It was another action-packed week of ranked matchups as the top teams in the state continue to battle.
The county/conference tournaments are coming to an end and the state sectional tournament is preparing to be seeded.
Below, check out the latest Top 20 rankings from this past week.
1-Old Bridge (27-1)
Last week: No. 2
Old Bridge is back on top of the rankings after another unbeaten week. The Knights won the GMC Tournament once again in straight sets. Old Bridge continues to be the team to beat in the state this season.
2-Southern (25-1)
Last week: No. 3
Southern won its ninth consecutive Shore Conference Tournament title on Thursday night — and 15th out of 16. The Rams have now won 19 consecutive game, which is one of the longest current streaks in the state.
3-Scotch Plains-Fanwood (23-4)
Last week: No. 1
Scotch Plains-Fanwood secured its seventh consecutive Union County title last Friday. The Raiders fall two spots in the rankings after two consecutive losses — both to ranked opponents — but remain one of the top three teams in the state.
Up next:
4-Monroe (20-7)
Last week: No. 5
Monroe has taken on some of the top teams in the state this season. The Falcons fell in the GMC final for the second consecutive year with both coming to Old Bridge. Monroe highlighted its week with a win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood.
5-St. Joseph (Met.) (22-5)
Last week: No. 8
The Falcons saw a seven-game winning streak come to an end in the semifinal round of the GMC Tournament. St. Joseph has since won three games in a row. To get to 22 wins on the season.
6-Harrison (24-2)
Last week: No. 10
Harrison capped off another run in the Hudson County Tournament with a title on Saturday. The Blue Tide have now won five in a row, with wins over Secaucus and North Arlington after the tournament ended. Harrison makes a big jump in the rankings after another successful week.
Up next: 5/27 at Ridge
7-St. John Vianney (18-2)
Last week: No. 4
It was a slow week for the Lancers with just one game. St. John Vianney fell to Marlboro in the quarters of the Shore Conference Tournament, ending a seven-game winning streak.
8-Holmdel (20-3)
Last week: No. 6
Holmdel got to 20 wins on the year by taking down Pinelands in the quarters of the Shore Conference Tournament. The Hornets then fell to Southern in the semifinals. Holmdel will enter the sectional tournament as a major threat.
9-Hillsborough (23-4)
Last week: No. 12
Hillsborough is one of the hottest teams in the state. It started the season 1-4 but has now won 22 games in a row. This includes a run to the Skyland Conference Cup title. Hillsborough has not lost since April 5.
10-Fair Lawn (21-6)
Last week: No. 9
Fair Lawn falls a few spots after alternating wins and losses in the last four games. It fell in the semifinals of the Bergen County Tournament last week before defeating Wayne Hills and Bergen Tech.
11-Barnegat (20-4)
Last week: No. 7
Barnegat fell to Marlboro in the semifinal round of the Shore Conference Tournament, but rattled off seven consecutive victories before that matchup. Barnegat has gone on three separate winning streaks of 4+ games this season, and has an 11-1 Shore- B South division record on the campaign.
12-Kingsway (23-4)
Last week: No. 14
Kingsway defeated Williamstown, 2-1, in the final round of the Tri-County Conference tournament, and punched its ticket as the champions of the conference this season. Kingsway has won four straight games and only dropped two sets during its entire tournament run.
13-West Caldwell Tech (20-6)
Last week: No. 15
After losing in the semifinal round of the Essex County Tournament to Livingston on May 2, West Caldwell Tech rattled off seven straight victories before losing to Belleville. Since then, West Caldwell Tech has won three straight games, defeating Randolph, Gloucester Tech, and Scotch Plains-Fanwood.
Up next: 5/27 vs Piscataway
14-Hudson Catholic (18-4)
Last week: No. 11
Since losing to Harrison in the final round of the Hudson County Tournament, Hudson Catholic has lost three straight games, most recently falling to Livingston and Kearny. Hudson Catholic won 16 straight games to begin the season, and is now fighting to turn its season around, especially at a point in the season where the pressure is beginning to ramp up.
15-Lenape (20-4)
Last week: No. 19
Lenape has won 10 consecutive games and hasn’t earned a loss since April 23 against Monroe. Lenape has been on three big winning streaks this season, and is starting to play its best volleyball of the season at the perfect time. Lenape most recently earned a ranked win against Rancocas Valley, where it walked away with a 2-0 sweep.
16-Elizabeth (18-3)
Last week: No. 16
Elizabeth fell in the semifinal round of the Union County Tournament to Westfield, 2-1, but rebounded its tough loss with a victory over Union City. Elizabeth recently went on a four game winning streak, and is no stranger to the 2-0 sweep, earning 10 on the season, making quick work of its opponents.
17-Marlboro (19-6)
Last week: NR
Marlboro fell to Southern in the final round of the Shore Conference Tournament, but put up a good fight against a perennial contender. Marlboro earned back-to-back 2-1 victories in the county tournament, knocking off St. John Vianney and Barnegat in impressive wins, but just fell short despite its best effort on Thursday.
18-Hackensack (24-2)
Last week: No. 18
Hackensack fell to Garfield, 3-1, in the final round of the Bergen County Tournament, but put on an impressive performance for the entire county run, which included victories over Ramapo, Bergenfield, and Don Bosco Prep. After losing two straight games, Hackensack bounced back and picked up wins over Bergen Catholic and Bergen Charter.
Up next: 5/28 at Belleville
19-Rancocas Valley (16-4)
Last week: No. 20
Rancocas Valley recently had its nine game winning streak snapped against Lenape, but was extremely impressive in that stretch of victories, including wins over Hopewell Valley and Eastern. Rancocas Valley was sitting at No. 20 for quite some time, but moves up after another impressive week.
20-Passaic Tech (17-6)
Last week: NR
Passaic Tech joins the rankings, and it is well deserved after it made a deep run in the Passaic County Tournament, ultimately falling short to Lakeland in the semifinal round, who ended up winning the title. Passaic Tech won three consecutive games, but most recently had it snapped in a loss to Ramapo.
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Greg Patuto can be reached at gpatuto@njadvancemedia.com.