Houston Stratford is hoping for yet another trip to San Marcos, but the Spartans face plenty of competition in the very balanced Houston area. Pictured from left are (front row) Sarah Grace, Lauren Williams, Julia Swanson; (middle row) Kristin Whanger, Megan Martin, Susanne Shannon, Hayley Ball, Jill Swanson, Megan Mullane; (back row) Amy Moore, Haley Hobbs, Sarah Agnich, Heather Bartell and Jennifer Taylor.

The Texas Top 20

By Scott White
Editor

September 21 – These are the dog days of the season. Except for the weekly Houston turmoil (and even that is mild compared to earlier in the season), very little is happening.

As a result, once again there is not a lot of movement in this week's rankings. In Houston, Cy Fair has been on a roll for the past few weeks after a very slow start to the season. In North Texas, Plano West has steadily been getting stronger. They showed their potential when they were the only team to push Amarillo at the Allen tournament. Last week's win over district rival Allen may have put the Wolves over the hump. And the lower tier teams in Central Texas are beginning to resemble Houston. Just when you think you have it figured out, here comes a shocker.

Last week was not completely void of action, however.

In El Paso, we said Americas would have to prove it deserved its designation as a Team to Watch by defeating perennial power Franklin. Mission accomplished.

Arlington Martin successfully survived its ear-splitting battle with district rival Arlington to set up tonight's LONG-ANTICIPATED showdown with Lamar. Much like Americas and Franklin, this is Lamar's chance to prove it deserves its ranking above Martin. The only difference is that this match involves two Top 10 teams.

Boerne proved that it is not ready to be written off, sweeping Lake Travis to create even more 4A drama.

In Houston, there were a number of meetings between Top 20 teams resulting in some movement at the bottom of the rankings.

And speaking of rankings, here is this week's list of the 20 best high school volleyball teams in Texas.

1. Churchill (1)
Despite going 2-0, the Chargers did have their challenges due to injuries. Maggie Baird missed the entire week and Sarah Harris missed part of the week. Harris saw limited action against Madison on Friday and was back in the starting rotation in last night's win over Judson. Baird dressed for Monday's match, but didn’t see action.

2. Austin Westlake (2)
Another 6-0 week, including an impressive sweep of Hays.

3. SA Clark (3)
Gave up a game to Holmes, but only in the middle of easy wins in the other sets.

4. Cy Creek (4)
Obviously this team is for real, winning the Cy-Fair tournament and beating Cy Falls, Cy Fair and Langham Creek (among others) over the course of the week. Still, nothing comes easy in the District of Death so there is no time to rest.

5. Amarillo (5)
Picked up a solid win over one of the state's top 4A teams in Dumas.

6. Lubbock Coronado (6)
Another 6-0 week for a team that is waiting for the first of two district showdowns with Amarillo.

7. Arlington Lamar (7)
Not all of the DFW area pollsters are convinced Lamar is better than Martin. Tonight is the night they get the chance to prove they are for real.

8. Arlington Martin (8)
A lot of pride on the line tonight for the two-time state semifinalist. They won't give up their position atop the district without a fight.

9. Cy Falls (10)
Loss to Cy Creek was the only blemish on the week.

10. Lake Highlands (11)
Outscored overmatched opponents 150-68 in two matches.

11. Dulles (12)
Outscored overmatched opponents 150-69 in two matches.

12. Katy (13)
Survived a brutal week with wins over Stratford and Cy Springs but lost to Cy Falls and up-and-coming Cy Fair.

13. Houston Stratford (9)
Just when it seemed like they had things in gear, Katy jumps up and throws them for a loss.

14. Kingwood (14)
Losses to Stratford and Cy Fair offset four wins.

15. Dobie (15)
A bit of a challenge from North Shore, but nothing they couldn't handle in an otherwise perfect week.

16. Cedar Park (17)
Wins over Leander and Stony Point set up tonight's showdown with Round Rock.

17. Deer Park (18)
Another week, two more wins.

18. FB Austin (19)
Five-set win over Clements was only match of the week, but was a quality win over a quality opponent.

19. San Antonio Reagan (20)
Obviously back on track with solid wins over Lee and Madison

20. Waxahachie (NR)
Top ranked 4A team in the coaches poll hasn't lost since facing Churchill and Cedar Park at Duncanville.

Teams To Watch

Allen - was living on the edge at Duncanville and Pearland tournaments. Plano West pushed them over last week. Tonight is another tough test with Plano East.

Austin Bowie – a perfect week.

Boerne - sweep of Lake Travis earns this team a spot back on the watch list.

Cy Fair – don't look now, but this team has been on a roll the past month after a very rugged start to the season. Second place finish in the Cy-Fair tournament means there is another Houston team to deal with.

Dumas - strong showing against Amarillo. Team is prepping for the playoffs.

Elkins – on the verge of moving back into the rankings.

El Paso Americas - made us look good by beating Franklin, which was rated higher in other state and local polls.

Hebron - like Elkins, on the verge of breaking into the rankings.

New Braunfels - next few weeks will prove whether we rate this team too highly.

Plano West - after solid showing against Amarillo a few weeks back, this was obviously a team to watch. Win over Allen proves it.

Round Rock - has a chance to make a statement against Cedar Park tonight.

Westwood - did what they had to do with sweeps of Georgetown and Pflugerville.