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Marquette takes top spot in boys volleyball rankings after Brookfield Clash victory

michael whitlow, milwaukee journal sentinel
·3 min read
Marquette outside hitter Miles Von Rueden (1) and the Hilltoppers won the Brookfield Clash, defeating Appleton North in the title match.
Marquette outside hitter Miles Von Rueden (1) and the Hilltoppers won the Brookfield Clash, defeating Appleton North in the title match.

AREA RANKINGS

School (W-L), last week

  1. Marquette (8-3), 3

  2. Arrowhead (10-1), 1

  3. Catholic Memorial (6-2), 2

  4. Germantown (8-4), 5

  5. Franklin (10-4), 6

  6. Pewaukee (2-1), 9

  7. Waukesha Fusion (4-0), 10

  8. Wauwatosa East (4-4), 4

  9. Kettle Moraine (4-5), 8

  10. South Milwaukee United (3-0), —

Others considered: Brookfield Central (4-6), Brookfield East (6-6), Cedarburg (6-9), Homestead (3-2), Mukwonago (0-1), New Berlin United (6-5), Nicolet (7-4), Sussex Hamilton (1-2), Waukesha West (3-5) and Westosha Central (1-0)

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Marquette

There's a new No. 1 team in this week's area boys volleyball rankings. The 2021 state champions roared back in a big way from their third-place finish at the Kettle Moraine Invite with a 5-0 run to the Brookfield Clash title last weekend. Marquette cruised past Pius (25-14, 25-16) and Kenosha Indian Trail (25-18, 25-13) in pool play and then defeated 2022 state champion Catholic Memorial in a sweep (25-18, 25-19) in play-in action to qualify for the yellow championship bracket. The Hilltoppers then defeated Arrowhead in a two-game sweep and state-wide No. 2 Appleton North in the final to take home the crown. If you're keeping track, Marquette beat the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the state (from the Week 1 coaches poll) in three straight matches. Not too bad.

COMING UP

South Milwaukee United at Pewaukee, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday: In terms of the Woodland Conference title, this matchup features two teams who could be in the thick of the title race toward the end of the season. The two programs have combined to win five of their first six matches this year and this is a vital one for both teams early in the campaign.

Arrowhead at Kettle Moraine, 7 p.m. Wednesday: The Lasers can send quite a message with conference matches starting to kick into high gear. It's no secret how competitive the Classic 8 is, and for the home side to keep up with the powers in the conference, this is a huge chance for the Lasers to pick up a key victory in September.

Germantown at Wauwatosa East, 7 p.m. Thursday: Marquette entered this season as the Greater Metro Conference title favorites once again, but these two teams won't make it easy for the Hilltoppers to capture the crown. The Warhawks and Red Raiders went a combined 4-5 in the rugged Brookfield Clash last weekend. The schedule doesn't get any easier for either side with this matchup.

Marquette at Sussex Hamilton, 7 p.m. Thursday: Speaking of the new No. 1 team in the area (and the state), it heads to Sussex to face the Chargers in a nice challenge for the Hilltoppers following last weekend. Tournament action has been kind to the Hilltoppers with eight victories in nine total matches spanning the Kettle Moraine Invite and the Brookfield Clash victory. This is a good test for both programs.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette rises to No. 1 in boys volleyball rankings after Clash win