The 18 GLC Pre-Nationals Tournament in Aurora this weekend is one final opportunity for local teams to face live competition ahead of the AAU Girls’ Junior Volleyball Nationals in Orlando, Florida June 16-28.But not everyone competing at the Great Lakes Center this weekend is doing so with the AAU tournament in mind. “We’re not going to AAUs,” said Cyclones 16 Black Adidas coach Michael Schwerdtfeger, whose team will compete in the 2018 Asics National Jr. Volleyball Championships next weekend at Navy Pier before packing it up for ano...
Illprepvb.Com Final Top 20 Boys Volleyball Teams
(Preseason rankings in parenthesis) 1. Lincoln-Way East 39-3 (1) No. 1 in preseason, and No 1 at the end of season. 2. Neuqua Valley 33-8 (8) Jeremy Grove, Kevin Kauling were potent 1-2 punch. 3. Glenbard West 38-4 (2) ‘Toppers figure to challenge for state title in 2019. 4. Marist 33-5 (7) RedHawks upset in state’s toughest sectional. 5. Lake Park 31-6 (12) Nick Martinski, Jordan Haigh cap stellar careers. 6. Brother Rice 30-8 (3) Like Marist, deserved a better deal from IHSA. 7. New Trier 34-8 (13) Trevians bid fa...
Illprepvb.com Final Top 20 Girls Volleyball Teams
Class 3A champion Belleville Althoff. Illprepvb.com Final Top 20 Rankings (Preseason rank) 1. Marist (41-1) 3 Loses four great seniors, but underclass levels were undefeated. 2. Minooka (39-3) 1 Loses five great seniors. Who will sophomore Zoey Seput set next year? 3. Mother McAuley (35-5) 2 Mighty Macs don’t rebuild, they reload. But Charley Niego is a huge loss. 4. Benet (32-7) 7 Alli Van Eekeren, Hattie Monson, Rachel Muisenga, Kyla Kenney will return. 5. Belleville Althoff (41-1) 16 Sophom...
Lincoln-Way East Finishes Where It Started
Lincoln-Way East, Illprepvb.com’s pre-season No. 1 team, was knocked out of the top spot following a 25-17, 22-25, 25-18 loss to Neuqua Valley at the Wheaton Warrenville South Tiger Classic on March 31.But the second-ranked Griffins finished where they started, rallying to beat No. 8 Neuqua Valley 20-25, 25-21, 25-22 in the IHSA Boys State Volleyball championship game Saturday at Hoffman Estates. “These kids are fighters,” Lincoln-Way East coach Kris Fiore said. “Look at us against New Trier (in Saturday’s semifinal). We were down 1...
Kauling returns, Neuqua adjusts, champs fall
Was Kevin Kauling the question or the answer?The 6-foot-8 junior setter, who had spent the past week in Colorado Springs training with the U.S. Junior National Team, returned to the Neuqua Valley lineup early Saturday morning for the Wildcats’ IHSA state semifinal showdown with three-time defending state champion Glenbard West.“I got back in about 4:00 p.m. yesterday,” Kauling said. “I was in the air while they were playing (Lincoln-Way West in the quarterfinals). I texted Francisco (Comas) that I can play tomorrow because I’m not doing the...
IHSA Boys State Volleyball Tournament – Saturday’s Semifinal and Final Results
Statistics courtesy of Kevin Juday Director of Sports Information Elmhurst College Neuqua Valley def. Glenbard West 24-26, 25-22, 25-20 Glenbard West (37-4): Ben Harrington (11 kills, 1 assist, 1 ace, 2 digs), Stone Metz (3 kills, 1 assist, 1 ace, 1 block), Zach Morris (5 digs), Ryan Swartz (11 kills, 1 assist, 4 digs, 1 block), Connor Williams (2 kills, 1 block), Henry Curtis (37 assists), JT Ardell (12 kills, 1 block), Jackson Roach (1 ace). Neuqua Valley (33-7): Kevin Kauling (5 kills, 9 assists, 4 digs, 1 block...
Glenbard West rolls; Neuqua Valley, New Trier advance
Barrington didn’t look anything like the team that had won 19 in a row and Glenbard West didn’t remotely resemble the team that lost to the Broncos less than a month ago. The result was predictable. Six-foot-8 middle hitter JT Ardell had 7 kills and hit .875 and 6-3 junior middle hitter Connor Williams had 7 kills while hitting .700 as three-time defending state champion Glenbard West blasted Barrington 25-12, 25-18 in the first quarterfinal of the IHSA Boys State Volleyball Tournament Fridayat Hoffman Estates.Glenbard West (37-3) will ...
Lincoln-Way East welcomes back Herlihy, beats OPRF
By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.com The Lincoln-Way East boys’ volleyball team had breezed through the postseason without Mike Herlihy. But the Griffins certainly welcomed their senior middle hitter back Friday. After missing the previous four matches with a hand injury, Herlihy returned to the lineup and was one of four Griffins with 5 or more kills as they fought off some shaky moments and defeated Oak Park-River Forest 25-22, 25-20 in an IHSA quarterfinal match at Hoffman Estates High School. It was the 11th win in a row for L...
Friday, June 1 State Quarterfinal Results
Glenbard West def. Barrington 25-12, 25-18 Glenbard West (37-3): Ben Harrington (5 kills, 3 digs), Stone Metz (2 kills, 4 digs, 1 ace), Zach Morris (9 digs), Ryan Swartz (6 kills, 3 digs), Connor Williams (7 kills, 1 block), Henry Curtis (24 assists, 4 kills), JT Ardell (7 kills, 2 blocks). Barrington (34-6): Gabe Hartke (3 kills), Mike O'Toole (8 kills), Chris Babicz (1 kill, 3 digs), Petar Lumovic (4 kills), Evan Carroll (15 assists), Thomas Chapman (1 dig), Kyle Vasquez (5 digs).Neuqua Valley def. Lincoln-Way West 26-2,4 23-25, 25-...
Second Set Aside, SPVB 18 Elite Rules National Jr. Classic
SPVB 18 Elite might want to consider skipping the second game of any best-of-three match and just moving on to the third. Monday in the semifinals of the National Junior Classic at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora, the girls from Sports Performance found themselves just a few points from championship elimination down 18-25, 13-18 to MN Select 17-1 (Maple Grove, Minnesota). “We tell ourselves all the time that we’d better not do it (fall behind in the second game),” SPVB 18 Elite middle hitter Sammi LaBolle said. “And we alway...