Jeff Jendryk … from gangly 16-year-old to the pinnacle of men’s volleyball

Loyola's Jeff Jendryk of Wheaton took a circuitous route to becoming one of the country's top men's volleyball players Although his sisters Jessica and Jenna were neck-deep in volleyball while he was growing up, Jeff Jendryk had no interest in the sport. A gangly 6-foot-1 freshman when he walked into the door of St. Francis High School in Wheaton, he wanted to play basketball. Fast forward eight years later. The 6-foot-10 middle blocker is on his way to becoming Loyola University’s first four-time All-American in volleyball, won a na...

Fusion takes a bruisin’ but still leads 17s, Illini Elite 18 Cardinal moving up

Uno Girls 18 Elite sported new bright yellow T-shirts during Great Lakes Power League play last weekend. Top-ranked Fusion 17 Red went 0-4 last weekend in the Great Lakes Power League 18 Super Open division but still maintained its spot in the rankings. SPVB 18 Navy is in the spotlight this week. (Week 4 ranking in parenthesis) 18s 1. SPVB 18 Elite (1) Note: Sports Performance rallied from a 17-9 deficit to win Game 2 of its Gold crossover rematch with Uno Girls 18 Elite in Power League play on Sunday, but could not finish any o...

Lions roar in Indy, top SPVB in finals

Lions 15-1's Rachel Muisenga from Benet and Maddie Malone from Newark. If you build it, they will come. “It” being the Central Zone Invitational at the Indianapolis Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, last weekend. “We heard this tournament had gotten a lot more competitive and this might be the time to see where we are against other competition at this age level,” Lions 15-1 coach Courtney Keefe said. “All the teams we played against, the girls were all very strong, talented athletes,” she added. Lions 15-1 not only competed a...

Uno Girls 18 Elite creeps a little closer, but SPVB 18 Elite prevails again.

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Ultimate B17 Gold living up to its name … the ultimate.

Ultimate B17 Gold shows off its hardware after winning the Winter Volleyball Championship at McCormick Place recently. In a sport dominated by teams from the West Coast, it would not be surprising to see Ultimate B17 Gold out of Frankfort, Illinois, hoist a national championship trophy at the Phoenix Convention Center in early July. Two weeks ago at the Winter Volleyball Championship (WVC) at McCormick Place, Ultimate B17 Gold carried the No. 1 seed into a 47-team Boys 17 Open field that featured teams from California to Florida and t...