Who are some of the biggest winners, losers under the IHSA’s new classification system?

Despite an enrollment of just 382 students, Belleville Althoff will be competing in Class 4A for the next two years. By Phil Brozynski and Daniel BlakemanOK, boys and girls. It’s time to break out your slide rules, Ouija boards, Magic 8-Balls and super computers.Last week, the IHSA released information about its new two-year classification cycle, which was adopted by the IHSA Board of Directors in June. The classification cycle covers the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years.During those two periods, classifications in multi-class sports such ...

1st Alliance Volleyball Club/Illprepvb.com 2019 Preseason Girls Club Rankings

Here they are: the 2019 1st Alliance Volleyball Club/Illprepvb.com 2019 Preseason Girls Club Rankings. Rankings are based on coaches' input, last year's club performances and the performances of each club team's players as members of their high school teams last fall. 2019 Preseason Girls Club Rankings18s1. SPVB 18 Elite You can’t go wrong by leading off the rankings with Sports Performance's 18 Elite team, especially with three players back from the squad that won the club’s fifth AAU title in six years after defeating Asics Munciana 18 ...

1st Alliance Volleyball Club/Illprepvb.com Boys Club Rankings

The 2019 Boys Winter Volleyball Championships at McCormick Place on January 19-21 will give us a better idea of where the boys club teams stack up, so for the present, here is a way-too-not-so-early look at some of the top club teams in Illinois:Boys Club Rankings18s1. Ultimate B18 Gold Loaded. That’s the best word to describe Ultimate B18 Gold, which features enough talent to split into two teams. Start with Marist’s 6-foot-2 Marty Jepsen, Lincoln-Way West’s 5-11 Ben Puskota and 6-4 Louden Moran and Lincoln-Way Central’s 6-2 Jack Yurkanin ...

1st Alliance Volleyball Club/Illprepvb.com Final 2018 Girls’ Club Rankings

On Sunday, Illprepvb.com will release its 2019 girls' club preseason rankings. Meanwhile, here is a look back at the final rankings of the 2018 campaign. 18s 1. SPVB 18 Elite (1)Note: SPVB 18 Elite defeated nemesis Asics Munciana 18 Samurai (Indiana) twice in 24 hours at the 45th AAU Girls' and Boys' Junior National Volleyball Championships in Orlando, Florida, to claim its fifth national title in the last six years. Six-foot-4 junior outside hitter Taylor Landfair was named MVP of the tournament and was joined on the All-American team ...

Perennial Public League power Whitney Young seeks new girls’ volleyball coach

Whitney M. Young Magnet High School is looking for a Girls Varsity Head Volleyball Coach. Interested candidates should contact Athletic Director Chris Cassidy. Please email your resume to cgcassidy@cps.edu.Requirements: ISBE, NFHS or ASEP certified. Candidates must submit a background check, TB test and be CPS processed. College playing experience, high school and club coaching experience are preferred.Whitney Young’s varsity volleyball team went 20-13 in 2018, reaching the Class 4A supersectional before falling to eventual state champion M...

Setters who train at 1st Alliance Volleyball Club get it done on the court

Marist's Katie Mather (11) developed her setting skills at 1st Alliance Volleyball Club. Question: What do Marist’s Katie Mather and Molly Murrihy (Memphis) and Downers Grove North’s Elizabeth Dunlap, who led their respective high school teams to the IHSA Class 4A semifinals within the past two years, have in common? Or former Chicago area standouts like Katie Wagner of Glenbard West, Ashley Holder (Akron) of Mother McAuley, Sarah Rose (Marquette) of York and Emma Decker (Villanova) of Nazareth, and current Nazareth standout Ella Sa...

Epic United Volleyball is a ‘hidden’ gem nestled along the Illinois/Indiana border

Epic United draws girls from throughout southeast Cook County in Illinois and northwest Lake County in Indiana. Tucked away in the southeast corner of Cook County and the northwest part of Lake County Indiana is a little gem of a volleyball club – Epic United Volleyball. “We like to call ourselves the ‘hidden’ club,” said co-owner, coach and club director Ryan Summers.Epic United Volleyball is a combination of the old Altitude Volleyball and Diamond Elite Volleyball Academy. The 2013 merger was an effort to provide area players and parents...

Illini Elite gets ready for 2019 campaign with new facility, loads of young talent

Illini Elite recently moved into its new 34,000-square-foot facility in downstate Bloomington. When lllini Elite Volleyball Club in downstate Bloomington opened its doors in 1998, 13 girls showed up for tryouts. Today, the club’s programs have grown to include more than 60 teams with more than 650 players and coaches. It is now one of the largest volleyball clubs in Illinois by membership and is widely regarded as the premier volleyball club in central Illinois. Reflecting that success and to accommodate its growth, last month the club...

VC United begins its second year with great expectations, opportunities

VC United, led by former Club Fusion coach Eric Schulze (far right), is providing an opportunity for Rockford-area volleyball players to get to the next level. VC United executive director/owner Eric Schulze isn’t looking to build VC United in to a “mega-club,” just an “elite” one. “We want be among the nation’s elite clubs,” said Schulze, a fixture in the Illinois club and high school scene for two decades. “I believe that were capable of doing it out here with the athletes who are in Rockford and to the south and the west of us. ...

Sports Performance 18 Elite preparing for run at another national title

Six-foot-6 Taylor Landfair (back row, middle) and SPVB 18 Elite are seeking the club's sixth AAU championship in seven years in the 18 Open division. Dynasties.Michael Jordan’s Bulls. Magic Johnson’s L.A. Lakers. The 1957-66 Boston Celtics. Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers. The New York Yankees (pick your favorite decade). The UCLA Bruins under John Wooden. The NHL’s Montreal Canadiens (1953-1979).  Somewhere in there, you can add Sports Performance’s 18 Elite volleyball team.The Aurora-based club’s 18 Elite team won eight USAV 18 O...