1. Oaks Christian (4-2)
Comment: Head coach Julie Bennett must be allergic to cupcakes. In Notre Dame (No. 22), Harvard Westlake (No. 15) and West Ranch (No. 16), Oaks Christian has already faced three teams ranked among the top 25 in California according to MaxPreps.
2. Thousand Oaks (8-1)
Comment: Other than in a straight-set defeat to Harvard-Westlake, no team has taken a set off the Lancers so far in what will be head coach James Park’s final season at the helm of the program.
3. Newbury Park (14-2)
Comment: The Panthers' hot start is reminiscent of last season, when they won their first 12 matches. The win column already includes straight-set victories over solid local programs like Ventura, Moorpark and Royal.
4. Westlake (4-0)
Comment: Undefeated through an all-local opening schedule, the Warriors haven’t really been tested
yet. The Marmonte League gauntlet awaits.
5. Camarillo (9-7)
Comment: Are the Scorpions the Coastal Canyon League favorites? They are unbeaten in local play, with wins over Santa Barbara, Agoura, Calabasas, Nordhoff and Buena.
6. Moorpark (5-6)
Comment: Star hitters Payton Holliday and Kristen Currie are playing their best volleyball yet under new head coach Ashley Lake. The Musketeers have nabbed straight-set wins over Agoura and Santa Paula.
7. Oak Park (3-5)
Comment: Setter Avyn McGugan, ranked No. 9 in The Star's girls volleyball rankings, broke her own program record with 54 assists in a five-set victory over Crescenta Valley on Sept. 1.
More: The Star ranks the top girls volleyball players in the area
8. Royal (5-2)
Comment: Outside hitter Ella Ragland has broken out for the Highlanders to start her senior campaign. She had 20 kills in an Aug. 27 loss to Newbury Park.
9. Ventura (5-5)
Comment: Sisters Mia and Kaiya Howard lead the Cougars in their campaign to return to the CIF-Southern Section title game for the second straight year, this time under first-year head coach Bryan Ornelas.
More: Ventura pulls off big rally in fifth set to win volleyball match
10. Agoura (1-4)
Comment: Reinforcements are coming for the Chargers. Injured libero Juno Schwartz and pin hitter Addison Wheeler, a transfer from Louisville, should return in time for Marmonte League action.
Next five: Rio Mesa, Foothill Tech, Calabasas, Pacifica, Nordhoff.
Dominic Massimino covers volleyball for The Star. He can be reached at dominic.massimino@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcsdominic on Twitter and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Check out The Star's Girls Volleyball Rankings
