Lakota West's girls volleyball team dropped to 5-6 overall after Ross swept the Firebirds in three sets Saturday, Sept. 19. The Firebirds do not appear in the latest area Power 5 rankings.
The Report Ohio's fourth weekly Power 5 volleyball rankings, published Monday, Sept. 21 by Eric Hickey, list Fenwick (12-1) at No. 1, Mason (9-4) at No. 2, Ross (12-1) at No. 3, Springboro (8-0) at No. 4 and Kings (9-3) at No. 5. Lakota West, which opened the season ranked No. 2 in the Aug. 28 debut edition, has not appeared in the rankings since.
The Firebirds sit 3-2 in Greater Miami Conference play and third in the league standings, according to MaxPreps. Lakota West was also scheduled at Fairmont on Monday. Coach Ali Hile's squad lost three of four matches from Sept. 8 through Saturday, Sept. 19. Sycamore beat Lakota West 3-2 on Sept. 8. Lakota East swept the Firebirds 3-0 on Sept. 10. Ross completed a 3-0 sweep on Saturday, Sept. 19.
Lakota West beat Hamilton 3-0 on Thursday, Sept. 17. Senior Ava Kennedy posted 22 assists, four digs and an ace in that match, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Senior Adelyn Twyman still leads the Firebirds with 3.3 kills per set and a .343 hitting percentage.
Senior Ailee Dobrozsi averages 4.4 digs per set. Junior Saanvi Patel has 19 aces.
Lakota West's next GMC test comes Thursday, Sept. 24, at No. 2 Mason. The Comets are tied atop the GMC with Sycamore at 5-0 in league play. Mason junior Avery Brannon ranks third in the conference with 30 aces, and junior Ella Groff leads the GMC with 164 digs.
Ross junior Lizzy Long put up five kills, four digs and three aces in the Rams' sweep of Lakota West, earning a spot on the Enquirer's athlete-of-the-week ballot. Ross went unbeaten during the week, sweeping Colerain, Franklin, Monroe and Lakota West without dropping a set.
Springboro (8-0) is the week's new entry, replacing Badin. The unbeaten Panthers are tied atop the Greater Western Ohio Conference (GWOC) with Centerville at 5-0. Harrison and Badin sit on the bubble.
Other games to watch this week: Badin at Fenwick on Tuesday, Sept. 22; Bellbrook at Ross on Tuesday; Ross at Fairfield on Wednesday, Sept. 23; Kings at Turpin on Thursday, Sept. 24; and Fenwick at Mercy McAuley on Saturday, Sept. 26.
