Adversity girls rebound from early loss to advance at Winter Volleyball Championship

Michio Chicago 18 National finished third in its pool on day one of the 2022 Girls Winter Volleyball Championship at McCormick Place. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorAdversity G18 Adidas was up against it after its first match Saturday at the 2022 Girls Winter Volleyball Championship at McCormick Place.Adversity dropped its opener against Milwaukee Sting 18 Gold, 16-25, 25-22, 15-12, and needed to win its final two matches to remain in the hunt for one of the handful of Open bids available to the 2022 USAV Girls Junior National Champi...

Big weekend for 1st Alliance, Top Notch 17s in Omaha; SPVB 18 Kahl 'Blitz-es' field

1st Alliance 15 Gold toppled previously unbeaten 1st Alliance 16 Gold Sunday on the first day of Windy City Power League play. 1st Alliance 16 Gold rolled through the field during the 16/15 Open seeding portion of the Windy City Power League, going 10-0 and winning nine of 10 matches in straight sets, including a 25-19, 26-24 victory over 1st Alliance 15 Gold on January 9.Not surprising, considering that 1st Alliance 16 Gold featured seven players from the Lions 15-1 team that finished fifth in the 15 Open division at the 2021 USAV Girls Ju...

The road less traveled leads former McAuley star to the NCAA championship match

Former Mother McAuley star Kayla Caffey played a big role in leading Nebraska to the NCAA championship match opposite Big Ten foe Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of Nebraska athletics) Nebraska middle blocker Kayla Caffey By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comFormer Mother McAuley star Kayla Caffey’s road to the NCAA championship match was full of twists and turns.And she may not be done yet.Caffey played a pivotal role in leading Nebraska to the championship match against Wisconsin, played before a crowd of 18,755 at Nationwide Arena on De...

Katie Schumacher-Cawley — from state champion to (Penn) State head coach

Katie Schumacher-Cawley served as an assistant coach at Penn State for four seasons before being named head coach earlier this month. (Photos courtesy of Penn State athletics) Former Mother McAuley star and new Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comKatie Schumacher-Cawley called it a "dream come true.”The Chicago area native and two-time Penn State All-American landed one of the most prestigious positions in the nation when she was named the head coach of the Penn State women's volleyba...

Dave Boze was a coach, mentor and friend to many in the volleyball community

Volleyball legend Dave Boze, former coach at Fremd High School, assistant coach at St. Francis and founder of Circus Volleyball Club in the early 1980s, passed away Monday. Dave Boze. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorTo the volleyball world, Dave Boze was a difference-maker, an innovator, a pioneer and a legend.He was also a husband, father, grandfather, a good friend and a mentor.Boze passed away Monday at Northwestern Hospital due to complications from COVID-19. He was 80 years old.“Dave Boze was a legend,” said former St. Francis...

Nazareth's Katie Hurta named Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year

Sports Performance VBC/Illprepvb.com Player of the Year Katie Hurta of Nazareth Academy was recently named the 2021-22 Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). Katie Hurta led Nazareth to the IHSA Class 3A championship this fall. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) CHICAGO (January 11, 2022) – In its 37th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Katie Hurta of Nazareth Academy is the 2021-22 Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year. Hurta is the first Gatorade Ill...

Presenting the latest Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls Club Rankings

Club Fusion 18 Silver went 9-0 to win the 18 American division at the recent Winter Volleyball Championships at McCormick Place and earn a bid to the USAV Girls Junior National Championship in Phoenix, Arizona. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorMaybe, it’s cold outside, but club volleyball is beginning to heat up.The initial Windy City Power League 18/17 Open Seeding Event wrapped up last weekend with only a few surprises, while SPVB 18 Elite flexed its muscle at the first Champions Cup event at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center.This...

Lemont's April Rice adds spice to her game at national development program

April Rice (second from right), a freshman setter at Lemont High School and Adversity G15 Adidas, recently returned from attending the National Team Development Program in Anaheim, California. Lemont's April Rice and U.S. Women's National Team coach Karch Kiraly. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comApril Rice traveled a long way over the Christmas break.Her game followed suit.Rice, a 5-foot-10 freshman setter from Lemont and Adversity G15 Adidas, spent the week between Christmas and New Year’s at the women’s Olympic Training Center in...

SPVB 18 Elite seeks return to AAU glory; injury sets back Illini Elite 18 Cardinal

SPVB 18 Elite outside hitter Ella Wrobel (Plainfield North) has her sights set on returning the Aurora club to the AAU championship stage after a three-year absence. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorIs it coincidence that the last names of SPVB 18 Elite’s top three outside hitters all start with the letter “W?”“We purposely did that,” joked SPVB 18 Elite coach Troy Gilb. “We wanted to make life easy for me … coaching two teams.”Gilb, who also coaches the club’s top 18s boys’ team, expects 6-4 outside hitter and ...

Goodbye, USAV. Hello, AAU. Boys volleyball clubs are ready for change

Boys volleyball clubs nationwide are opting to compete in the AAU junior national tournament this summer, a departure from their long-standing participation in the USAV-sponsored event. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorDrew Rogers, you just graduated from Benet Academy.What are you going to do next?“I’m going to Disney World!”Just kidding. Rogers won't graduate from Benet for a few more months, and he didn't really say that ... yet. But the 630 Volleyball 18-1 outside hitter did express his excitement over the ...