Indiana Preps | The Net Effect — Volleyball Power 15
Matches played September 21–28

Fort Wayne Carroll lost for the first time in nearly two years on September 24. Then the Chargers went to Yorktown on Saturday and won 3-1. Then they swept Noblesville 3-0. The response was immediate and decisive — and it is enough to keep Carroll at No. 1 despite the first blemish on a record that stood at 71 consecutive wins before Marist ended it.

The streak is over. The standard is not.

Here is the Indiana Preps Volleyball Power 15 following matches played September 21-28.

1. Fort Wayne Carroll | Previous: 1

The Marist loss ended the streak. The Yorktown win and Noblesville sweep answered the question that loss raised. Carroll is still the best team in Indiana until someone beats them in a setting that matters — and a nationally ranked Illinois program doing it on a neutral court in late September is not that setting. No. 1 stays in Fort Wayne.

2. Yorktown | Previous: 2

Yorktown swept Greenfield-Central and Cathedral during the week, entered Saturday at 19-1, beat No. 3 Plainfield 3-1, then lost to Carroll 3-1 in the same day. That is a résumé-building Saturday, not a reason to drop. The Tigers hold No. 2 on the strength of the Plainfield win and a body of work that has been consistently elite all fall.

3. Hamilton Southeastern | Previous: 5

HSE earns the move above Westfield on the strength of one result: the 3-2 win over the Shamrocks on September 16. When two teams are this close in overall profile and computer rating, the head-to-head result decides the order. HSE beat Westfield. HSE is No. 3.

4. Westfield | Previous: 4

Westfield holds No. 4 — the head-to-head loss to HSE drops them one spot from where they otherwise would sit. The body of work remains among Indiana’s strongest. This is not a team falling out of the championship conversation. It’s a team that lost a five-set battle to the team directly above it.

5. Center Grove | Previous: 8

The biggest move in this ranking period. Center Grove went into Plainfield on September 21 and won. Plainfield then lost to Yorktown on Saturday. Two losses in the same week to teams that both sit above them in this poll is the clearest possible signal that Center Grove should be ahead of the Quakers. The Trojans jump three spots.

6. Plainfield | Previous: 3

Plainfield drops three spots — losses to Center Grove and Yorktown in the same week demand it. But the Quakers answered Saturday with a 3-1 win over Noblesville, which tells you this is still a high-end program. Both losses came against teams ranked in the top two on this ballot. Punishing them into the 8-10 range overreacts to a difficult week against quality opponents.

7. Penn | Previous: 13

This is the week’s most significant move. Penn went 4-0 on Saturday alone — sweeping Lawrence North, New Albany, Cathedral, and Southwood in sequence, hitting .375 in the Southwood match. That moved Penn to 24-4 with an eight-match winning streak. The Southwood sweep is the result that changes the résumé — Penn didn’t just beat them, they dominated them. That is a top-ten performance. Penn jumps six spots.

8. Carmel | Previous: 6

Carmel had a strong week — sweeping North Central and Mt. Vernon, beating Noblesville 3-1 and Delta 3-1. That is not a week that drops a team. But Penn’s Saturday changes the comparison between these two programs in this ranking period. Penn’s Southwood sweep is the better result. Carmel holds comfortably inside the top ten at No. 8.

9. Providence | Previous: 9

Providence holds. The Pioneers continue building one of the stronger schedules among Indiana’s mid-tier programs and their résumé has not given us a reason to move them in either direction. No. 9 stays.

10. Harrison (West Lafayette) | Previous: 11

Harrison swept Western Boone and Lafayette Jeff during the week and entered Saturday among Indiana’s top ten in the computer rankings. The trajectory and computer profile are both pointing upward. Harrison moves to No. 10.

11. Southwood | Previous: 7

Southwood’s undefeated record was the primary reason for their aggressive elevation into the top seven. That record is now gone — Penn swept them on Saturday. One loss doesn’t erase a season, and we’re not overreacting by burying them. But the loss to Penn in the week’s most significant result recalibrates the Southwood placement. No. 11 is appropriate.

12. New Palestine | Previous: 15

New Palestine was probably underrated on the previous ballot. The Dragons swept New Castle 3-0 Thursday and continued winning Saturday — MaxPreps had them at 24-1 by September 28. A 24-1 record with that kind of recent production deserves to be knocking on the top ten. They move to No. 12.

13. Chesterton | Previous: 12

Chesterton holds near their previous position. The Trojans remain one of Northwest Indiana’s most consistent programs and their overall résumé keeps them inside the top 15.

14. Bloomington South | Previous: 10

Bloomington South drops four spots — the teams moving above them have produced stronger results over the past two weeks. The Panthers’ body of work still warrants a top-15 spot, but the movement around them has pushed them down the board.

15. Floyd Central | Previous: 14

Floyd Central holds the final spot. The Highlanders’ overall résumé and schedule quality continue to justify their presence in the Power 15 heading into October.

Rankings reflect Indiana Preps editorial evaluation based on results from September 21-28. Head-to-head results are weighted heavily when teams are otherwise close in profile. Updated weekly.

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