We Speak Sports
Nebraska Leads NCAA Committee’s In-Season Top 16 Reveal
The NCAA committee put Nebraska at No. 1 in its in-season Top 16 reveal, with Pitt, Kentucky and Wisconsin next in line.
The NCAA Division I women’s volleyball committee offered its first official look at the national title race on Sunday, unveiling an in-season Top 16 during the Florida-Texas broadcast, based on games through Oct. 17.
Nebraska (19-0) sits at No. 1, followed by Pitt (17-1), Kentucky (15-3) and Wisconsin (13-5). The rest of the reveal: 5. Florida, 6. SMU, 7. Louisville, 8. TCU, 9. BYU, 10. Oregon, 11. Vanderbilt, 12. Texas, 13. UCLA, 14. Penn State, 15. Washington and 16. Purdue.
This is the third year the committee has released an in-season Top 16. The committee evaluated 64 teams, weighing strength of schedule, wins over top-10 opponents and head-to-head results. The Big Ten placed seven teams on the list.
Vanderbilt is one of the reveal’s best stories. The second-year program recently earned its first-ever AVCA Top 25 ranking and notched its first top-five win by beating then-No. 5 Florida on Oct. 11. Tennessee, Arizona State and Oklahoma were among the notable teams left out.
The road to the title runs through San Antonio: Selection Sunday is Nov. 29, with the national semifinals and championship set for Dec. 17 and 20 at the Alamodome.
Photo: NCAA.com
We Speak Flag Football
Alabama Runs Deep: Undefeated Moody, Central and Montgomery Catholic All Sit in the National Top 15
If you want to find the center of the high school flag football universe, check Alabama. Three Alabama programs sit in the USA TODAY Super 25 national rankings — and the state’s No. 2 team hasn’t lost in 30 games.
Moody (17-0) is the streak story of the fall. The defending AHSAA Class 1A-5A champions picked up their 30th consecutive win this week, are ranked No. 7 in the Super 25 and No. 8 in the MaxPreps national rankings, and recently outscored three opponents 146-0 in a single week. Sophomore Sophie White put up 472 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns in one doubleheader. The Blue Devils’ title DNA is real: last December at Protective Stadium, quarterback Serenity Rutledge threw three touchdown passes — to Zoey Terry, White and Kennedy Hockman — and Cheyenne Moore returned an interception 48 yards for a score in a 27-18 final win over Montgomery Catholic.
Central of Phenix City (11-2) is Alabama’s No. 1 and the nation’s No. 5, powered by Savannah Sevier, who recently stacked 301 yards, four touchdowns, six flag pulls and four pass breakups in a single week. Montgomery Catholic (12-1), ranked No. 15 nationally, is right back in the hunt behind senior Hayden Fitts, who ran for three touchdowns and threw for another against Spain Park.
With Spain Park, Vestavia Hills, Boaz and Brewbaker Tech also ranked in the state Super 10, Alabama’s playoffs this winter might be the toughest tournament in the country.
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