1st Alliance 17 Silver finished seventh in the 17 Open division at last weekend's Northern Lights Qualifier in Omaha, Nebraska. When they were good, they were exceptionally good. When they were not as good, you had to take it with a grain of salt.Illinois’ 17s proved to be a mixed bag last weekend at the Northern Lights Qualifier in Omaha, Nebraska, and the Central Zone Invitational in Indianapolis, Indiana. Nevertheless, given that it was the first time out of the house for many Illinois clubs, the results were promising.Making the bi...
Here are the latest 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb.com Girls 15 Club Rankings
ESVBC Elite 15U Ice (Eastside Volleyball Club, East Peoria) joins the rankings after winning the Midwest Challenge at Academy Volleyball Club in Indianapolis on January 30-31. This is the last installment of Illprepvb.com’s latest look at some of the top clubs in Illinois in their respective age groups.Like we said back in December, the 15s are always the most difficult to predict for a number of reasons. This season, that uncertainty was magnified partly because many 14s experienced a shortened competitive season in 2020, and in some...
SPVB 15 Elite wins 15/16 Open division at Birmingham (Ala.) Blitz
Former St. Francis star shares passion, knowledge as coach with U.S. team
Former St. Francis star and U.S. national team associate coach Erin Virtue (back row, third from right) said the team's goal this year is to do something the women have never done -- win an Olympic gold medal. Erin Virtue coached on the collegiate level for 12 years before accepting a position with the U.S. national team. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comEven though she played for legendary coach St. Francis coach Peg Kopec in high school, Erin Virtue didn’t think about coaching until her senior year at Illinois.The star setter w...
Adversity G18 Adidas has all the ingredients for a successful run to nationals
Adversity G18 Adidas' second-place finish in St. Louis imparted a few lessons to a team that has set its sights on an Open bid to the USA Volleyball Girls 18 Junior National Championship. Putting together a volleyball roster can be a little like making pot roast … sometimes it takes a while for all the ingredients to come together.Adversity G18 Adidas just needs a bit more seasoning.After losses to MAVS KC 18-1 (Kansas City, Missouri) and Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (Omaha) knocked Adversity out of bid contention at the Northern Lights Q...
Michio Chicago 18 National runs table at Northern Lights Qualifier
New dates, locations set for Windy City, Northern Lights, GLR qualifiers
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, McCormick Place in downtown Chicago is out as a location for the 2021 Windy City National Qualifier and Indianapolis and St. Louis are in. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) News flash! The Windy City National Qualifier will not be held in Chicago this year, and the Northern Lights Qualifier will not be held in Minneapolis.The 2021 adidas Windy City National Qualifier, originally scheduled for April 23-25 at McCormick Place, has been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions and now will be held over two weekends at differen...
Tiny Emden's fearless Barry packs a big punch in her not-so-big frame
Normal U-High's hard-hitting Lily Barry, who plays outside hitter for her high school and Illini Elite 16 Cardinal club teams, projects as a libero at the Division I level. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.comWatching 5-foot-6 Lily Barry wallop a volleyball says a lot about the 16-year-old member of the Bloomington-based Illini Elite Volleyball Club.“She doesn’t hold back in anything that she does,” said club director Andy Erins, who is trying to convince the sophomore from Normal University High School by way o...
1st Alliance 18 Black punches its ticket to nationals at Beast of the Southeast
1st Alliance 18 Black won the 18 USA division at last weekend's Beast of the Southeast Invite. 1st Alliance 18 Black defeated Rage-Westside 18 Jen (Belmont, California), 25-23, 25-20, on Sunday to win the 18 USA division at the Beast of the Southeast Invite & U18 National Qualifier in Atlanta, Georgia, and earn a bid to the USA Volleyball Girls 18s Junior National Championship in Columbus, Ohio, April 23-25.“This was truly a team win … from the players to the parents,” said 18 Black coach Matthew Madia. “From the start, this team real...
Fueled by example of her older brothers, Zayna Meyer is driven to succeed
After leading Wheaton Warrenville South to an IHSA Class 4A runner-up finish in 2019, Zayna Meyer (left) has big goals for her SPVB 18 Elite team this spring. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) SPVB 18 Elite's BYU-bound setter Zayna Meyer. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By PJ BrozynskiIllprepb.com Writer/Editor If you can’t live at home while you’re going to college, you can always do the next best thing.Take home with you.“We’re going to see a lot of each other, for sure,” said Sports Performance 18 Elite setter Zayna Meyer. “It’s like bringing home ...