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Once again Omaha Marian takes the top spot as Nebraska's most dominant volleyball program. The Crusaders, who have played in seven state finals since 2008, winning five of them, outdistanced all of Class A and the rest of the field to take the top prize with 353 points.
Papillion-LaVista South finished a distant second with 271 points, 82 points behind Omaha Marian, after securing three state titles in six tries since 2008. Class C1 power Kearney Catholic was the first school below Class A to jump into this week's Top 10, grabbing the third spot with 246 out of a possible 450 points. The Stars were crowned state champion four times in six state final appearances over the last decade.
Grand Island Northwest and Papillion-LaVista round out the Top 5 this week in fourth and fifth respectively after winning two state titles between them. Northwest finished as Class B's runner-up five times, while the Monarchs took second once.
Classes C2 and D1 did not land a program in the Top 10. But they were well represented. Hartington Cedar Catholic, who won the Class C2 state championship in 2012, was the highest ranked Class C2 club, earning a No. 25 ranking with 69 points. Giltner was the Top Class D1 program, claiming the No. 20 spot with 76 points after winning state titles in 2008, 2013 and 2014.
MaxPreps has developed its own system in determining which volleyball programs compete at the highest level over an extended period of time. Here is how points are accumulated:
1. 20 points for a state title
2. 10 points for finishing as a state runner-up
3. Other points are based on a team's Top 25 standing in the final MaxPreps Nebraska Computer Rankings. For instance, if a school claimed the top spot, it received 25 points, while a No. 25 ranking is good for one point.
Most dominant Nebraska volleyball teams over the past decade
1. Marian (Omaha) — 353 pointsState titles: 5
Runner-ups: 2
Top 25 state rankings: 2008 (6), 2009 (1), 2010 (2), 2011 (4), 2012 (2), 2013 (3), 2014 (2), 2015 (1), 2016 (5), 2017 (1).
2. Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion) — 271 pointsState titles: 3
Runner-ups: 3
Top 25 state rankings: 2008 (12), 2009 (2), 2010 (1), 2011 (1), 2012 (1), 2014 (14), 2015 (6), 2016 (9), 2017 (7).
3. Kearney Catholic — 246 pointsState titles: 4
Runner-ups: 2
Top 25 state rankings: 2008 (13), 2009 (15), 2010 (16), 2011 (15), 2012 (3), 2013 (8), 2014 (3), 2015 (3), 2016 (12).
4. Northwest (Grand Island) — 222 pointsState titles: 1
Runner-ups: 5
Top 25 state rankings: 2008 (4), 2009 (14), 2010 (11), 2011 (14), 2012 (4), 2013 (1), 2015 (9), 2016 (7), 2017 (18).
5. Papillion-LaVista (Papillion) — 209 pointsState titles: 1
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2008 (1), 2009 (10), 2010 (8), 2011 (23), 2012 (18), 2013 (6), 2014 (1), 2015 (8), 2016 (2), 2017 (4).
6. Scotus (Columbus) — 203 pointsState titles: 3
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2008 (3), 2009 (3), 2010 (14), 2011 (3), 2012 (5), 2013 (17), 2014 (15), 2015 (15).
7. Skutt Catholic (Omaha) — 192 pointsState titles: 3
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2010 (24), 2011 (12), 2013 (13), 2014 (6), 2015 (2), 2016 (1), 2017 (2).
8. Pius X (Lincoln) — 172 points State titles: 2
Runner-ups: 0
Top 25 state rankings: 2008 (2), 2009 (12), 2010 (9), 2011 (2), 2012 (9), 2013 (4), 2016 (24), 2017 (14).
9. Grand Island Central Catholic — 158 pointsState titles: 1
Runner-ups: 3
Top 25 state rankings: 2008 (7), 2009 (5), 2010 (5), 2011 (13), 2015 (18), 2016 (17), 2017 (9).
10. Exeter-Milligan (Exeter) — 142 pointsState titles: 5
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2010 (13), 2012 (24), 2015 (12), 2017 (23).
