IHSAA girls Volleyball Fab 15: Roncalli, Zionsville biggest movers after August

We finished out August with some statewide high school volleyball rankings; we're starting September with an updated Central Indiana Fab 15.

1. Hamilton Southeastern (11-0)

Previous rank (preseason): 1

Two big wins over the weekend for the Royals, who went up to Fort Wayne and beat Bellmont and FW Carroll in straight sets (both matches were competitive). Florida-bound senior Lauren Harden, who's up for Player of the Week, became the second player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career kills. HSE has a 4A finals rematch vs. Yorktown on Tuesday, followed by the Mudsock game vs. Fishers on Thursday.

Kills, digs and aces: Vote for IHSAA volleyball players of the week (Aug. 28-Sept. 2)

2. Roncalli (13-2)

PR: 4

It was a massive week for the Royals, who knocked off Cathedral in four sets Tuesday, then strung together sweeps of Guerin, Franklin, Fishers and Providence at the Early Bird Invite before beating Cathedral again Saturday. They have one match this week — a Tuesday trip to Center Grove. Junior Mackenzie Kruer was hitting .368 through her first 29 sets; Aly Kirkhoff was at 120 digs entering the weekend.

3. Cathedral (10-3)

PR: 2

The Irish had a season-worst 21 errors and hit .183 — their lowest hit% since the opener vs. North Central — in that 3-1 loss to Roncalli. They bounced back with sweeps of Silver Creek and Providence, before losing to Roncalli again in the finale.

4. Zionsville (11-0)

PR: 9

The Eagles looked superb in their first significant test of the season, sweeping past Westfield, 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-11). Their schedule through the first month wasn't quite as tough as a lot of the other teams on this list, but it did allow them time to get healthy. Senior Boston College commit Isabelle Poehelein returned from injury last week (she had not played since the opener vs. McCutcheon), and played her first match with junior Mya Cunningham at setter. Zionsville should continue trending up in September.

5. Center Grove (11-2)

PR: NR

The Trojans stumbled against Cathedral a couple weeks ago, but rebounded with quality wins over Plainfield, Carmel and Franklin. They went 3-1 over the weekend with another win over Franklin and the loss coming against Providence. Junior hitter Ellen Zapp has over 100 kills and is hitting .280.

Big week upcoming for Center Grove, which hosts Roncalli on Tuesday before traveling to Perry Meridian on Thursday.

6. North Central (14-4)

PR: 3

Three of the Panthers' losses (Cathedral, Perry Meridian and Plainfield) came in best-of-three tournament matches. They have wins over Brownsburg and Mt. Vernon, and added another quality win Saturday at the NC Invitational with a triumph over Perry Meridian. North Central should be able to add another trio of wins (Lawrence Central, Ben Davis and Pike) before hosting Carmel on Sept. 19.

7. Brownsburg (7-5)

PR: 7

The Bulldogs began putting things together late in the month. The loss to Benton Central on Aug. 26 was decided in four sets (14-25, 25-20, 25-23, 27-25), and was followed by wins over Mt. Vernon and Franklin Central. Brownsburg has a critical five-match swing upcoming with Brebeuf, Avon, Yorktown, Carmel and Center Grove between Wednesday and Sept. 12.

8. Brebeuf Jesuit (7-5)

PR: 6

It's tough to get a read on the Braves, who tested themselves against a daunting August lineup, but they've won the matches they were favored in and lost to some of the state's powerhouses, including a 3-0 decision last week at HSE. They have road games at Mt. Vernon and Brownsburg before entering another daunting stretch with Roncalli, Center Grove and Cathedral lined up over a seven-day stretch.

9. Westfield (7-5)

PR: 8

The Rocks' losses have all come against quality competition, with setbacks vs. Yorktown, Cathedral, Belmont, FW Concordia Lutheran and Zionsville. They bounced back from last week's loss to the Eagles with a sweep of Guerin Catholic on Saturday, and will host New Castle before taking on Noblesville (Thursday) and HSE (Saturday). Setter Lilly Stanton has 177 assists with 11 errors on 563 attempts; Chloe Sutake is hitting .429 with 58 kills — second-most on the team.

10. Greenfield-Central (12-1)

PR: NR

The Cougars picked up their best wins of the season last week, sweeping past rival New Palestine, before going 2-1 at the Shondell Family Invite with a win over previously unbeaten Muncie Burris. Of note: Mya Grigsby had 154 kills (.384 hit%), 123 digs and 12 blocks entering the weekend.

11. Mt. Vernon (8-4)

PR: NR

The Marauders have rebounded nicely from a 1-2 start. Most recently: They picked four-set wins over Pendleton Heights and Delta with a five-set loss to Brownsburg sandwiched in between. Mt. Vernon has a brutal week ahead: Brebeuf, Yorktown and Zionsville. Ava Whitmore has 315 assists (8.1 per set) with only seven ball-handling errors at setter.

12. Western Boone (7-2)

PR: 15

The Stars hit .333 as a team through the first month of the season, a run which featured matches against Hamilton Heights, Mt. Vernon and Zionsville. Raegan Durbin accounts for over half of WeBo's kills (169 of 324; .413 hit%) and has a team-high 72 digs. Alayna Christner and Emmerson Gott both have 24 kills on the year.

13. Franklin (7-4)

PR: 12

The Grizzly Cubs were 6-0 following Tuesday's match against Perry Meridian, but the schedule from there matched them against Center Grove twice, Roncalli, Silver Creek and Fishers. They went 1-4 over that stretch, with three losses coming Saturday in Providence. Scarlett Kimbell and Rose Mahin both have over 100 kills this season, with Kimbrell hitting .311. Kennedy Urban has already cleared the 300-assist mark.

14. Hamilton Heights (11-3)

PR: NR

The Huskies carry a three-match win streak into Tuesday's match vs. Zionsville. All 11 of their wins so far have come via sweep, while the losses have come against WeBo, Mt. Vernon and New Palestine. Sophomore Macie Smith has 174 kills and a .317 hit%, plus 31 total blocks, senior Lauren Lewis has piled up 102 kills, and Ellie Miller and Sierra Bramel have combined for 358 assists. Kennedy Cherry has 175 digs with just six errors on 155 attempts.

t-15. Lapel (8-2)

PR: NR

The Bulldogs' two losses, against Eastern Hancock and Pendleton Heights, both went the distance, while their wins include six sweeps. The senior-heavy squad is led on the attack by Lauren Paska (140 kills, .340 hit%) and Elizabeth Stern (80 kills, .329 hit%). Junior Karlie Jannings has 308 assists.

t-15. Noblesville (5-2)

PR: 10

Tough week for the Millers, who suffered a four-set loss to Lawrence North on Wednesday, then failed to put away Fishers and lost in five on Thursday. Tigers senior Lucy Kay caught fire against the short-handed Millers, picking up 20 kills and hitting .444. Noblesville senior Aubrey Stitcher had 92 kills through her first 26 sets.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana girls volleyball rankings: Roncalli, Zionsville rise in Fab 15