WEEK 2 RANKINGS

By Jeff Halpern

Class 4A teams are going to test themselves this week.

On Tuesday, No. 1 Brookland travels to Class 6A Little Rock Central. No. 2 Baptist Prep will go to 5A contender Benton. No. 4 Haskell Harmony Grove will travel to No. 6 Wynne. No. 9 Harding Academy will go to 3A contender Episcopal Collegiate.

Saturday, three teams will participate in the Little Rock Christian Classic. Baptist Prep sees 6A teams Bryant and Bentonville in pool play along with 5A Alma. No. 3 Jonesboro Westside will face Cabot, Mayflower and Benton. No. 5 Bauxite will face Episcopal Collegiate, LR Central and Alma.

Here are the Arkansas Volleyball Network’s Class 4A rankings for the week ending Sept. 6.

1. BROOKLAND (10-1-1)

Previous rank: No. 1

Last week: def. No. 5 Haskell Harmony Grove 3-0; def. No. 6 Wynne 3-0

This week: at Little Rock Central Tuesday; vs. Highland Thursday

Brookland backs up No. 1 ranking with a pair of victories over ranked teams.

COACH SAID: “Those were really big wins for us! Both teams are good 4A teams and surprised us a little in the beginning, but this team is resilient, and they keep fighting until the last ball. I was very proud of how they never gave up.” — Brookland head coach Katie Dillon

2. BAPTIST PREP (8-3–1)

Previous rank: No. 3

Last week: def. Central Arkansas Christian 3-0; def. Bryant, 3-2 at def. Mena, 3-1

This week: at Benton Tuesday; at LRCA Classic Saturday: vs. Bryant, vs. Bentonville, vs. Russellville

With matches against 5A power Benton and 6A power Bentonville in the LRCA Classic, Lady Eagles not backing down from premier teams.

COACH SAID: “We had a good week, and I’m proud of the way our girls competed. We’re continuing to learn what we’re capable of as a team, but we also know there’s a lot of volleyball still ahead of us. We have some really tough competition coming up, so our focus has to stay on being disciplined, playing together, and getting better every time we step on the court. I’m excited about the potential of this group and really looking forward to seeing how we continue to grow throughout the season. Catherine Chapman continues to be a huge all-around contributor for us. She’s producing in every category and has been one of our most consistent defenders and serve receivers. She’s leading our team in hitting percentage, aces, and digs. Livi Miller is running our offense with a lot of aggression and IQ and is doing a great job creating opportunities for our hitters. Ellis Pierce continues to lead us offensively and has a great ability to find ways to score, even against a strong block. Our whole team is working hard to improve, and we’re starting to see the fruit of that work.” — Baptist Prep head coach Mollie Singleton

3. JONESBORO WESTSIDE (4-2)

Previous rank: No. 2

Last week: def, No. 9 Harding Academy 3-0; lost 3-2 to Mountain Home; def. Batesville Southside, 3-0

This week: at Paragould Tuesday; vs. Pocahontas Thursday; at LRCA Classic Saturday: vs. Cabot, vs. Mayflower, vs. Benton

Lady Warriors had a rare slip up against Mountain Home.

COACH SAID: “Simply put, our lack of mental toughness cost us the game tonight. We have the ability to compete with anyone we step on the floor with, skill-wise, but we have serious strides to make in the mental aspect of the game if we want to be successful later on in the season. I’m glad we’re getting our flaws exposed early this year so we can work through them in practice and hopefully change the outcome the next time we’re in that situation.” — Jonesboro Westside head coach Codie Zeigler on the loss to Mountain Home

4. HASKELL HARMONY GROVE (3-2)

Previous rank: No. 5

Last week: def. No. 4 Bauxite 3-0; lost 3-0 to No. 1 Brookland

This week: at No. 6 Wynne Tuesday; vs. Clinton Thursday

Victory over Bauxite pushes Lady Cardinals up, and they have another big match against Wynne on Tuesday.

COACH SAID: “I’m super proud of them. Last week when we got down against Westside, we had trouble getting it back. We’re going to have to have great attitudes and push each other. We made some in-game changes. Preslie has stepped up all week. It’s awesome she can play all six rotations. They’ll be in our regional, and it’s nice to see them, and it’s awesome we can play with one of the best teams in 4A.” — Haskell Harmony Grove head coach Bailey Korte on the victory over Bauxite.

5. BAUXITE (5-1)

Previous rank: No. 4

Last week: lost 3-0 to No. 5 Haskell Harmony Grove; def. Episcopal Collegiate 3-2; def. No. 9 Harding Academy 3-0

This week: vs. Arkadelphia Tuesday; at LRCA Classic Saturday: vs. Episcopal Collegiate, vs. Alma, vs. Little Rock Central

Lady Miners were up 17-10 and held set point at 25-24 in game one before Harmony Grove rallied. To Bauxite’s credit, the Lady Miners recovered with victories over Episcopal and Harding.

COACH SAID: “If there’s one thing we’re struggling with, it’s the mental side of the game. I’m glad we got to see how things played out, and for me, we know what we have to work on when it comes to the mental side. We had a 7-point lead and had one bad set, and after that first set, we had trouble getting it back. As soon as we got stuck on one bad rotation, we had trouble getting back together.” — Bauxite head coach Haley Nelson on the loss to Harmony Grove

6. WYNNE (5-1)

Previous rank: No. 6

Last week: def. Batesville 3-0; def. Harrisburg 3-0; lost 3-0 to No. 1 Brookland

This week: vs. No. 5 Haskell Harmony Grove

Wynne continues to test itself outside the conference.

COACH SAID: “We were fortunate to find success early, starting the season 5-0, but we knew going into Brookland that it would be a tough match. They are, and have always been, strong competitors. I felt like we played well in the first set; we just need to clean up some of our errors and execute more consistently. We’ll take this loss, learn from it, and use it as an opportunity to grow and improve, especially with our sophomores. Our girls fought hard and put forth a solid effort. I’m proud of our team and excited to see how we respond, continue to grow, and get better from here.” — Wynne head coach Blair McClanahan

7. HARRISON (7-2)

Previous rank: No. 10

Last week: def. Clinton 3-0

This week: vs. Elkins Thursday

Grace Jennings leads the team with 76 kills and 16 blocks. Freshman Colbie Ricketts leads with 145 assists, and Charli Kobb leads the team with 69 digs. Lily Burns has 125 assists and 42 digs.

COACH SAID: “It’s a much better feeling than where we were last season. The girls have worked incredibly hard to improve and step into the positions left by our graduated players. We’re excited about the season ahead, but we still have a ton of work left to do. We’re proud of the progress they’ve made and looking forward to seeing what this group can accomplish!” — Harrison head coach April Mattix

8. MORRILTON (4-1)

Previous rank: No. 10

Last week: vs. Berryville 2-0; def. Atkins 2-0; lost 3-2 to Russellville

This week: vs. Pottsville Tuesday; at Arkadelphia Thursday

Lily Harbin leads Devil Dogs with 56 kills, 16 digs, and is third on the team with 43 digs. Hannah Halbrook leads with 110 assists. Kinleigh Meeler leads with 62 digs.

9. HARDING ACADEMY (3-3)

Previous rank: No. 9

Last week: lost 3-0 to No. 2 Jonesboro Westside; def. Central Arkansas Christian 3-2; lost 3-0 No. 4 Bauxite Thursday

This week: at Episcopal Tuesday; vs. Forrest City Thursday

Moving up in class, Lady Wildcats continue to challenge themselves outside the conference.

WEEK 1 RANKINGS

By Jeff Halpern

What a difference a year makes.

A year ago, Brookland had a new coach and one returning starter from a team that won three consecutive Class 4A state championships. The Lady Bearcats got off to a 3-5 start, before turning things around and reaching the Class 4A semifinals.

This year, a year older and better, Brookland is off to a 8-1-1 start after winning Spikefest, beating Valley View 2-0 in the finals. The win avenged a 3-0 loss on Tuesday, a day after Brookland lost outside hitter Kinley Hammett for the season with a torn ACL.

The Lady Bearcats also added victories over defending 4A champion Pulaski Academy and Baptist Prep, which was ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll in the 20-team tournament.

*Last updated 8/30/26*

1. BROOKLAND (8-1-1)

Previous rank: No. 3

Last week: def. Jonesboro 3-0; lost 3-0 to Valley View; def. Mountain Home 3-2; at Spikefest Saturday (def. Vilonia 2-0; tied Batesville 1-1; def. Maumelle Charter 2-0; def. Lonoke 2-0; def. Pulaski Academy 2-1; def. No.1 Baptist Prep 2-1; def. Valley View 2-0 for Gold Championship.

This week: vs. No. 5 Haskell Harmony Grove, Sept. 1; vs. No. 6 Wynne, Sept. 3

Lady Bearcats lose outside hitter Kinley Hammett with a torn ACL before the loss to Valley View, but rally to win Spikefest.

COACH SAID: “This is about going out, and everyone did that. We play Valley View all the time; it’s going out and playing your best to win, and they did that. To be honest, we might have been tired and just went out there and played. You’ve got it, let your skills take over and go play, and they did. They relaxed and played well to a T.” — Brookland head coach Katie Dillon.

2. JONESBORO WESTSIDE (2-1)

Previous rank: No. 2

Last week: def. Harrisburg 3-0; lost 3-2 to Marion, Tuesday; def. No. 7 Haskell Harmony Grove 3-1.

This week: vs. No. 9 Harding Academy, Monday; at Mountain Home, Tuesday; vs. Batesville Southside, Thursday.

Kirby Conrad had 32 kills and 31 digs; Kimber Wynn had 45 digs, and Violet Watkins had 97 assists.

3. BAPTIST PREP (5-3–1)

Previous rank: No. 1

Last week: def. No. 5 Pottsville 3-0; lost 3-2 to Little Rock Central; def. Harding Academy 3-0; at Spikiest Saturday (lost 2-0 to Mountain Home, def. Newport 2-0; tied Valley View 1-1; def. Mountain Home 2-1; def. Central Arkansas Christian 2-0; lost 2-1 to No. 3 Brookland.

This week: at Central Arkansas Christian, Monday; vs. Bryant, Tuesday; at No. Mena, Thursday.

Ellis Pierce had 36 kills and 29 digs vs. Pottsville, LR Central and Harding Academy. Olivia Miller had 92 assists in those three matches.

COACH SAID: “We didn’t play our best, but the girls did a good job of pushing through. We gave it to Brookland in the last set. I’m excited about the rest of the season. We have a really tough schedule. The non-conference schedule is tough because we’re playing a lot of 6A teams to prepare us for the postseason. It will be good for us in the long run. We have a lot of potential, but we have some things to tighten up.” — Baptist Prep head coach Mollie Singleton.

4. BAUXITE (3-0)

Previous rank: No. 4

Last week: def. Malvern 3-0; def. Sheridan 3-0; def. Central Arkansas Christian 3-0.

This week: at No. 5 Haskell Harmony Grove, Monday; vs. Episcopal Collegiate, Tuesday vs. No. 9 Harding Academy, Thursday

Ellye Bowman had 32 digs vs. Sheridan and Central Arkansas Christian. Brynlee Brown hit .500 vs Malvern. Arabelle McClure hit .333 vs. Malvern.

5. HASKELL HARMONY GROVE (2-1)

Previous rank: No. 7

Last week: def. White Hall 3-0; def. Harrisburg 3-1; lost 3-1 to No. 2 Jonesboro Westside.

Next week: vs. No. 4 Bauxite, Monday at No. 1 Brookland, Tuesday.

Preslie Walker had 63 kills and 45 digs, Jaycee Bossert had 50 kills, and Leelana Kennach had 121 assists.

6. WYNNE (3-0)

Previous rank: No. 8

Last week: def. Trumann 3-0; def. 3-1 Greene County Tech; def. Hoxie 3-0.

This week: vs. Batesville, Monday; vs. Harrisburg, Tuesday; at No. 1 Brookland, Thursday.

Clara Davis (33 kills), Ella Reed (86 assists) and Lia Bunch (29 kills, 31 digs) leading the way.

7. MORRILTON (2-0)

Previous rank: No. 10

Last week: def. Clarksville 3-0; def. Conway Christian 3-2.

Next week: vs. Berryville/Atkins, Tuesday; at Russellville, Thursday.

Lady Devil Dogs earn 5-set victory over one of the better teams in 3A.

8. PRAIRIE GROVE (1-1)

Previous rank: No. 9

Last week: lost 3-1 to Lincoln, Tuesday; def. Lifeway Christian 3-0.

This week: vs. Van Buren, Aug. 31; vs. Siloam Springs, Sept. 3.

Lady Tigers rebound from loss to Lincoln. Will face two 5A-West teams this week.

9. HARDING ACADEMY (2-1)

Previous rank: Not ranked

Last week: def. Hoxie 3-1; def. Crowley’s Ridge Academy 3-0; lost 3-0 to No. 1 Baptist Prep.

This week: at No. 2 Jonesboro Westside Monday; at Central Arkansas Christian Tuesday; at No. 4 Bauxite Thursday.

Moving up to 4A, the Lady Wildcats have been led by Brynlee Reeves (24 kills, 25 digs and 8 aces) vs Hoxie and CRA), Gabby Metheny (37 digs vs. Hoxie and CRA) and Mary Madison Norris (37 assists, 10 digs vs. Hoxie).

10. HARRISON (6-2)

Previous rank: Not ranked

Last week: def. Valley Springs 3-0; lost 3-1 to Mountain Home, lost 3-0 to Branson (Mo.) at Ozark Slamfest: def. Cotter 2-0; def. Bergman 2-0; def. Heber Springs 2-0; def. Huntsville 2-0; def. Cotter 2-1 for gold bracket.

This week: vs. Clinton Thursday

Dropping down to 4A, the Lady Goblins are off to a good start on the season as Grace Jennings (26 kills,13 digs) and Holly Keeter (26 kills, 20 digs), Colbie Ricketts (22 kills, 28 digs) and Lily Burns (43 assists) lead the way.

DROPPED OUT

No. 5 Pottsville, No. 6 Mena

ARKANSAS VOLLEYBALL NETWORK