While geographically remote, River Falls has built quite a large-school volleyball program in the far Northwest reaches of the state. The Wildcats finally assumed the top spot in last week’s poll and hung on to take home its second straight No. 1 ranking this final poll of the 2018 season. Right behind them in Week 8 were the Milwaukee-area powers of Arrowhead at No. 2, and Divine Savior Holy Angels at No. 3, which have played the strongest two regular-season schedules in the state this year. Watertown entered this week at No. 4 for the second straight week, and if there’s one team in the postseason you don’t want to sleep on, it’s Burlington, who re-entered the top five at No. 5.

Little Chute overtook Catholic Memorial for the top spot in Division 2 last week, and narrowly held that top ranking in the final poll of the year. The Mustangs will enter the postseason with a 34-1 mark, the best win percentage in D2. East Troy rose into the No. 2 spot, despite a surprise loss to Jefferson in the Rock Valley Conference tournament championship, edging Catholic Memorial who takes the No. 3 ranking into its postseason. In a top-heavy sectional, the Crusaders earned the #2-seed to No. 4-ranked Wisconsin Lutheran, who won the Woodland Conference tournament Saturday in sweeping fashion. Kettle Moraine Lutheran remained in the top five for most of the year, and rounds out the Division 2 poll at No. 5 yet again this week.

There is one team who enters postseason play with a perfectly unblemished regular season record and it comes from the wire-to-wire top-ranked team in Division 3, Stratford. The Tigers are 39-0, Marawood Conference champions, and the unanimous top seed in their sectional. Aquinas has spent much of the season battling for the No. 2 spot, and the Blugolds’ Mississippi Valley title earned them another week in that place. Quite a rivalry has developed between Midwest Classic foes Living Word Lutheran and Lake Country Lutheran, as the Division 3 duo split league honors with University School of Milwaukee. The Timberwolves and Lightning retake their positions at No. 3 and No. 4 this week, respectively. Waterloo, which earned its Capitol North Conference title last week, rounded out the top five at No. 5 in this final poll.

Clayton is your wire-to-wire No. 1 team in Division 4, making it eight straight weeks atop the WVCA Coaches Poll. The Bears also took home the top seed in what has been a loaded sectional in years past and will begin its repeat championship crusade Thursday night. After spending most of the week at No. 3, Six Rivers Conference champion River Ridge rose to No. 2 in this week’s poll with a nearly-perfect record. Catholic Central will ride a 15-match winning streak into the postseason, also moving up one spot to No. 3 in the Week 8 poll. Newman Catholic was perched at No. 2 for almost the entire season, but finally fell two spots after a surprise sweep by Abbotsford in the Marawood Crossover match. Randolph rounds out the final poll at No. 5 again this week, and will also take a top seed into the postseason.

For the full results of this week’s poll, see the link below.