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I'm a misplaced Texan....specifically Boerne! Was and am a loyal fan of the Boerne Volleyball team. They have a great coach and a bunch of hardworking, talented student athletes. Glad to see they are ranked high in the State. Barring any injuries, like they had last year, this could be the year they go all the way. Go Greyhounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Jim, Las Vegas, Nv.

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Churchill is #1. They have played in all the top tourney's and won. What's the deal? - Priscilla, San Antonio

Editor's note: As we wrote a couple of weeks ago, we were ready to move Churchill into the #1 spot after Stratford lost. But Churchill's loss to Boerne opened the door for Clear Creek, which has done nothing in the past few weeks to make us think they don't deserve to keep their #1 ranking.

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I want to thank lonestarvolleyball.com for doing just an incredible job. Although I am a die hard Arlington Lamar fan, I feel that your rankings are very fair. But I am most impressed with the timeliness of your information and updates. Keep up the great work!
MJ -Arlington

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Hi. I just wanted to say that yes, I am a parent of one of the girls on your players to watch. I don't know squat about volleyball, just like to watch. I have noticed that Clear Creek, the Number 1 team in the state and now Number 4 in the nation has no one on the Top 12 list. I have noticed in the papers and stuff that it seems to be a lot about how many kills and not about how many kills on how many swings and also how many hitters you have on your team. Clear Creek, having 3 hitters, 2 outsides Mandy Rupert and Courtney Cherry and our RS Tiffany Baker and one MB Ashley Ripple with quite a few every game, our hits are so spread which is what makes us so good but not as much recognition for the awesome sluggers we have. I would be willing to bet that Tiffany Baker who got Outstanding Hitter in the Cy-Fair Tournamnet has one of the best Hitting Percentages in the Nation. Well, just from a Clear Creek Mom who would like to see our girls up there. Oh and by the way we have shut down 3 or 4 girls on that list.
E-mail from Houston

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Well, hopefully after last weekend Clear Creek has put to rest any doubts about who is number one in the Area. It's all real good competition and Creek is just staying mentally tough and fighting all the way. In the semi finals and the final game with the setting of DeeDee Stickland and the awesome hitting of the tournaments Outstanding Hitter Tiffany Baker along with the rest of that fine group they hung in and took care of business. Clear Creek is not afraid to go 3 tough games or to be down and fight back. Good Luck Creek. What an awesome group. rl - Houston

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How are the rankings determined? The Arlington High Colt volleyball team has met Amarillo twice this season and defeated them both times yet Amarillo is ranked considerably higher than Arlington. Martin is ranked above Arlington as well though we placed higher than they did in the Katrinka Jo Crawford tournament. Though we have alot of room for improvement I feel certain that we have the team to get us into state playoffs if the girls keep working the way they have been. Just curious how the ranks were made? Kathy - Arlington

Editor's note: This is easily the most common question we get. "How can we rank someone over a team they've lost to?" Here's how it works: The rankings are updated every Tuesday. We compile our data by watching teams play, evaluating results and from interviews with a variety of sources. The rankings reflect our opinions on which teams are currently playing the best. We took a lot of heat for ranking Clear Creek above Stratford last week even though Stratford had beaten Creek earlier in the year. But after watching both teams over the prior week and after talking to coaches, we felt that Creek was playing better than Stratford (the results of the past week would seem to justify that decision). It's the same with Amarillo, Arlington and Martin. After watching those teams at Pearland, we (and several observers) felt Martin and Amarillo were playing better than Arlington at the time we compiled the rankings. Finally, for those who have asked, strength of schedule is important. A great record that doesn't include any victories over a ranked opponent is not considered as impressive as a lesser record compiled from a schedule heavy with ranked teams.

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I have some advice for the people who do your rankings: Get A Clue! How can you rank Clear Creek over Stratford? As I remember, Stratford beat Clear Creek earlier this year. And it will happen again this weekend. MSW - Houston

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Wow, what a pleasure it was to watch Lindsay Osco in action this past weekend at the Pearland Tournament. Not only are her volleyball skills top notch, but her attitude and leadership skills were phenomenal. I was really impressed with her and the way she conducts herself on the court. Someone did a great job in bringing up this young lady and it really shows. Good Luck to you Lindsay, I can only see bigger and better things in your future. Louise - Deer Park

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Came onto this site today (9/10). Great stuff. The top 20 for all schools is nice to see and have to agree with most of it since it's usually hard to do those anyway. Keep up the good work. I have this site bookmarked! Pooch - Dallas

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I am sure you get a lot of comments. How about Klein for consideration as a bubble team in the rankings. They are 10-3 with wins over Cy Fair, Cy Falls and Langham Creek. Losses have been to Kingwood and Cy Creek both in 3. We will see this week when they go up against Stratford in the Kingwood Tourney. Jim - Houston

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I would like to congratuate our team on winning the Northwest Tournament. We beat a tough and talented Hereford team in the final that could have gone either way. In the semis we beat Longview Pine Tree along the way we beat Buda Hays and San Marcos. We are doing this with 2 seniors. Also would like to say for poeple to watch out for Torie Dacus (#2) and Laurie Burrows (#3), both juniors. Also watch out for Kelly Fletcher (#11). the Hereford team in region one should also be tough and have several great players. Longview Pine Tree is going to be tough again. I would love to hear from other high volleyball fans at kgt1310@aol.com. By the way your site is great. — Kelly, Red Oak's #1 fan.

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How is Deer Park not ranked when they had an 8-0 record when this ranking was done and they had beaten Cypress Springs in the championship of the Katy tournament? Other teams ranked in this poll have a losing record. Who does your rankings? — e-mail from Houston

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Hey I know Elkins supposedly only has Lindsey Osco, but she has help at the net with Jessica Williams, sophomore MB. This girl blocks with the best of them and bring little heat also. She also plays for Houston Juniors and help the 15's to go to Nationals. I believe they are still a top 20 team and are going to surprise some teams. Go Knights! — Shirley, Houston

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Hi. I am Colby's Mom. She played an outstanding tournament in Duncanville, and led all kills for the Colts. Colby received the most valuable hitter award in this prestigious tournament. If the Colts had won the tournament she would have been named most valuable player. In the players to watch I feel she at least should have been listed. There are many outstanding players and I realize you cannot list them all, but Colby deserves to be recognized for her hard work in club and in school play. I know I am just a tad biased, but I felt the need to say my piece. — Anne from Arlington

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Hey! I'm so glad that somebody finally noticed the Lady Vikings from Arlington Lamar. You have them rated at #16 in the pre-season poll. With both Martin and Arlington High in our district, getting noticed by the press hasn't been easy.

Here's some LHS stuff you may not know...
1. Back-to-back Regional Quarter Finals. Beat 6 District champions along the way, including San Antonio Clark at the Duncanville Tournament last year. 3 starters returning from that team.
2. Several club players with solid experience and top 16 finishes at both Davis (strong California tournament) and Nationals in recent years. 3 sophomores and 1 freshman from the TAV 15's team that finished 9th at Nationals this summer.
3. 2 Seniors with verbal Division I commitments. Lauren Peterson - Wake Forrest and Mary Shaw - UConn.
4. Strong pre-season schedule...Duncanville Tournament and Frauleinfest in New Braunfels.

The Lady Vikes will be tested early. Look for a VERY strong run through the playoffs!!! Until they win it on the court, Lamar will always be chasing Arlington and Martin. When we catch them, it will not be a fluke. Thanks for noticing the potential. - Greg

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DO you really think Elkins should be on the bubble, one player doesn't complete the team..... thanks. - e-mail from Houston

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I have been to the website, and I think so far, so good. The only thing that I really can think of right now, about your Texas top 20, is that Hereford seems to be ranked a little too high, and that Friendswood should be in the top 20 at least. They only lost 2 starter (both who are replaceable). They made it to the regional semifinals last year before losing to Magnolia in 3 games. They even went 3 games with Dickinson (State semifinalist) last year. They will be tough this year, and should go to state.

Also keep an eye on Elkins, they may not go to state, but they should be fairly decent. They lost 5 starters including Blair Moon, but they return Lindsay Osco, arguably the best OH in the state of texas. They will just have to mix it up to be successful this year. I would not be suprised if they meet Clear Creek in the regional Semifinals again this year. - e-mail from Houston

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Great web site! Very complete in all areas of Texas junior VB, and a very attractive site. Congratulations on your first "issue". - D.C., San Antonio

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Thanks for recognizing St. Michael's Academy in your preseason rankings. Too many people assume because it's a private school that the team is not very good or hasn't faced good competition. Thanks for doing your homework and noticing that neither is true about the Lady Crusaders. Of course, polls are just that and we will have to see how the season goes to see how St. Mikes ends up. Watch for upcoming stories on Myanna Hellsten and Michael Faulkner on Rollshot.com - e-mail from Austin

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I went to Dickinson High School last year and was the manager for the varsity volleyball team (State Semifinalists). I saw Santa Fe play 4-5 times last year, and even though they lost 2 starters, they have not missed a beat. Also, good job with Channelview and Friendswood, all of these teams are in our district, and it is because of them that we have the toughest district in 4A volleyball. - e-mail from Houston.

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