St. Francis' Peg Kopec won 12 state titles during her 42-year career, including titles in four classes -- A, AA, 3A and 4A. (Photo courtesy of Chicago Tribune) Two years ago, Illprepvb.com was approached to collaborate on the creation of an Illinois High School Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, nothing ever came of that phone call. But we feel now, as we did then, that the creation of a coaches’ Hall of Fame was long overdue. So here it is – the initial class of the Illprepvb.com Illinois High School Volleyball Coach...
Chicago Elite Volleyball Club continues to thrive despite pandemic, uncertainty
Chicago Christian and Chicago Elite Volleyball Club graduate Lia Moore (far right) is now playing at Michigan State. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comWith most youth sports on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, volleyball club coaches naturally wondered if their enrollment would go down this fall.That has not been the case at Chicago Elite.“We thought we’d be a little bit hurt in numbers just because what’s the point of playing club if there’s not going to be any tournaments,” said Chicago Elite boys di...
Palos Courts announces postponement of the Point Series until January
The Palos Point Series has been put on hold until at least January due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Palos Court Point Series, the traditional start of the boys’ club season in Illinois for age groups 14 through 18, has been postponed until at least January, Palos Courts Sports Complex director Adam Beck said in an email to participating clubs Monday.“Since we are, unfortunately, in no different phase here in Illinois, we are going to have to cancel the November portion of the Palos Point Series and hope we can get restarted in January 202...
IHSA pulls the plug on state tournaments, but does not nix spring sports entirely
There will not be an IHSA boys volleyball tournament at Hoffman Estates in 2020. But the organization refused to rule out the possibility that some contests could be conducted later this spring or summer if the state government and health professionals deem it is safe. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Following Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzer’s decision Friday to close all Illinois schools for the remainder of the year, one astute boys volleyball coach reacted to the IHSA’s announcement that it would postpone until today a decision whether to cancel spri...
Illprepvb.com presents the 100 All-Time Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players, Nos. 51-60
Augusta Southeastern's Kolby McClelland (20) ranks third on the IHSA all-time career kill list and now stars for Murray State. (Photo courtesy of Murray State). Today, we continue our countdown of the 100 All-Times Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players with Nos. 51-60. Volleyball has come a long way since the IHSA began sponsoring a state tournament series in 1974. You might be hard-pressed to recognize the game. Not only have the rules changed, but so has the caliber of the athletes who compete.The growth of club volleyball, improve...
Illprepvb.com presents the 100 All-Time Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players, Nos. 91-100
Megan Boken played on two IHSA championship teams at St. Francis and two NCAA tournament teams at St. Louis University. (Photo courtesy of St. Louis University) Today, we begin our countdown of the 100 All-Times Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players with Nos. 91-100. Volleyball has come a long way since the IHSA began sponsoring a state tournament series in 1974. You might be hard-pressed to recognize the game. Not only have the rules changed, but so has the caliber of the athletes who compete.The growth of club volleyball, improved t...
Illprepvb.com presents the 50 All-Time Best Illinois Boys Volleyball Players, Nos. 1-10
St. Francis and Loyola star Jeff Jendryk has blossomed from a skinny 6-foot-1 high school freshman to a member of Team USA who was preparing for the Summer Games in Tokyo when the COVID-19 crisis struck. (Photo courtesy of Loyola University) Today, we continue to count down the 50 All-Time Best Illinois Boys Volleyball Players. The players were selected based on their athletic ability, their individual accomplishments on the court, how they impacted their team’s success, their place in IHSA history, and in some cases, how they conti...
While we're waiting … here's a sneak peek at some of the top 16s girls' club teams
The talents of Fusion 16 Red's Grace Egan (Sterling) and Illini Elite 16 Cardinal's Lily Barry (Normal U-High) were on display during the 2019 IHSA volleyball championships at Redbird Arena. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Many volleyball clubs throughout Illinois are proceeding with plans to resume after the first of the year. The Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora recently released its schedule for the new year, which includes its Challenge Cup series and Presidents’ Day tournament (see the "Wanted" section).The dates to begin the Wind...
L-W East looks to continue winning tradition; Benet, Palatine and more
John Glennon (82) is one of three key seniors returning at Lincoln-Way East, which has won 30 or more matches seven times over the last 10 years and claimed the 2018 IHSA championship. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Illprepvb.com continues its look at the 2020 boys' high school volleyball season with another set of team previews. Illprepvb.com provides the best in boys volleyball coverage throughout the season anywhere in the state. School: Benet AcademyConference: East Suburban CatholicHead coach: Jeff SteinbergLast season’s highlig...
Here are the 2020 Michio Chicago/Illprepvb.com Final Girls Club Rankings
The AAU Girls Junior National Volleyball Championships are still scheduled for July 14-22, in Orlando, Florida. But because of the lack of local competitors, the tournament will have no bearing on our rankings. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) It is hard to believe that, for all intents and purposes, the 2020 girls club season ended nearly four months ago. Five Illinois clubs, including 1st Alliance, Top Flight and Sky High, have entered teams in the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando, Florida, on July 14-22, which has banned ...