Starting where they finished

 Man, they were so close.Solon went to a fifth game in the Class 4A championship match. Union had three match points in Class 3A.Now, a season later, those teams figure to be factors again come November.The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released its

preseason volleyball rankings Monday afternoon; Solon and Union both stand at No. 2 in their respective classes.Solon (33-5 last year) brings back four starters -- seniors Rylee Smith and Vikolia Meade and juniors Jordan Smith and Jordan Runge."Rankings are what they are, and what matters most is what happens at the end of the season," said second-year coach Peter Gustin. "This team is very tight-knit, and we have the same goal in mind -- to finish what we couldn't finish last year."The Spartans took Charles City to a drama-filled Game 5 last year at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena before falling short, 15-13.It was even more excruciating for Union. The Knights (35-8) had a 14-11 lead on MOC-Floyd Valley in Game 5 before the Dutch came back to win it 17-15.Five starters are back for the Knights, who start behind MOC-Floyd Valley in 3A. All-staters Breann Bader and Lauren Barz return, along with Brenna Allen, Jena Boisen and Maria Wrage.MOC-Floyd Valley is one of three defending state champions to open at No. 1. The others are Bettendorf (5A) and Dike-New Hartford (2A).Bettendorf (23-11) finished fourth in the Mississippi Athletic Conference, but got hot in the postseason with a young lineup. Dike-New Hartford went 45-0, but had to rally from a two-set deficit to outlast Western Christian.The Wolverines and the Wolfpack open 1-2 in 2A, and figure to be arguably the two best teams in Iowa in any class.MOC-Floyd Valley (33-8) did not have a senior on its roster last year.Harlan is the top team in Class 4A; the Cyclones were 32-6 and reached the state tournament last year. Fort Madison Holy Trinity (44-5) was a 1A semifinalist and leads the small-school class.There are no Metro teams in the 5A rankings; Cedar Rapids Xavier is ninth and Marion 14th in 4A. Iowa City West is 10th in Class 5A.West Delaware opens at No. 4 in 4A. The Hawks have qualified for state seven times since 2003.Mount Vernon is fifth in 3A after reaching the semifinals last year. Next-door neighbor Lisbon is seventh in 1A.Other area top-10 teams are Edgewood-Colesburg (No. 9 in 2A) and Belle Plaine (No. 8 in 1A).