Amanda Rice of Lemont and her Adversity G18 Adidas teammates won the Windy City Power League 17&18 Open division championship, going 14-1 overall with its only loss at the hands of Sky High Adidas 18 Black on February 2. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) The Windy City Power League wrapped up Sunday and the chase for bids to the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships is on, beginning with the 2020 Nike Mideast Qualifier at the Indianapolis Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 20-22.Here are the final 2020 Michio Chi...
Illprepvb.com presents the 100 All-Time Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players, Nos. 11-20
Barrington's Lexi Zimmerman (17) was a three-time All-Big Ten selection, a three-time AVCA All-American and the Michigan Female Athlete of the Year in 2009-2010. (Photo courtesy of the Michigan Daily) Today, we continue our countdown of the 100 All-Times Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players with Nos. 11-20. 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 com...
St. Rita eyes third straight Hoffman trip; Naperville North towers, and more
Colin Dahill (16) is one of four starters returning for St. Rita, which lost a heartbreaking three-setter to New Trier in the 2019 IHSA quarterfinals at Hoffman Estates. (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: Metea ValleyConference: DuPage ValleyHead coach: John Aister (10th year, 181-143)Last season’s highlights: 16-22 overa...
Top Flight VBC ready to take flight at AAU nationals in Orlando
Top Flight Volleyball Club, which is based in Elgin, is sending five teams to the 47th Annual AAU Girls Junior National Volleyball Championships this week in Orlando, Florida. Top Flight 18 Theta coach Jake Mattern. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comTop Flight Volleyball Club didn’t take long to live up to its name.In the 12 years since Cindy Gritzman founded the club with her husband, Sean, the Elgin-based organization has won 15 national titles and grown from an initial 90 players to nearly 2,500. More than 100 Top Flight alums ...
Rodriguez leaving Sterling early to join highly-touted recruiting class at Nebraska
Sterling libero Lexi Rodriguez announced that she will graduate early and start her college career at Nebraska in January, bypassing her senior season for the two-time defending IHSA Class 3A champions. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Sterling's Lexi Rodriguez The next time Sterling’s Lexi Rodriguez digs a ball in anger will not happen in the Land of Lincoln.It will happen in Lincoln, Nebraska.Rodriguez, ranked No. 10 in the 2021 recruiting class according to Prepvolleyball.com, announced last week that she will graduate from high school early ...
Widener looking for boys' volleyball players in the Class of 2020
Widener University, a Division III school that offers liberal arts and professional programs to approximately 3,300 undergraduate students in Chester, Pennsylvania, is looking for boys’ volleyball players in the Class of 2020 for its up-and-coming men’s program. Widener is seeking a setter, libero and middle hitter, and potentially a pin hitter. If interested, contact Donovan Anglin, Head Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Coach, Widener University, One University Place, Chester, Pennsylvania, 19013, at 610-499-4571, dranglin@widener.edu or www....
Where are they now? A look at where 600+ Illinois girls are playing college volleyball
Emily Holbrook (8) of Joliet Catholic and Sports Performance is now playing collegiately at Arizona State. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Illinois not only ranks third among all states in the number of girls who play high school volleyball (behind California and Texas), it is also at the top of the list for the number of its student-athletes who go on to play volleyball in college.So we asked club directors to send us their lists of alumni who are currently playing volleyball at a college or university anywhere in the country. There are nearly 50...
Elbows, fist bumps the order of the day as Windy City Power League winds down
Newark's Madi Malone (far right), who recently committed to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and her Adversity G17 Adidas teammates battled their way into the Bracket A championship match of the 18&17 Open division Saturday at the 1st Alliance Volleyball Center in Woodridge. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) The congratulatory handshakes before and after every match gave way to knocking elbows and a few scattered fist bumps as participants in the second-to-last day of the Windy City Power League deferred to what is becoming the new nationa...
IHSA says 'No' to students competing for high schools, clubs at same time
After putting off a decision for a month, the IHSA Board of Directors decided Monday not to allow student-athletes to compete for their high schools and club teams during the same sport season. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) (updates previous)The IHSA Board of Directors said "No." At its meeting on Monday, the IHSA board decided not to allow student-athletes to compete for their high school volleyball teams while simultaneously participating in club volleyball during the spring and summer sports seasons.IHSA By-law 3.100, which governs independ...
Illprepvb.com presents the 50 All-Time Best Illinois Boys Volleyball Players, Nos. 11-20
Marist boys volleyball coach Jordan Vidovic (left background) was also a record-setting player in his day while attending Brother Rice. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) 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 continued to represent themselves and Illinois volleyball on the national and internati...