American River tops first CCCWVCA State Top 25 Rankings
With victories over the past two state champions in women's volleyball, American River College (4-0) stands at the top of the opening 2022 CCCWVCA State Top 25 Rankings.
The Big 8 Conference's ARC defeated last year's state champ Fresno City in four sets on Sept. 2 after starting the season with a 5-set triumph over current #2-rated Feather River. The perennial Golden Valley Conference champions lead the state in victories at 8-1. The Central Valley Conference's dynamo Fresno (3-1) settled for #3 in the ranking and swept #7 West Valley, last year's state runner-up.
Like last season, the South Region is full of solid teams, but the one that stood out in the opening two weeks as the region's top squad at #4 is Western State North Division giant Ventura. The Pirates upped their record to 5-0 with sweeps over #6 San Diego Mesa, #11 Pasadena City, and unranked Bakersfield, a team that earned the top region seed in 2021.
The WSC continues to show strength with Moorpark at #5 and College of the Canyons #10 (South Division). The Big 8 Conference has always impressed and had five teams reach the top 25 including #9 San Joaquin Delta. The Orange Empire Conference has four teams on the rankings led by Irvine Valley at #8.
This week's wild card is the emergence of #23 Santa Ana, making a rare Top 25 appearance after many years finishing in the bottom half of the OEC standings.
Click the link below for the entire Top 25 with notes and current region rankings
Rankings/Release by Robert Lewis, CCCWVCA SID