SAINT CLOUD Albany and ROCORI are ranked in the latest Class 2A and 3A Polls from the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association.
Both teams had an impressive September, though both also lost two matches recently in the Midwest Volleyball Warehouse Showcase. Albany (20-2) went 5-2 last week and swept its most recent opponent, Little Falls (0-10-1), on Tuesday. ROCORI (9-7) hasn't lost a set in two matches since losing 2-0 on Sept. 14 to both No. 10 St. Peter and No. 4 Byron.
The Spartans dropped two spots in the Class 3A rankings to No. 8 and Albany fell out of the top position to No. 3. The Huskies were the last undefeated team in Class 2A before their ranked losses and they still received four first-place votes. Belle Plaine (9-4) took over the top position in the class with seven votes, followed by No. 2 Chatfield (14-3).
Led by a host of seniors, Albany plays Pequot Lakes (12-5) at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday at home and the Huskies have won three matches in straight sets since their second loss of the season. The Eagles were the first team left out of the top ten poll. Albany's losses came last Friday and Saturday, falling 2-1 to both No. 9 Legacy Christian (10-4) and No. 5 Hawley (13-5). The Lions and Nuggets are just the fifth and sixth teams to even record a set win against the Huskies and both received boosts in the poll after the wins.
To close the showcase tournament in Burnsville, Albany swept previous No. 9 Redwood Valley (14-5) and current No. 10 Southwest Christian (8-8). Pequot Lakes is the first match in a five-contest homestand, including Granite Ridge Conference opponents Pierz (5-10) and Foley (8-9). The Huskies lead the conference and are followed by Pequot Lakes, Milaca (9-4) in third, St. Cloud Cathedral (4-11) in fourth, Foley in fifth, Pierz in sixth and Little Falls in seventh.
Huskies and Spartans are top performers: POLL: St. Cloud Times announces athlete of the week nominations September 15-21
Athlete of the week poll: POLL: St. Cloud Times announces athlete of the week nominations September 15-21
Volleyball players to know: The 22 St. Cloud-area high school volleyball players to know entering the 2024 season
ROCORI could likely improve its standing in the polls with wins next week. The Spartans play Cathedral next Monday and on Oct. 3 they travel to Class 3A No. 6 Alexandria (11-8). The Cardinals are currently tied with Sauk Rapids-Rice and Willmar for lead the Central Lakes Conference with just one loss to St. Cloud Tech (10-7-1). ROCORI is in fourth place with three conference losses followed by Tech and Sartell-St. Stephen (6-8) tied for fifth, Fergus Falls (3-10) in seventh, Detroit Lakes (7-9) in eighth, Brainerd (5-12) in ninth and St. Cloud Apollo (2-8) in 10th.
Alex is already one of the Spartans' CLC losses, needing five sets to bet ROCORI back on Sept. 3. The team dropped three two more consecutive matches in that stretch, getting swept by Sauk Rapids and losing 3-2 to Willmar on Sept. 12. The Spartans are 5-2 since then.
Contact reporter Reid Glenn at rglenn@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Albany and ROCORI still ranked after dropping spots in latest MNVBCA poll
Local News
Comments / 0