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...
Memory serves St. Francis; Downers Grove South, Lincoln-Way West claim regional titles
After dropping the first set, Aaron Marrs (3, far right) and Downers Grove South rallied to beat Oswego in the Benet Regional championship match. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Aiden Benson remembers.“Bad memories,” he said. “Bad memories all the way around.”Two years ago, led by 6-7 junior middle hitter Bryce Walker and a bunch of sophomores and vying for its first-ever berth in the IHSA state quarterfinals, St. Francis was the No. 1 seed in the Hinsdale South sectional. But the Spartans were stunned by No. 8 Hinsdale Central, 25-18, 25-16, in t...
Saturday, May 22 results
Saturday, May 22 results Glenbard West def. Hinsdale Central 25-14, 25-20Glenbard West (21-2 overall, 6-1 in the West Suburban Silver): Tommy Lohman (20 assists, 2 kills, 5 digs, 1 ace), Danny Pasinski (10 kills, 2 digs, 2 blocks), Gavin Swartz (4 kills, 2 digs), Nick Jones (2 kills, 1 block), Danny Dorsey (3 kills, 3 blocks), Kenny Gibson (2 assists, 11 digs), Parker Moorhead (4 kills, 2 digs), Sam Alles (8 digs).Hinsdale Central (11-4 overall, 5-1 in the West Suburban Silver): Jakobi Lange (7 kills, 2 digs), Cullen Bradley (6 kills).St. V...
Here are the latest 1st Alliance/Illprepvb.com All Girls Club Rankings
That's what friends are for. Adversity G18 Adidas not won the 21 Nike Mideast Qualifier to snag an Open bid to nationals, their victory paved the way for Fusion 18 Red, which finished fifth at both the qualifier and the Great Lakes Regional, to receive a "trickle down" bid in the American division. 319 miles. That’s the distance Kayla Daros’ family drove Saturday afternoon moments after final volley of Club Fusion 18 Red's match at the 21 Nike Mideast Qualifier in Louisville, Kentucky, and St. Charles East’s opening tip at St. Franc...
Pandemic prompts Oak Lawn's restless Kate Dillon to add golf to busy calendar
When the pandemic forced the cancellation of the fall volleyball season in 2020, Oak Lawn's Kate Dillon decided to take up golf. She also plays basketball and softball at the southwest suburban Chicago school. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Oak Lawn outside hitter Kate Dillon began golfing last fall and has seen her game measurably improve over the past year. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comKate Dillon was a girl in search of something to do last fall.The girls’ volleyball season had been postponed until the spring due to the coronavi...
The season starts Saturday for Waubonsie Valley, but Benet can't wait
Benet improved to 3-1 with Friday's win over Waubonsie Valley behind (far right) junior Drew Rogers' 6 kills and 2 aces. Any similarity between the Waubonsie Valley team that takes the court next Tuesday and the one that took the court Friday at Benet will be purely coincidental.Senior Vincent Johnson, the Warriors’ starting setter two years ago, will rejoin the team at practice early Saturday morning and be ready to go when Waubonsie Valley begins DuPage Valley Conference play Tuesday at Naperville Central.Johnson missed the team’s first ...
Two points shy of victory, Batavia falls in three sets to St. Charles North
St. Charles North improved to 5-3 overall and moved to 3-3 in the DuKane Conference with Thursday's win at Batavia. So you want to be a head coach? Then you must expect days like this. Batavia led St. Charles North 23-21 in Game 2 of their DuKane Conference clash Thursday in Batavia, looking to complete a two-game sweep. But four hitting errors down the stretch cost the Bulldogs the set, and eventually the match.The North Stars took advantage of Batavia’s late miscues to win Game 2, then opened leads of 9-2 and 12-3 in the third set t...
A few points decide VC United 171's fate; Illini Elite 15 White rules AAUs
VC United 171 Elite, seeded No. 2 in the 17 Open division, found out that a few points can make a big difference. Orlando, Florida – VC United 171 Elite learned a valuable lesson the hard way at the 48th AAU Girls Junior National Volleyball Championships at the Orange County Convention Center. “I guess when coaches say every point matters, this is an example why,” said VC United club director/owner Eric Schulze. VC United, seeded second in the 17 Open division, rolled through its first eight matches at the Orange County Convention...
Presenting the Michio Chicago/Illprepvb.com 2021 girls H.S. preseason rankings
Plainfield North's Ella Wrobel (17, far right) is widely considered the best player in the state and will join Big Ten power Wisconsin after graduating this spring. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) You know the season is thisclose when somebody starts asking about rankings. So here we go. Maybe not the answer they’re looking for, but by all calculations, our best guess.Marist, Illprepvb.com’s No. 1 Class 4A team in the preseason in 2018 and again in 2019, is the preseason favorite in 4A again this fall. Marist went on to win it all in 2018, b...
K-8th graders invited to learn and develop basic skills at Club Fusion
Single day per week sessions committed to teaching and developing basic volleyball skills to K-8th graders through high repetition drills formatted solely for youth volleyball. Players will be split up based on their grade. FVA is the youth volleyball academy of Club Fusion Volleyball, one of the nation's top volleyball clubs. Visit www.fusion4kids.com to learn more, or to get registered! Spots are limited so don't wait to get registered! ...