Team Rankings Breakdown for 9/4/2018
Our second in-season rankings are out and to be completely honest, it’s quite the coin flip. Some teams in the D3 and D4 have some really tough losses to teams that are in D1 or D2 while there are teams…
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Continue ReadingOur second in-season rankings are out and to be completely honest, it’s quite the coin flip. Some teams in the D3 and D4 have some really tough losses to teams that are in D1 or D2 while there are teams across all divisions that still have yet to crack the goose egg in the loss column. With that being said here are some hypothetical questions to think about when it comes to the value within a ranking.
-What is the difference between a team who has quality losses verses a team who has an undefeated record against unranked opponents?
-Is there a difference between a conference loss vs. a tournament loss? Conference matches are 3 out of 5 with some scouting that goes into it while tournament games you might be playing teams that are far from familiar.
-Some teams already have over fifteen matches under their belt while some may only have six or seven. It all equals out in the end, but for early season rankings it always makes it interesting to see who the wins and losses were against.
-This upcoming weekend will be the Brookfield Central Tournament which always brings some tough competition and the weekend after is the Charger Rally held at Milwaukee Sting where there will be over 130 Prep Dig ranked players.
Division 1
Dropped Out:
Waukesha West (7), Union Grove (9)
There were a few matchups this week with rated teams squaring off against each other. Burlington played conference foe Union Grove and came out unscathed with a 3-0 win. Arrowhead continued to roll with wins at the Muskego Invite against Burlington, Westosha Central, and Brookfield. Central. Mukwonago had big wins this week against conference rival Waukesha West 3-1 and won their home tournament against Oconomowoc. This week will be highly competitive with Neenah, Mukwonago, Westosha Central at the Brookfield Central with plenty of other notables throughout the state. This will also be a time for Appleton North, Sussex Hamilton, Brookfield Central, and Menomonee Falls to knock off some rated teams. River Falls competes in the Border Battle this weekend with some tough Minnesota competition while Verona, who is 10-0 has a key conference match up with Middleton who is 11-4.
Knocking on the door: Appleton North, Sun Prairie, Verona, Cedarburg, Sussex Hamilton, SPASH, Eau Claire North, and Franklin
Division 2
Dropped Out:
Luxemburg-Casco (5), Lake Mills (6), Mosinee (8), Mount Horeb (9)
Match Ups This Week To Watch For:
Luther Prep vs. Lakeside Lutheran
East Troy at Brookfield Central Tournament
Wisconsin Lutheran went down to Grayslake Central Ram Slam bringing home five wins against Illinois competition. Little Chute and Chilton, who are in the same sectional move up after Luxemburg-Casco had a tough weekend at the Triton Invite at Notre Dame going 2-3 in which Sun Prairie won and Appleton Xavier finished second. Luther Prep defeated Lake Mills and plays Lakeside Lutheran in a conference match this week. Merrill pops in at number ten after starting the season off 16-6.
Knocking On The Door: Lakeside Lutheran, Mount Horeb, New Holstein, McFarland, Plymouth, Ellsworth, Mosinee
Division 3
Dropped Out: St. Mary’s Catholic (8), Cuba City (9)
Stratford continues to start the season where they left off 2017 with a 16-0 start. Waterloo and Lake Country Lutheran stay in the top five despite some losses by LCL at the New Berlin West invite, the tough early season competition with all of their losses to Division 1 schools. Oconto moves up with a 6-1 record with their only loss to #5 in D2, Little Chute. Aquinas out of La Crosse comes into the top ten sitting at 13-1.
Knocking On The Door: Crivitz, Oostburg, Racine Lutheran, Southern Door, Brillion.
Division 4
Dropped Out:
Central Wisconsin Christian (6), Iowa-Grant (9)
Northwest Wisconsin is gearing up to be one of the toughest areas for D4 volleyball. Clayton, McDonell Central, and Luck remain in the top three while Central Catholic out of Burlington moves to number 3. Prentice is off to a really hot start at 13-1 with a win over #8 Mercer. River Ridge comes in at #10 with a 7-0 record.
Knocking On The Door:
Black Hawk, Columbus Catholic, Ladysmith, Benton, Iowa-Grant