Gwen Adler (far left) and her Barrington teammates finished third this fall in the IHSA Class 4A volleyball tournament at Redbird Arena. (Photos courtesy of the Daily Herald) Gwen Adler (15, lower left corner) watches as teammate Campbell Paris puts a kill away in an IHSA Class 4A semifinal. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comBoredom will never be a problem for Barrington sophomore Gwen Adler. Exhaustion may eventually trip her up, but not boredom.Adler is an outlier even by the energetic standards of teenager...
Veteran Gieseke helps young Plainfield Central put tough start in rear-view mirror
It was a mixed bag for the Southwest Prairie Conference Thursday with Plainfield East (above) losing at Lockport while Plainfield Central (video below) broke into the win column at home against Nazareth Academy. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/NX0pSY33w4A By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorPlainfield Central’s Logan Gieseke has been around the block a few times.The 6-foot-4 outside hitter was elevated to the varsity two games into his freshman year to play middle hitter. He was slated to start his sophomore year, but the se...
Tuesday, March 29 results
Oswego Tournament champion Rockton Hononegah was scheduled to play unbeaten NIC-10 rival Rockford Jefferson Tuesday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Tuesday March 29 resultsBarrington def. Rolling Meadows 25-17, 25-16Barrington (6-0 overall, 0-0 in the Mid Suburban West): Jack O'Riordan (4 kills, 2 digs, 3 aces), Cole Hartke (6 kills, 3 digs, 3 aces), Nick Oland (12 assists).Buffalo Grove def. Fremd 25-23, 22-25, 25-23Fremd (0-1 overall, 0-0 in the Mid-Suburban West): Aaron Sallade (9 kills, 2 blocks, 4 digs), Camden Seaver (9 kills, 6 aces, 1 dig)...
A return to 'normalcy' begs the inevitable, impossible question — who's No. 1?
Parker Moorhead (12) and the Glenbard West Hilltoppers open the 2022 season as the No. 1 team in the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Boys High School Rankings. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNormalcy?What is that?All you must do to get some semblance of the discombobulation that was the 2021 boys high school season is look at the past records of some of the teams ranked in the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Preseason Top 25. Some played 39 matches (Glenbard West), others played as few as 16 (St. Ignatius...
Plainfield East maps a 'trust'-worthy victory over visiting Lincoln-Way West
Geography. Led by Matthew Molnar, Downers Grove South defeated Downers Grove North on Tuesday. Twenty-four hours later, Plainfield East surprises Lincoln-Way West. And tomorrow, another key geographic showdown when Glenbard West visits Lincoln-Way East. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comOne thing is apparent about the new Plainfield East boys volleyball head coach Jeff Wilkie.He trusts his players. That trust paid off in his coaching debut Wednesday. The Bengals held off a rally in the opener and...
Marist RedHawk Invitational pools, pairings and brackets
Lincoln-Way East bests Glenbard West for bragging rights … at least for the present
Glenbard West's Parker Moorhead had 11 kills, but it wasn't enough as Lincoln-Way East defeated the preseason No. 1 Hilltoppers, 22-25, 25-21, 25-23, Thursday in Frankfort. (Archive photo by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/BXJExVvuOuU By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor277 days.That’s how much time has passed since Lincoln-Way East and Glenbard West met in the third-place game of the 2021 IHSA Boys Volleyball Tournament in Glen Ellyn last spring, a match in which the Hilltoppers spanked the Griffins, 25-14, 25-15.277 days.Water under...
It's qualifying time for teams in latest Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com rankings
The qualifier season really picks up following last weekend's Mideast Qualifier in Indianapolis with local teams travelling from Missouri to Florida to Las Vegas to earn bids to USAV nationals. (Phoot by Dave Ruggles). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor‘Tis the season …… to compete in a USAV national qualifier.Last weekend’s Mideast Qualifier in Indianapolis, Indiana, was just the tip of the iceberg for USAV qualifiers. Coming up are the Sunshine Classic, the Red Rock Rave, the Show Me qualifier, the Lone Star Classic, the Windy Ci...
The Volleyball Institute/Illprepvb.com present the top 100 boys in the Class of 2023
Jakobi Lange, whose 229 kills as a sophomore last spring powered Hinsdale Central to a sectional final, heads The Volleyball Institute/Illprepvb.com list of the top 100 players in the Class of 2023. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Today, we rank the top 100 boys in the Class of 2023.Among those at the top of the list are three members of 630 Volleyball 17-1 -- Hinsdale Central's 6-4 outside hitter Jakobi Lange, who led the Red Devils to the sectional final as a sophomore, setter Peter Zurawski of defending IHSA quarterfinalist Oak Park-River F...
Illprepvb.com looks at some of the teams coming to a gym near you in spring '22
Lincoln-Way East's Tyler Walenga (on the cover) is just one of a number of starters back for the Griffins, who reached the IHSA semifinals in 2021 before losing to Glenbrook North. Can they return in 2022 and enjoy a celebration like Glenbrook North did last year? (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor Here is a look at some of the teams that will be vying for conference, regional and sectional championships, and, in some cases, IHSA quarterfinal berths and an eventual state championship in 2022 (in alphabetic...