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...
Presenting the initial Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls 17's Club rankings
St. Thomas More's Mallory Monahan (6) figures to add a lot of punch to Illini Elite 17 Cardinal this club season. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) The 2022 Windy City Power League seeding tournament for 17’s and 18’s is still two weeks away when we’ll get our first look at many of the teams listed here, but a few have already started competition and others will scrimmage this weekend at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora.As has become the norm, the rankings feature a number of teams that have undergone major “facelifts.” There are also...
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...
Bay to Bay 'blocks' 630 Volleyball 17-1's championship bid at McCormick Place
630 Volleyball 17-1 middle hitter Mason Kolar (24) of Downers Grove South and his teammates reached the championship match of the Boys 17 Open division at the Winter Volleyball Championship at McCormick Place before falling to Bay to Bay 17-1. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor630 Volleyball 17-1 ran into a brick wall Monday.630 had earned the top seed in the Boys 17 Open division at the Winter Volleyball Championship at McCormick Place on the strength of its 25-6 overall record, including a 10-2 mark at THE Poin...
Presenting the initial Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls 16's Club rankings
Lions 15-1 veterans libero Sam Falk (32) from Mother McAuley and Oak Park-River Forest's Grace Nelson (29) are expected to lead 1st Alliance 16 Gold this season. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) The 2022 Windy City Power League seeding tournament starts Saturday at a number of sites throughout the Chicago area and we’ll get our first look at many of the teams listed here, but for now, it’s mostly speculation as we present our first rankings of the season. The 16’s rankings feature a number of teams that have undergone major “facelifts.” Ther...
Presenting the initial Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls 18's Club rankings
Plainfield North's Ella Wrobel (88) headlines Sports Performance 18 Elite, which welcomes back four players from the team that was runner-up in the 18 Open division at the 48th AAU Girls Junior National Championships last summer. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorAnd so it begins.We will get our first look at three of the top 18’s teams in the Great Lakes Region -- Sports Performance 18 Elite, VC United 181 Elite and Illini Elite 18 Cardinal -- this weekend when they scrimmage at the Great Lakes Volleyball Ce...