Prep volleyball rankings: Tournament title solidifies top spot for Clovis

Behind a combined 105 kills from tournament MVP Taylen Ballard, Clovis High captured the Clovis Volleyball Challenge title and solidified its status as The Bee’s top-ranked team in the Central Section.

The Cougars beat Tri-River Athletic Conference rival and No. 2 Central 25-21, 25-22 in the final of the 25-team tournament Sept. 2-3 that drew 13 of The Bee’s Top 20 teams.

Ballard led the way in the final with 17 kills, five digs, a block and an ace, earning her second straight MVP award as Clovis won the title for the third consecutive year. The Cougars also received five kills from Keri Leake, 18 assists from Jasmine Heu and six digs from Mandy Campise.

Clovis (9-0) also beat East Bakersfield, Riverside Poly, No. 6 Garces, No. 13 Redwood, Bullard, No. 10 Centennial and No. 7 Bakersfield Christian.

“Last year, even though we won it, we dropped a match,” Cougars coach Rich Lake said. “I thought we were a little more focused this year. The girls played really well all weekend.”

After winning the Challenge title last year, the Cougars were top-ranked in the section entering league play when Ballard went down with a season-ending ankle injury that left Clovis without the offensive firepower it needed for a shot at repeating as section D-I champion. In 2013, Central Valley Christian beat Clovis in the final, with the Cavaliers going on to capture the section’s D-III title and the Cougars finishing as the D-I runner-up.

“There’s still a lot of play ahead,” Lake said. “But this tournament has been a good indicator of teams that will make a serious run for the championships.”

This story was originally published September 6, 2016 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Prep volleyball rankings: Tournament title solidifies top spot for Clovis."