Maple Grove begins the week atop the Northwest Suburban Conference standings with an unbeaten record. Champlin Park and Andover, each with one loss (and both to Maple Grove), are chasing the Crimson. None of the three top Northwest Suburban teams are ranked in the Class 3A coaches’ poll. In contrast, the South Suburban Conference has four ranked teams and the Lake Conference features three.
Andover (10-1, 10-1) certainly has earned a measure of respect, given that seven of its 10 victories have come by three-game sweeps. The Oct. 19 loss to Maple Grove was a grueling 3-2 setback. Sophomore Avery Bolles (160 kills) is a hitting superstar for the Huskies, who also rely on the standout play of senior setter Mari Whiteford (214 assists).
Champlin Park (9-1, 9-1), which won the Class 3A state championship in 2018, is led by junior hitter Ellie Schmidt, senior hitter Taylor Hillman and junior setter Allison Kopp.