No. 1-ranked St. Francis saw its winning streak to open the season end at 23 matches Friday at the hands of Lake Park. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comTop-ranked St. Francis no longer has the pressure of trying to go undefeated.Josh Schellinger and his Lake Park teammates made sure of that.The 6-foot-6 Schellinger and 6-5 Andrew Deardorff each put down 9 kills, and setter Elijah Wrobel dished out 24 assists as the third-ranked Lancers upset St. Francis, 25-16, 25-23, Friday in Wheaton.The loss ended a 23-match winning streak by the ...
Monday, May 24 results
(Photo by Dave Ruggles) Monday, May 24 resultsBartlett def. Huntley 25-13, 25-16Bartlett (16-1 overall, 5-0 in the DuKane Conference).Huntley (5-11 overall).Belleville Althoff def. Alton Marquette 25-20, 25-16Belleville Althoff (6-4 overall).Alton Marquette (8-5 overall).Carmel def. Grant 25-21, 25-23Carmel (13-2 overall, 5-2 in the East Suburban Catholic Conference): Matt Herron (7 kills), Andersen Ptasienski (6 kills, 1 ace, 6 digs), Will Niese (5 kills), Timmy Harvey (3 kills, 2 blocks), Mario Durnil (10 assists), Bobby Szamocki (10 assi...
Rosenow brothers leading Oswego on long road back from unscheduled break
Plainfield Central needed a few more balls to bounce its way Thursday at Oswego, said coach Robert Richardson. Oswego junior libero Alex Rosenow was kidded that he got short-changed in the height department, checking in at a good 6 inches shorter than his brother, Ben.But Alex countered that he does have bragging rights in at least one area.“I’m three minutes older,” Alex said.The Rosenows, two-thirds of a set of triplets (brother Sam opted to play golf rather than follow his brothers’ lead), both came up big this week for Oswego, leading...
St. Francis fights off match point, rallies to defeat Marist in clash of state's best
Despite 19 kills from Nyherowo Omene (far left), 2019 defending state champion Marist suffered its first loss of the season Monday at St. Francis, 21-25, 26-24, 25-17. https://youtu.be/pyvKiba5MLs By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comSt. Francis middle hitter Aiden Benson and Marist outside hitter Nyherowo Omene had never played against each other in a high school match.The two have faced each other in club and this year are teammates on Sports Performance’s top-ranked 18 Elite team, a squad that also features St. Francis setter K...
Lockport defeats Homewood-Flossmoor, in position to make a little history
Lockport coach Nick Mraz has the Porters in position to win their first-ever conference title, but even if the Porters win out, they may need some help. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comSince the Southwest Suburban Conference was formed in the fall of 2005, Lockport has never won or shared a league title in boys’ volleyball.But the Porters are in a position to do that now. Lockport defeated Homewood-Flossmoor, 25-14, 25-19, Thursday in Flossmoor to maintain a share of first place in the nine-team league.The Porters (10-2, 6-1), w...
Glenbrook North feels the energy late, hands Vernon Hills its first loss
Vernon Hills took a 9-0 record into its Central Suburban League crossover Friday at Glenbrook North, and left with its first loss of the young season, 25-23, 25-16. What makes Glenbrook North so good?“We’re high energy,” said the Spartans’ 5-foot-10 senior setter Louie Batang. “We thrive on energy. Any energy. When we get big bounces, big blocks, anything we can do, we use that. We use that momentum.”Vernon Hills pulled the plug on that energy throughout much of the first set and through the first half of the second, but once Glenbrook Nort...
Wednesday, May 19 results
(Photos of Wednesday's South Suburban Conference match between Bremen and Shepard by by Dave Ruggles) Wednesday, May 19 results Alton Marquette def. Belleville West 25-21, 25-22Deerfield def. Niles North 16-25, 25-20, 25-15Glenbard West def. Lake Park 22-25, 25-18, 26-24Glenbard West (19-2 overall, 4-1 in the West Suburban Silver): Tommy Lohman (28 assists, 4 kills, 17 digs, 3 blocks, 1 ace), Danny Pasinksi (18 kills, 6 digs, 1 block), Gavin Swartz (6 kills, 4 dig, 1 block), Quinn Hardesty (4 kills, 2 blocks), Nick Jones ...
Benet's Muisenga named Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year
Benet Academy's Rachel Muisenga (18, far left) led the Redwings to a 51-1 record and an IHSA Class 4A championship during her two years as the team's setter. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year Rachel Muisenga of Benet Academy. CHICAGO (May 6, 2021) — In its 36th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Rachel Muisenga of Benet Academy as its 2020-21 Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year. Muisenga is the second Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year to...
Presenting the Illprepvb.com/Sports Performance VBC Girls H.S. Player of the Year
Rachel Muisenga led Benet to a 51-1 record during her two years as the Redwings' setter, capped by a 23-25, 25-11, 25-22 victory over Marist in the East Suburban Catholic Conference Tournament championship game. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Benet's Rachel Muisenga By Matt Le CrenSpecial for Illprepvb.comThere is an aura that all great athletes project during competition.They play with a self-assuredness that ensures no challenge is too large for them to overcome, and no task too small for them to complete.For those fans who get to watch...
Sandburg makes Lincoln-Way East work overtime for share of conference title
(Photos of Wednesday's South Suburban Conference match between Bremen and Shepard by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comFor Lincoln-Way East, boys volleyball conference titles are old hat.But this one is extra special.Wednesday in Frankfort, the Griffins rallied past Sandburg, 20-25, 25-23, 25-19, to clinch at least a share of the Southwest Suburban Conference championship. It's the 12th conference championship for Lincoln-Way East since the league formed in the fall of 2005. But it's also the Griffins’ first since wi...