Girls Volleyball Rankings: East, Geneva on St. Francis' heels

Ahead of Thursday's much-anticipated STCE-STCN girls volleyball clash, here are the Chronicle's updated rankings.

10. Aurora Central Catholic. The Suburban Christian Conference can be a tough place to be for volleyball teams looking to rebuild.

9. Aurora Christian. Ashley Ilseman has been one of the leaders for the Eagles, who took fourth out of six teams at their own tourney.

8. Kaneland. After a pretty solid start for Todd Weimer's club, the Knights need to regroup, having hit a rough patch in WSC play.

7. Rosary. The Royals aren't used to lurking so close to the .500 mark but there's still time to make a push toward 20 wins.

6. Batavia. The Bulldogs have weathered heavy graduation losses as well as can be expected and are in position to challenge for a top-three WSC finish.

5. Burlington Central. The defending 3A state runners-up showing signs of returning to solid footing after some early struggles breaking in a handful of new starters.

4. St. Charles North. North coach Lindsey Hawkins is looking for more consistency but a win against  East and her mentor, Jennie Kull, would put a big smile on the rookie coach's face.

3. Geneva. The Vikings' only loss came to juggernaut Joliet Catholic. Convincing wins against Sycamore and DeKalb look pretty good.

2. St. Charles East. Back at full strength with Maisey Mulvey's return, East has a few weeks to gear up for another big postseason run.

1. St. Francis. Wins over St. Charles East and Mother McAuley offer compelling proof the Spartans are ready to compete for a state title.