When taking a look at area volleyball teams it was easy to see this year could be a wild, wide open race.
You can see that reflected in our first set of rankings since the regular season has started. Lumberton has gone from unranked to number one. While the Lady Raiders failed to make the championship game of the Woodville Invitational, they rattled off an (8-1) record. The lone setback was an "upset" loss in the opening round of the Gold Bracket to Deweyville in three sets.
Host Woodville dropped a three-game match with Lumberton in pool play before advancing to the Gold Championship against Diboll. The Lady Eagles were bounced in two, but it should be noted they were not at full strength in the finals.
LCM is another (8-1) team that has already turned some heads. The Lady Bears lone loss came to Woodville in bracket play.
Another team to watch for is Class 2A Deweyville. The Lady Pirates are (6-3) with wins over Legacy Christian (TAPPS), Hamshire-Fannett (4A), Diboll (3A), Warren (3A), Livingston (4A) and Lumberton (4A).
Preseason number one Port Neches-Groves and rival Nederland have gotten off to slow starts, but there is a method to the madness. Both PNG and Nederland competed against some of the best teams in the state at the John Turner Classic. Look for both the Lady Bulldogs and Rock-A-Noos to pile up some wins against the local competition.
409Sports Volleyball Rankings: August 12
1. Lumberton Lady Raiders (8-1) - Last Week: NR
2. Woodville Lady Eagles (7-2) - Last Week: #4
3. Little Cypress-Mauriceville (8-1) - Last Week: #6
4. Deweyville Lady Pirates (6-3) - Last Week: NR
5. Kelly Lady Bulldogs (6-3) - Last Week: NR
6. Nederland Lady Bulldogs (3-6) - Last Week: #5
7. Port Neches-Groves Rock-A-Noos (4-6) - Last Week: #1
8. Orangefield Lady Bobcats (4-4) - Last Week: #2
9. Hamshire-Fannett Lady Horns (5-4) - Last Week: #3
10. Jasper Lady Bulldogs (0-0) - Last Week #9
