Where are Illinois' top girls' volleyball recruits in the Classes of '22, '23 headed?

(Updated 7/18) Six-foot-3 junior middle hitter Annie Eschenbach (17) of Benet Academy and 1st Alliance VBC has committed to Xavier University. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Illprepvb.com is creating a list of the top players in Illinois in the Classes of 2022 and 2023 who have committed to a college or university to continue their volleyball careers. All coaches and club directors have been invited to provide the names of their players who should be on the list. The attached list features the names of players that have been submitted so far.If...

Here are the '21-22 Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Boys 15's, 16's Club rankings

SPVB B16 Elite won the 16 Open division of the JVA Showdown in Motown last weekend to earn the top spot in the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Boys 16's Club rankings. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorTime to play catch-up with boys’ volleyball clubs.While the girls were wrapping up their high school season, boys club teams in Illinois were quietly going about their business at THE Point Series at the Wintrust Sports Center in Bedford Park and the Third Coast Invitational at the Wisconsin Center.Last weekend, several Illinois boys’...

Here are the final 2021 Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com girls H.S. rankings

Emotions ran high Saturday at the IHSA tournament at Redbird Arena among both winners and losers. But win or lose, most agreed they were just happy to be back on the court this fall. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorAnother IHSA tournament is in the books. Let’s pray that 2020 is the last time the tournament is cancelled. Recommendation to avoid future cancellations? Encourage folks to get vaccinated. (P.S. Just another reason not to like Aaron Rodgers).My biggest beef of last weekend? The prices at the conc...

Metea Valley rallies to deny McAuley in Class 4A title game; Barrington takes third

Barrington sophomore Jenna Meitzler (11) collects one of her 3 kills against Edwardsville in the Class 4A third-place match. (Photo by Dave Ruggles)  Class 4ABy Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNORMAL – No. 17 will have to wait another year.Metea Valley, which had never even won a regional before this season, shocked the Mother McAuley, 15-25, 25-8, 25-17, at Redbird Arena on Saturday to deny the Mighty Macs a 17th IHSA championship and claim the first state volleyball trophy in the Aurora school’s history.“Oh my God, I can’t even describe...

Hurta joins long list of distinguished players who reaped POY honors

Nazareth's Katie Hurta (9) joins a long and distinguished list of players who earned Player of the Year honors since the award was first presented in 1982. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor Did you know that girls were not permitted to participate in interscholastic volleyball contests until 1973? Then during the 1974-75 school year, the IHSA sponsored its first volleyball tournament at Lantz Gymnasium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. New Trier East won that affair, defeating Rich East 15-10, 6...

St. Thomas More denies Augusta Southeastern its Cinderella finish

Freeport Aquin's Lucy Arndt had 15 kills to lead ther Bulldogs past Springfield Lutheran in the IHSA Class 1A third-place game. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Class 1A By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNORMAL – For one brief shining moment …Tiny Augusta Southeastern, drawing from the communities of Augusta (population: 900), Bowen (500), West Point (200), Plymouth (350), Colmar and Huntsville in the far west central county of Hancock, faced off against St. Thomas More, which draws from the city of Champaign (population: 87,636) and surroundi...

Here is the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com 2021 Honorable Mention Team

Barrington's Amanda Cleary (above) and Augusta Southeastern freshman Amanda Stephens (on the home page) are among the players named to the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com 2021 Girls All-State Honorable Mention Team. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Today, we are pleased to announce the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com 2021 Girls All-State Volleyball Team and those players selected as “Honorable Mention.” Coaches across Illinois were invited to nominate players to the all-state team. Team members were selected based upon their accomplishments o...

Montini rains on Pleasant Plains to claim 'inevitable' Class 2A championship

Pleasant Plains' Sienna Hadley (15) tries to beat the double block of Montini's Sienna Skarda (15) and Isabel Evenson (10) during Saturday's Class 2A championship game. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Class 2ABy Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNORMAL – Death, taxes (for all but most major U.S. corporations) and Montini winning the Class 2A championship Saturday at Redbird Arena.Inevitable.From the time the IHSA released the enrollment ranges for the various fall sports back in late summer, there was very little short of an act of the Almighty ...