JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4Jax Super 6 high school volleyball rankings will be published each Wednesday during the regular season.
News4Jax Super 6 volleyball
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Rank, School, Record, Classification
1. Ponte Vedra (2-0, Class 6A)
Notable wins: Bartram Trail, Ridgeview.
Glance: It’s a different start for the Sharks, who have a new coach in John Goings. He replaced Robin Mignerey, the most successful volleyball coach in area history in terms of championships. She resigned last January following three state championships and nearly 300 career wins. There won’t be a dropoff. Ponte Vedra brings back reigning player of the year Zeta Washington and the area’s top setter (Jessica Shattles). Washington was also the News4JAX top player in 2019 and she’s been a dominant force ever since she set foot on the court as a freshman. The Sharks have been anchored in the No. 1 spot in the Super 6 … every ranking since we began in 2020. They’ve got a pair of sweeps to start the season over two very, very good teams.
2. Bishop Kenny (2-0, Class 4A)
Notable wins: Bartram Trail, Providence.
Glance: Not much of a surprise for this one either. The Crusaders under coach Suzanne Winkler (and Janice Turner before that) have been arguably the area’s most consistent program of the 21st century. They’ve won 19 straight district championships. Winkler hit the 400-career win mark last season. OH Allison Cavanagh is a kill machine (52% kill percentage this season) and she’s a three-time All-News4JAX selection. The focus will naturally be on her. Hitter Claudia Stockard and H/RS Olivia Ryno have a team-best 18 kills for Kenny. Expect more big things from the Crusaders this season.
3. Trinity Christian (2-0, Class 3A)
Notable wins: Bolles, Providence.
Glance: Two very good wins for the Conquerors to start things off, a 3-1 over Bolles and a 3-0 over Providence. Trinity really found something last season with its young team, with freshman Amaria King mashing out 458 kills. The bulk of that lineup is back, including King, Ariel Ross and Hadley Dantzler, the top three offensive players on the squad.
4. Creekside (3-0, Class 7A)
Notable win: Middleburg.
Glance: The Knights have been very consistent under coach Megan Bowers and they’ll likely slug it out with rival Bartram Trail for the District 1-7A title. They’ve got three seasons of 20 wins or more since 2011 and have been in the conversation as one of the steadiest public school programs around since its inception. Three players are at more than 20 kills — Killian Burnett (30 kills), Vivian Scuteri (25 kills) and Allison Green (22 kills) — and Vivi Vasquez ranks among the area’s best liberos.
5. Ridgeview (3-1, Class 5A)
Notable win: Episcopal.
Glance: The Panthers finished 17-8 a season ago and went to the regional finals, although they have to navigate some big graduation losses. So far, so good. Haley Robinson (31 kills), Brianna Adams (27 kills) and Katie Cole (23 kills) have powered Ridgeview out of the gate this season. They’re all underclassmen. L/DS Kasey Casiple has a team-best 85 digs and is in the mix as a top-5 back row player in the area.
6. Bartram Trail (1-2, Class 7A)
Notable win. Yulee.
Glance: The Bears’ two losses have come to Ponte Vedra and Bishop Kenny. They’re in the conversation as one of the area’s top three teams. Games this week against Episcopal (Wednesday) and Creekside (Thursday) will be a good gauge of where Bartram is at since the gap between Kenny and Ponte Vedra is sizable. Libero and two-time All-News4JAX first-team selection Sydney Lewis and OH/RS Jenna Otts are back to power the Bears.
Others to watch
Atlantic Coast (3-0, Class 7A); Beachside (3-0, Class 4A); Bolles (2-1, Class 4A); Fernandina Beach (3-0, Class 4A); Fletcher (2-0, Class 6A); Harvest Community (1-1, Class 2A); Hilliard (3-0, Class 1A); Keystone Heights (3-0, Class 3A); Mandarin (1-2, Class 7A); Middleburg (0-1, Class 5A); Providence (1-2, Class 3A); St. Johns Country Day (4-0, Class 2A).