USA TODAY High School Sports and the American Volleyball Coaches Association are excited to announce a partnership to produce and promote Super 25 team rankings for scholastic girls volleyball this fall.
The partnership begins Wednesday with the release of the Super 25 Preseason Rankings for the 2016 season. The first regular season rankings are scheduled to be released Sept. 7 and are planned to include both regional and national rankings. Rankings and stories about top teams are available at usatodayhss.com.
Said Josh Barnett, director of content for USA TODAY High School Sports: “We are excited to be working with the American Volleyball Coaches Association to expand our coverage of high school volleyball. With more than 16,000 teams and 450,000 athletes competing in girls volleyball, this addition continues to expand our overall Super 25 platform that began in the days after USA TODAY’s inception nearly 35 years ago. We look forward to the results of the inaugural Super 25 for girls volleyball and our relationship with the AVCA.”
“This partnership with USA TODAY fits with our mission to advance the sport of volleyball and builds on our expertise as curators of NCAA polls,” said AVCA Executive Director, Kathy DeBoer. “As volleyball enters the third season as the top team sport for girls in U.S. high schools, this Super 25 poll will identify the many places where excellence is a habit. We welcome this opportunity to work with USA TODAY!”
With the addition of girls volleyball, the Super 25 is at 11 sports (six boys and five girls) for the 2016-17 academic year with plans for continued expansion.
About the American Volleyball Coaches Association
The AVCA, an educationally-based nonprofit headquartered in Lexington, KY, is the largest and most diverse volleyball coaches association in the world. With a broad mandate to develop the sport, the AVCA provides leadership, recognition, advocacy and professional development opportunities to over 7000 volleyball coaches. Members include college, high school, club and youth coaches, and well as a wide variety of product and service providers. Further information is available at http://www.avca.org.
About USA TODAY High School Sports
USA TODAY High School Sports is the leading destination for high school sports news and information, providing nationwide coverage and aligning locally with USA TODAY Sports and Gannett properties in various markets across the country. USATHSS is home to the Super 25 national rankings and the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Teams for boys and girls sports, both serving for more than 30 years as the leading platforms for determining the best teams, and the best athletes, in scholastic sports.