Fresno #1, Long Beach #2 on final regular season State Women's Volleyball Top 25

Fresno City College is the state's #1-ranked team to end regular season.
Fresno City College is the state's #1-ranked team to end regular season.
November 21, 2024

  

POSTSEASON FIELD IS SET BELOW!

NORTH REGIONAL PLAYOFF BRACKET

SOUTH REGIONAL PLAYOFF BRACKET

Fresno City College and Long Beach City College earned the #1 seeds for this weekend's start of the North and South Regional Playoffs, but it's the Rams who grab the #1 spot on the final regular season CCCWVCA State Top 25 Rankings. 

Fresno's (26-4) tougher overall schedule that included matches v. SoCal opponents and a current 19-match win streak has propelled it to its top perch. Fresno earned a first round bye as did the other top seven seeds in the NorCal Regionals.

With 20 teams overall advancing to the postseason in each region, Round 1 features eight matches, four in each region, between lower seeds on Saturday, Nov. 23. Round 2 is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 26, then the Round 3 regional finals on Saturday, Nov. 30.

Long Beach (21-1) was the South's best this season, just by a hair over #3-ranked San Diego Mesa (23-1). LBCC handed Mesa its only loss all season in a 5-set battle. It was #6 seed and 10th ranked Cerritos that gave the Vikings their only loss, allowing the two teams to be Co-South Coast Conference South Division champions with identical 7-1 league records.

SEASONED COACHES BRING BACK THE GLORY

Long-time Orange Coast head coach Chuck Cutenese directed his Pirates back to the winner's circle with the Orange Empire Conference title this week. Cutenese coached OCC to state championships in 2005, 2006, and 2009. The Pirates earned the #5 playoff seed in the South and jumped on to the state 10 at #9.

LA Mission head coach Nabil Mardini guided the Eagles to a great regular season as one of the state's most improved teams. Mardini was the architect of three consecutive state crowns between 2009-2012 when he coached LA Pierce. The #8-ranked Eagles grab the #4 South seed.

Shasta head coach Kelly Brazil, who is in her 30th year at the college, guided her squad to a school-record 26 victories. Twice, Shasta has advanced to the state tourney under her watch. The Knights are the North's #10 seed and #T25 state rated.

Palomar head coach Karl Seiler didn't win a conference title, but he directed the Comets to their best regular season since 2014. He coached Palomar to five regional finals from 1999-2009. Palomar is a seed #8 in the South and #14 state ranked.

As has been a tradition in the State Top 25, the final regular season rankings reflect the CCCWVCA final seedings. A final Top 25 will be released following the conclusion of the 3C2A State Championships to be played at Mt. San Antonio College on Dec. 6-8.

  1. FRESNO CITY, Central Valley, 26-4: The Rams' CVC win streak continues for another season, now at 192. The program's 17th straight Central Valley title is also part of the state's current longest win streak at 19 straight. FCC moved up one slot to take over the state's coveted #1 rank. NorCal #1 Seed; Last State Rank: #2
  2. LONG BEACH CITY, South Coast South, 21-1: The Vikings won their final seven matches, including a sweep over Cerritos, avenging their only loss this season. It allowed them to grab a share of the SCC South title, their first since 2018. Jubilee Allen was a State Player of the Week #13. LBCC climbs two spots and sealed its bragging rights in the South region. SoCal #1 Seed; Last State Rank: #4
  3. SAN DIEGO MESA, Pacific Coast Athletic, 23-1: The Olympians went undefeated at 16-0 to win their first PCAC crown in three years and are on a 14-match overall win streak. The defending 3C2A champs were but a few points of having a perfect regular season, but suffered its only loss v. Long Beach in five (16-14 fifth) on Sept. 20. The defending 3C2A state champs move up three positions. SoCal: #2 Seed; Last State Rank: #6
  4. AMERICAN RIVER, Big 8, 25-4: The Beavers used a reverse sweep, rallying from 0-2 down to beat Sierra in five as they are Co-Big 8 champs, winning for the first time since 2019. On a 10-match win streak, Kyla Powell was a State Player of the Week #13. ARC picked up a space. NorCal #2 Seed; Last State Rank: #5
  5. SAN JOAQUIN DELTA, Big 8, 25-4: While the Mustangs won four of their last five matches, a 4-set upset loss to unranked Cosumnes River left them out of the Big 8 title as they settle for third place. After occupying the #1 ranking from week #2 until now, Delta settles for a drop of four rungs on the ladder. NorCal #3 Seed; Last State Rank: #1
  6. SIERRA, Big 8, Big 8, 25-5: The Wolverines are Co-Big 8 champions but had a 9-match wins streak stopped by fellow co-champ American River in five sets (15-10). It is Sierra's first conference title in four years, but the RPI ripple effect has it slip three slots. NorCal #4 Seed; Last State Rank: #3
  7. MOORPARK, Western State North, 22-4: The Raiders close the regular season on a 10-match win streak in capturing the WSC North title, their third in the last four seasons, but first outright since 2019 (shared title in 2023, 2021). SoCal #3 Seed; Last State Rank: #7
  8. LA MISSION, Western State North, 25-4: The Eagles had an amazing regular season with a 9-win improvement from last year, placing second in the WSC North. All four of its losses were in five sets, twice v. Moorpark, one each v. Ventura and Santa Monica. SoCal #4 Seed; Last State Rank: #8
  9. ORANGE COAST, Orange Empire, 23-2: The Pirates won their last 13 matches to win their first OEC crown since 2009, which just happens to be the last time they won the state title. Jordan Packer was a was a State Player of the Week #13. OCC picks up two spaces. SoCal #5 Seed; Last State Rank: #11
  10. CERRITOS, South Coast South, 18-3: The Falcons captured their first conference title in 27 years as Co-SCC South champions. They had a 13-match win streak stopped by Long Beach. SoCal #6 Seed; Last State Rank: #10
  11. TAFT, Central Valley, 26-4: The Cougars' tremendous regular season and second place finish in the CVC saw its only regular season losses to strong teams in Fresno (twice), Delta, and SBCC. Taft flies up five ranks. NorCal #5 Seed; Last State Rank: #16
  12. FEATHER RIVER, Golden Valley, 26-7: The Golden Eagles extended their GVC win streak to 73 (haven't lost in league since 2016) for the program's 14th straight conference championship. FRC lost three spots. NorCal #6 Seed; Last State Rank: #9
  13. SANTA BARBARA CITY, Western State North, 19-7: The Vaqueros closed tied for third in the WSC North. The Vaqueros split matches v. Moorpark, Ventura and Bakersfield. SoCal #7 Seed; Last State Rank: #13
  14. PALOMAR, Pacific Coast, 18-5: The Comets have their best regular season in 10 years to finish in a 3-way tie for second in the PCAC. Five-set losses to SD Mesa and Cerritos and win over Grossmont shows Palomar as a tough foe for any playoff opponent. Palomar picks up a slot. SoCal Seed #8; Last State Rank: #15
  15. SANTA MONICA, Western State South, 18-8: The Corsairs placed second in the WSC South and they have victories over Moorpark and LA Mission, making them once again a difficult matchup for any team. SMC takes the elevator up two floors. SoCal #9 Seed; Last State Rank: #17
  16. MT. SAN ANTONIO, South Coast North, 19-7: The Mounties are Co-SCC North champions, their first title in two years. Mt. SAC has three wins v. quality WSC teams in SBCC, Santa Monica and Bakersfield but that was in August. Five-set losses to Grossmont and Long Beach shows the team could be dangerous in playoffs. Mt. SAC falls two positions. SoCal #10 Seed; Last State Rank: #14
  17. GROSSMONT, Pacific Coast Athletic, 19-8: The Griffins finished in a 3-way tie for second in the PCAC. A team that has victories this year over #1 Fresno, Feather River, and Moorpark can't be taken lightly in the postseason. Daisy Ekeya was a State Player of the Week #12. Grossmont had an altititude drop of five degrees. SoCal #11 Seed; Last Week's State Rank: #12
  18. SOLANO, Bay Valley, 26-5: The Falcons BVC streak is now at 70 matches in yet another undefeated run to the BVC title, the program's seventh in a row. Solano rock-climbed four posts. NorCal #7 Seed; Last State Rank: #22
  19. CANYONS, Western State South, 16-9: The Cougars recovered from a 5-7 start this season to win the WSC South title, the second in the last three years. COC descends just one spot. SoCal #12 Seed: Last State Rank: #18
  20. SAN MATEO, Coast South, 19-7: The Bulldogs settle for second place in the Coast South with a loss to West Valley on Nov. 8. A win over Sierra and a 5-set loss to American River early in the year shows CSM has an opportunity to make noise in postseason. San Mateo fell a space. NorCal #8 Seed; Last State Rank: #19
  21. SADDLEBACK, Orange Empire, 17-6: The Bobcats finish in second in the OEC and get help from RPI to jump on to the final regular season rankings. Sophie Vienna was a State Player of the Week #12. SoCal #13 Seed; Last State Rank: Unranked
  22. SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY, Inland Empire Athletic, 17-7: The Wolverines won their last six matches and are Co-IEAC champions for the second straight season. SBVC climbs a spot. SoCal #14 Seed; Last State Rank: #23
  23. VENTURA, Western State North, 15-9: Finishing tied for third in the WSC North, the Pirates have hung their hat on the strength of RPI in the entire 14-team Western State Conference. VC's best wins are v. LA Mission, Santa Barbara, and Canyons, pretty good victories either way. Ventura moves up a rank. SoCal #15 Seed; Last State Rank: #24
  24. BAKERSFIELD, Western State South, 16-10: The Renegades placed third in the WSC South, but won nine of their last 12, including splitting matches v. Santa Barbara and splitting 5-set battles v. conference champ Canyons. Bakersfield slid three spaces. SoCal #16 Seed; Last State Rank: #21
    T25. MERCED, Central Valley, 19-6:     The Blue Devils placed third in the CVC and also benefit from its RPI as they bolt on to the rankings. NorCal #9 Seed; Last State Rank: Unranked
     T25. SHASTA, Golden Valley, 26-8: The Knights place second in the GVC and celebrate one of their best regular seasons ever. NorCal #10 Seed; Last State Rank: Unranked
    T25. MIRACOSTA, Pacific Coast Athletic, 14-9:     The Spartans are part of the 3-way tie for second in the PCAC. They were 2-5 in non-conference play and the team's best wins were over Grossmont and Palomar, who they split matches with in conference play. SoCal #17 Seed; Last State Rank: #25

    BEST OF THE REST
    Mt. San Jacinto, Inland Empire Athletic, 17-9: The Eagles are Co-IEAC champs and have won the title in four of the past four seasons. SoCal #18 Seed
     Riverside City, Orange Empire, 17-9: The Tigers finished third in the OEC and has a win over Orange Coast under its belt. SoCal #19 Seed
    Pasadena City, South Coast North, 16-12: The Lancers used a 5-set win over Mt. San Antonio to be Co-SCC North champions, their first title in three years. PCC rallied from a 5-9 beginning to '24 to win 11 of its last 14 matches. SoCal #20 Seed; Last State Rank: #20
    Coalinga, Central Valley, 21-7: The Falcons finished fourth in the CVC. NorCal #11 Seed
    Hartnell, Coast North, 17-12: The Panthers won their last 10 matches and capture the Coast North crown for the second straight season. NorCal #12 Seed
     Cosumnes River, Big 8, 16-12: The Hawks had their biggest win in program history in upsetting Delta in four sets in their Big 8 final. They finished fourth in conference. NorCal #13 Seed
    West Valley, Coast South, 14-12: The Vikings made the biggest turnaround of any team, starting 2-9, then winning 12 of their final 15 to win the Coast South crown, the program's fifth in a row. Sophie Ehret was a State Player of the Week #12. NorCal #14 Seed
    Santa Rosa, Big 8, 13-16: The Bear Cubs place seventh in the Big 8. NorCal #15 Seed
     Ohlone, Coast South, 22-7: The Renegades took third in the Coast South. NorCal #16 Seed  
    Monterey Peninsula, Coast North, 15-6: The Lobos place second in the Coast North. NorCal #17 Seed
    Sequoias, Central Valley, 16-14: The Giants finish fifth in the CVC. NorCal #18 Seed
    Modesto, Big 8, 14-15: The Pirates took sixth in the Big 8. Six teams made it to the postseason from this conference. NorCal #19 Seed
    Los Medanos, Bay Valley, 15-15: The Mustangs get to .500 and take second in the BVC. NorCal #20 Seed
    Cypress, Orange Empire, 13-13: The Chargers got sweeps over Saddleback and Riverside and placed fourth in the OEC. They also participated in the NorCal-SoCal Showcase facing the likes of three of the state top 6. Cypress' reward? No postseason.
     Sacramento City, Big 8, 15-17: The Panthers finish fifth in the Big 8, but the math left them out of the field of 20.
    Cuesta, Western State North, 13-16: The Cougars finished tied for fifth in the WSC North. 
    Allan Hancock, Western State North, 13-10: The Bulldogs finish tied for fifth in the WSC North. 
    Las Positas, Coast North, 12-8: The Hawks finished third in the Coast North.  
    Desert, Inland Empire Athletic, 13-10: The Roadrunners placed third in the IEAC.
    Southwestern, Pacific Coast Athletic, 13-12: The Panthers finish fifth in the PCAC.

 Release and Rankings by Robert Lewis, CCCWVCA SID