SPVB 18 Lenny came up short in its bid to win a third consecutive 18 USA title at last weekend's Winter Volleyball Championship in Indianapolis. In two weekends, the boys from Aurora will go for their second consecutive USA crown at the 21 Dennis Lafata Boys Bid Classic in St. Louis. Indianapolis was not hospitable to a lot of teams from Illinois last weekend, but then again, like their sisters, the boys from the Land of Lincoln have been behind the eight ball compared to their brethren from outside Illinois where COVID-19 restrictions...
Here are the first 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb.com Girls 18 Club Rankings
Michio Chicago 18 National won the Girls 18 USA division at last weekend's Winter Volleyball Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indianapolis is in the books. And after traveling to compete in nearby states like Wisconsin, Iowa and Indiana, where COVID-19 restrictions were not as severe, Illinois clubs now have the go-ahead to begin scheduling competition in-state.Meanwhile, the qualifier season continues this weekend with the Northern Lights Qualifier Friday through Sunday at the CHI-Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska. The qualifier o...
Benet's Muisenga among those to be honored on ESPN as First-Team AVCA All-Americans
Benet setter Rachel Muisenga, who plays club for Adversity, will be among the 24 AVCA First-Team All-Americans who will be honored Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Sunday on ESPN. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) A year ago on New Year’s Eve, 24 of the best high school seniors nationwide competed on the same court against one another in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Under Armour All-America match.In November, the AVCA announced that it would cancel the All-America match in Orlando, Florida, with plans to honor the athletes at a later date...
It's back to business (finally) as Champions Cup series gets underway at Great Lakes
Mission 16 Green was among the teams participating in the Champions Cup event last weekend at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center. https://youtu.be/7xLNt1UG5-M They got back to business last weekend for the first of several Champions Cup events at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora.However, it was anything but business as usual.Mandatory masks. A limit of one parent per player allowed inside the facility. No lineup cards. No changing of sides at the conclusion of each game. No handshake lines at the conclusion of each match. No...
Monday morning missteps, revenge take center stage at Winter Championship
1st Alliance 18 Silver was Illinois' top finisher in the Girls 18 Open division at the Winter Volleyball Championship, finishing fifth. Indianapolis, Indiana – After his team’s 19-25, 25-17, 16-14 loss to FVP B18 Blue in a Round Two pool finale Sunday, SPVB 18 Lenny coach Zach Splitt said his team had to learn to handle pressure situations better.They’re still learning.Twenty-four hours after that loss, Lenny fell to FVP B18 Blue again, 25-17, 26-24, in the championship match of the Boys 18 USA division Monday at the Winter Volleyball Cham...
Tuscola's Kate Dean gets all the motivation she needs from sister, Karli
Kate Dean (left) calls older sister Karli "her best friend." (Cover photo by Douglas Cottle) Karli Dean is now a freshman at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. (Photo by Douglas Cottle) By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.com TUSCOLA – As they seek to maintain a level-playing field, sports rule enforcers keep an eye on performance enhancers. Kate Dean, however, has surely found a performance enhancing loophole that will never be outlawed in volleyball: her big sister, Karli, a 6-foot-1 freshman middle hitter at the University of...
NCAA/AVCA Women's Division I, II Spring Preseason Rankings January 5, 2021
Where are they now? A look at where 150+ Illinois boys are playing college volleyball
Neuqua Valley's Kevin Kauling is now plying his talents at Lewis University in Romeoville, where he was a second team All-MIVA selection as a freshman. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Illinois not only ranks second among all states in the number of boys who play high school volleyball (trailing only California in the most recent survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations), it is also near 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 ...
Champions Cup series continues under cloud of uncertainty over what comes next
Neuqua Valley's 5-10 outside hitter Bryanna Jones (76) is one of five newcomers on Sports Performance's 16 Elite team. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) CI Elite 17 Elite's Molly Warner (23) of tiny downstate Williamsfield tries to push the ball between a pair of defenders. Naperville North would have been crazy good this fall. The Huskies still might be this winter or spring. But that’s out of Paige Lauterwasser’s control.“It’s so crazy,” said Lauterwasser, a 5-10 sophomore who played on Naperville North’s 24-13 varsity team in 2019 as a fresh...
Hurlburt finds a way to balance both of his loves – family and volleyball
Former Glenbard East standout Alex Hurlburt helped to establish 630 Volleyball in the western suburbs. He now coaches individuals one-on-one so he can spend more time with his growing family. He sees individual coaching as complementing, not competing with, club volleyball, and works with boys and girls. https://youtu.be/Mk-32b5wX1A By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comAlex Hurlburt has coached at nearly every level of volleyball during the past six years, from high school to club to college.He has even worked with USA Volleyb...