MaxPreps Top 25 high school volleyball rankings

It was a busy week in the Xcellent 25 as eight teams dropped out and the previous No. 1 team — Assumption from Kentucky — lost twice and dropped to No. 24. But a team from Kentucky is still No. 1.

Mercy (Louisville, Ky.) started the week at No. 9, but doubled its win total to 14. The Jaguars took five wins in the prestigious Louisville Invitational, hosted by Assumption and featuring a half dozen teams ranked among the MaxPreps Top 50.

Mercy did not face Assumption, but beat No. 22 Mother McAuley (Chicago) in the semifinals and then topped Notre Dame Academy (Park Hills, Ky.), 23-25, 25-22, 25-15 to win the title. It was Mercy's first Louisville Invite title since 2008.

Notre Dame Academy beat Assumption in the semifinals to earn the right to face Mercy. Ranked in the Top 25 earlier this season, Notre Dame returns at No. 23.

McAuley handed Assumption its second loss of the day — and the season — on Saturday to place third. The Macs are ranked No. 20 this week. Assumption finished fourth and faces Mercy in a dual match on Tuesday.

While action in Louisville helped shape this week's Top 25, The Woodlands (Texas) ran its 2013 win streak to 24-0 and jumped from No. 6 to No. 2.

St. James (Lenexa, Kan.), Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.), New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.), Dike-New Hartford (Dike, Iowa), Boca Raton (Fla.) and Winter Park (Fla.) remained in the Top 10 that was rounded out by a pair of California teams – Los Alamitos and Corona Del Mar (Newport Beach).

Also new to the Top 25 this week are: New Castle (Ind.), Doherty (Colo.), Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Hillcrest (Simpsonville, S.C.), Bettendorf (Iowa) and Brentwood (Tenn.).

MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Volleyball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (9) Mercy (Louisville, Ky.), 14-0
Despite having only one senior of their roster, the Jaguars improved to 14-0 over the weekend with five victories in the prestigious Louisville Invitational. They play previous No. 1 Assumption (now No. 24) on Tuesday.

2. (6) The Woodlands (Texas), 24-0
The Highlanders beat 19-5 Clear Falls (League City, Texas) on Friday. They have lost just three games out of 56 in their 24 match victories this season. They host Katy (Texas) on Tuesday.

3. (2) St. James Academy (Lenexa, Kan.), 2-0
The Thunder opened their season with a pair of 2-0 wins. It's a big week for the Thunder as they meet No. 7 Dike-New Hartford (Dike, Iowa) and play in the MO-KAN tournament, featuring many of the top teams from Kansas and Missouri.

4. (4) New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.), 6-0
New Trier opened its season with a 2-0 win over Libertyville (Ill.) on Thursday, then swept five opponents to capture its own Summer's End Tournament.

5. (3) Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 1-0
The Huskies opened their season with a 3-0 win behind Tess Clark's 16 kills. They host Gilbert on Tuesday.

6. (7) Boca Raton (Fla.), 3-0
The Bobcats beat Ransom Everglades (Miami), 3-0, to run their win streak to 16. They host Olympic Heights (Boca Raton, Fla.) on Wednesday.

7. (8) Dike-New Hartford (Dike, Iowa), 6-0
The Wolverines opened the season with a 25-13, 25-11, 25-4 sweep over BCLUW, then swept the field at the Vinton-Shellsburg invitational to run their match winning streak to 70 over three seasons. They host Aplington-Parkersburg on Tuesday.

8. (9) Winter Park (Fla.), 6-0
Last week, the Wildcats beat Colonial (Orlando, Fla.), First Academy (Orlando, Fla.) and handed Lake Mary (Fla.) its first loss. They host University (Orange City, Fla.) on Tuesday.

9. (14) Los Alamitos (Calif.), 5-0
Los Alamitos beat previously-unbeaten Lakewood in the finals of the Lakewood Molten Classic on Monday. Next up for the Griffins is the Dave Mohs Tournament at Edison High School (Huntington Beach, Calif.) on Friday.

10. (NR) Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.), 1-0
Hayley Hodson had 26 kills as CDM opened with a 3-1 win over defending state champion Marymount. Hosts Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) on Wednesday.

11. (11) Dakota (Macomb, Mich.), 11-0
Off to an 11-0 start, Dakota has won 32 matches in a row. Carli Snyder has 90 kills and 77 digs and Megan Manierski is averaging 9.9 assists per game. Dakota hosts Marysville (Mich.) on Thursday.

12. (12) Lafayette (Wildwood, Mo.), 2-0
The Lancers beat St. Joseph's Academy (St. Louis) on Tuesday, 2-1, and Marquette on Wednesday, 2-0, to run their win streak at 51 matches over two seasons. They play at Howell (St. Charles, Mo.) on Tuesday.

13. (NR) New Castle (Ind.), 9-0
The Trojans, led by USC-recruit Lauryn Gillis and transfer Kiley Lingenfelter, are off to an impressive start. They host Greenfield-Central (Greenfield, Ind.) on Thursday.

14. (20) Churchill (San Antonio), 28-1
Churchill blanked Judson (Converse, Texas) and Incarnate Wood (San Antonio) last week. They host Madison (San Antonio) on Friday.

15. (NR) Doherty (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 3-0
Reigning state champions opened with 3-2 win over Grandview, then beat Ralston Valley, 3-0, and Heritage (Littleton, Colo.) to run their win streak to 32 straight. Doherty travels to Mesa Ridge (Colorado Springs) on Tuesday.

16. (NR) Bettendorf (Iowa), 5-0
The Bulldogs have yet to lose a game and take their winning streak to Davenport West (Iowa) on Tuesday.

17. (NR) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 1-0
The Monarchs opened the season with a 3-2 win over Redondo Beach (Calif.). They visit No. 10 Corona del Mar (Newport Beach) on Tuesday.

18. (NR) Hillcrest (Simpsonville, S.C.), 19-0
Led by junior setters Victoria Dierickx (168 assists) and Kaylon Amick (228 assists), the Rams have run their win streak to 32 matches. They host Westside (Anderson, S.C.) on Wednesday.

19. (NR) Brentwood (Tenn.), 22-0
The Bruins, who have won 51 of their 54 games this season, visit Independence (Thompson Station, Tenn.) on Tuesday.

20. (22) Mother McAuley (Chicago), 11-2
The Macs went 4-1 in finishing third in the Louisville Invitational, losing only to tournament champion Mercy in the semifinals. In the third place game, they beat previous No. 1 Assumption.

21. (23) Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.), 0-0
The reigning state 3A champions (35-7) host Gardner-Edgerton (Gardner, Kan.) on Sept. 5.

22. (24) Carmel (Ind.), 10-1
Since losing to Sacred Heart (Louisville, Ky.), the Greyhounds have blanked seven foes. They host a pair of Indianapolis rivals on Tuesday (Ben Davis) and Wednesday (Brebeuf Jesuit Prep).

23. (NR) Notre Dame Academy (Park Hills, Ky.), 9-2
The Pandas took second in the Louisville Invitational, falling (23-25, 25-20, 25-14) in the finals to unbeaten and No. 1 Mercy. They host 12-1 Ryle (Union, Ky.) on Thursday. Ryle has lost only to Assumption (2-1) this season.

24. (1) Assumption (Louisville, Ky.), 10-2
After the Rockets beat Sacred Heart 3-0 to run their winning streak to 19, they placed fourth in their Louisville invite this weekend with a 3-2 record. Assumption defeated Kentucky teams Paul Dunbar and Ryle, then lost in the semis to Notre Dame (Park Hills, Ky.) and McAuley (Chicago) to finish fourth. The Rockets play No. 1 Mercy on Tuesday.

25. (5) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 4-1
The Monarchs opened the season by going 4-1 in the Milpitas Spikefest. They beat Silver Creek, Mountain View, Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) and Presentation (San Jose) and lost 2-0 to 5-1 Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco). The Monarchs play on Saturday at Santa Barbara.

Dropped Out
No. 13 Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
No. 15 Lakeville North (Minn)
No. 16 Notre Dame Prep (Pontiac, Mich.)
No. 17 Wapahani (Selma, Ind.)
No. 18 Coppell (Texas)
No. 19 Punahou (Honolulu)
No. 21 Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.)
No. 25 Cedar Park (Texas)