeth' last='Andrew'] at rival Ridgefield. The RPI can't watch a match in person to see a pin that can't be stopped, and there are no extra points for knocking off opponents in a higher division or a blowout win- the Rapids are amongst the best teams in the state period.   The next WSVCA Rankings go live on the 18th of October, check out the rankings at <a href="https://www.wsvbca.com/">https://www.wsvbca.com/</a>. Coaches- the WSVCA needs you to vote in the rankings!   WHERE ARE THEY NOW?   Each Monday we will be checking in on players from the class of 2023 at the next level.   Ellie Marble is emerging in her freshman season for the Wildcats of Central Washington. The outside hitter who won multiple state titles for La Connor recorded a season-high 15 kills this month versus Northwest Nazarene, adding in 15 digs defensively during the same match. Marble is hitting a solid .244 on the year, a good number for a freshman attacker in the GNAC.   The NWAC is a premier community college conference, and Washington feeds excellent players every year into the group of 36 schools across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. Hayden Claeys from Meridian High School is having a season to remember as a freshman setter for Skagit Valley. She was named setter of the week in late August and has been among the league leaders in assists all year. The 5'10 Claeys is staying aggressive running the offense, she is attacking at a .330 percentage and has the team positioned to make a run for the NWAC tournament in mid-November at Pierce College.   Volleyball fans who have the chance should get out to watch these games as the playoffs and tournament get rolling, Bellevue, Linn-Benton, North Idaho and Highline are the top four teams at this point in the season. The NWAC sends players each year to 4-year programs in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, players and parents should not overlook the two-year school option.     MATCHUPS TO WATCH THIS WEEK   UNDER REVIEW- LAST WEEK. Kings and Cedar Park Christian matched up for the second time this season, and Kings took the second battle in 4 sets at Cedar Park Christian. The Knights have a dynamite libero in Reagan Cook, a 2025 prospect committed to play beach at UC Riverside. Cook was all the floor and helped her team stay in rally after rally.   [player_tooltip player_id='245156' first='Rebecca' last='Wilber'] was a dominant player for Puyallup in their 3-1 win over Olympia last week. The Bears could not stop Wilber on the pin, from the back row or the right side. She attacked the block all night and played great defense as a six-rotation attacker. 2027 DS/L [player_tooltip player_id='499403' first='Samantha' last='Pirillis'] left her stamp on the match with 20 digs for the Vikings.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/99oWQKHMEng?si=iN9_FuP-v0m5EkgJ </div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Becca Wilbur vs Olympia</figcaption></figure>   Two 3A Kingco rivals will battle it out on Wednesday, Lake Washington and Liberty are at the the top of the standings and will play at Liberty. The 'Kangs have an excellent floor general in setter [player_tooltip player_id='254818' first='Kayleigh-Shay' last='Chang'], the Lake Washington attackers will be looking to terminate enough swings to reverse a 3-1 Liberty victory in the two teams' first meeting.   Spanaway Lake and Silas will battle for the top spot in the 3A Pierce County standings Tuesday night. Spanaway Lake is led by outstanding 2025 setter Tanumaleu Fuamatu and attackers Lema Fuamatu and Sesilia Felagai. The Sentinels play with intensity and always better the ball. Silas will need another huge match from [player_tooltip player_id='259675' first='Ivy' last='Brown'], she has cranked multiple 25+ kill matches this season.   Lynden vs. Burlinston-Edison is a terrific 2A matchup on Thursday between teams that may be able to put together a performance to challenge Columbia River in the state tournament. Lynden has size with [player_tooltip player_id='252567' first='Ashley' last='Shumate'] and 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='499479' first='Finley' last='Parcher'] and experienced seniors playing their best team ball in [player_tooltip player_id='251586' first='Grace' last='Rice'], [player_tooltip player_id='259925' first='Mya' last='VanderYacht'], and [player_tooltip player_id='259924' first='Haylee' last='Koetje']. B-E is led by the dynamic attacker duo of [player_tooltip player_id='250396' first='Lexie' last='Mason'] and [player_tooltip player_id='250397' first='Mia' last='Whitlock'].      AVCA PLAYER OF THE WEEK- WASHINGTON WEEK 9   Every week the AVCA and MaxPreps award a player of the week to each state. To be eligible for the award, players (teams) must update their stats in MaxPreps. Check out the awards here, <a href="https://www.avca.org/award/2023-maxpreps-avca-girls-high-school-players-of-the-week-award-week-9">https://www.avca.org/award/2023-maxpreps-avca-girls-high-school-players-of-the-week-award-week-9</a>. [player_tooltip player_id='249351' first='Brielle' last='Wilson'] from Mead High School is the week 9 winner for Washington. The senior setter racked up 51 assists in a 5-set victory over Gonzaga Prep on Tuesday, then followed it up with another 52 assists in a 4-set win over Lewis & Clark. Wilson is headed to Cal Poly Humboldt in California next season. The two victories last week position the Mead Panthers at 5-0 in the Greater Spokane League heading into the final 4 matches of the regular season.   North Idaho Minute   Gracie Legg | 5'6 DS/L | 2025 | Couer d'Alene. Legg is one of the leading defenders in North Idaho, averaging 4.6 digs per set. She is receiving over 20 balls a match in the back row for the Vikings and has expanded the area she covers in serve receive this season. The Vikings play the Post Falls Trojans for the District title this week as Idaho begins the playoff race to the state tournament with the championship in late October.      The Prep Dig Washington Top 250 Expo: December 2nd, 2023   We are excited to bring Washington a Prep Dig Top 250 Expo Showcase this winter! Thank you to the Academy Sportscenter in Lynnwood for use of the awesome facility, we are grateful for the opportunity to play host to the athletes from all over the state there. Our December 2nd event slots in after the State Tournament and Thanksgiving, but before club tournaments fire up. Seniors; I encourage you to make a weekend of it and cap your high school career in the Showcase and play in the 2023 Senior All-State Volleyball Match the next day, December 3rd at Burlington-Edison High School.   For all the information on the Top 250 Expo follow this link: <a href="https://prepdig.com/top-250-expos/">https://prepdig.com/top-250-expos/</a>, The coverage will be extensive on social media and Prep Dig, the competition fun and fierce, and the coaches working the event knowledgeable. We have a discount code for you to use for $10 off EtterExpo2023.   ATTENTION CLUB COACHES: Please enter and personalize your club program on the site, when we add a player or a player sets their free profile they can choose the club and it will have all your social media contact information, logo, etc added.   Here is a link to the club program setup page: <a href="https://prepdig.com/create-your-program/">https://prepdig.com/create-your-program/</a>.

Rankings, Polls, and RPI!