Each week volleyball coaches from each class across the state submit their rankings and our Tony Chapman compiles them. Here is the ninth in-season Volleyball Coaches Poll (10-23-23) for 2023 season, presented by Pinnacle Bank. Records listed are through games played on Saturday, Oct. 21. This will be the final poll before the state tournament which begins on Wednesday, Nov. 1 in Lincoln.
CLASS A
- Papillion-La Vista South (33-1), 1
- Lincoln Southwest (28-4), 2
- Lincoln East (25-10), 3
- Papillion-La Vista (23-14), 6
- Omaha Westside (23-10), 4
- Grand Island (24-8), 5
- Millard West (20-12), 7
- Lincoln Pius X (21-10), 8
- Bellevue West (27-9), 10
- Gretna (24-12), 9
Receiving votes: none.
Ratings comments: Lincoln Southwest won the HAC Tournament and stays second, but the big mover is Papillion-La Vista who jumps from sixth to fourth after winning the Metro Conference tournament over Omaha Westside and defeating No. 1 Papillion-La Vista South in the semifinals. Districts begin on Tuesday.
CLASS B
- Omaha Skutt (21-13), 1
- Norris (29-3), 2
- Elkhorn North (25-7), 3
- Bennington (26-6), 4
- Waverly (21-9), 5
- Gretna East (24-9), 6
- Crete (21-12), 7
- Scottsbluff (23-9), 8
- Northwest (19-12), 9
- Seward (24-7), 10
Receiving votes: Beatrice (18-10), RV; Gering (19-9), NR; Omaha Duchesne Academy (15-11), NR.
Ratings comments: Not a lot of games here to review in the final week of the season. Skutt cruised to the River Cities Conference title, while Norris took a 3-1 win over Lincoln Lutheran to end the season. Sub-districts are Tuesday and Wednesday before Saturday’s district final round.
CLASS C-1
- Minden (31-0), 1
- Gothenburg (29-2), 2
- Kearney Catholic (27-2), 3
- Platteview (22-7), 5
- GICC (23-3), 4
- DC West (25-4), 6
- Malcolm (24-4), 7
- Syracuse (24-7), 8
- Hastings Adams Central (21-6), 9
- Pierce (27-3), RV
Receiving Votes: Ogallala (24-9), 10; Wahoo (22-10), RV.
Ratings comments: Pierce replaces Ogallala in the final regular season poll in a class that is very strong all top-to-bottom. Gothenburg has lost to Minden twice, but took a set in the Southwest Conference tournament. Platteview jumps past GICC this week.
CLASS C-2
- Lincoln Lutheran (30-2), 1
- Clarkson/Leigh (29-1), 2
- Yutan (23-3), 5
- Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family (26-5), 3
- Oakland-Craig (26-6), 4
- Elmwood-Murdock (23-5), 7
- Fremont Bergan (23-10), 6
- Freeman (22-5), 8
- Bayard (28-0), 9
- Stanton (22-8), 10
Receiving votes: Thayer Central (25-3), NR; Hastings St. Cecilia (20-11), RV.
Ratings comments: This late in the season, sometimes teams get analyzed a bit more. Yutan, undefeated in Class C-2, jumps to No. 3 this week. Elmwood-Murdock jumps past Bergan after a win over Freeman. Still no room for Bayard to jump or Thayer Central to get in the ratings.
CLASS D-1
- Southwest (26-3), 3
- West Point Guardian Angels Central Catholic (22-5), 1
- Amherst (21-7), 2
- Sumner-Eddyville-Miller (24-4), 4
- O’Neill St. Mary’s (27-1), 5
- Elgin Public/Pope John (24-5), 6
- Bruning-Davenport/Shickley (24-4), 7
- Nebraska Christian (22-6), 8
- Johnson-Brock (21-6), 9
- Deshler (25-3), 10
Receiving votes: Burwell (21-7), RV; Pleasanton (20-9), RV.
Ratings comments: This class has been musical chairs of late and Southwest will take the top ranking into the postseason after winning the RPAC Tournament, coupled with GACC’s loss to Pierce in the Mid-States final.
CLASS D-2
- Overton (27-2), 1
- Cambridge (23-4), 2
- Wynot (22-6), 3
- Stuart (24-4), 4
- Meridian (21-5), 5
- Wallace (26-3), 6
- Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer (20-9), RV
- Shelton (20-9), 7
- Central Valley (20-8), 8
- Leyton (24-6), 9
Receiving votes: Howells-Dodge (15-12), RV; Sandhills/Thedford (23-6), 10.
Ratings comments: Overton lost to Class C-1, No. 3 Kearney Catholic and Cambridge to Class D-1, No. 1 Southwest but are not penalized. Meridian won the Crossroads Tournament, but then lost to HTRS which brings them into the rankings at No. 7 and drops Shelton, Central Valley and Leyton.
