Glenbard West's 6-5 middle hitter Xzavion Willett had 13 kills on 17 attempts (.765) without an error and added 7 blocks as the Hilltoppers defeated Lyons Township, 25-20, 22-25, 25-15, in the first IHSA quarterfinal Friday at Hoffman Estates. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Friday, May 31 quarterfinal resultsGlenbard West def. Lyons Township 25-20, 22-25, 25-15Glenbard West (36-3 overall, 6-0 in the West Suburban Silver): Jack Anderson (3 kills, 32 assists, 5 digs, 2 blocks), Casey Maas (14 kills, 1 assist, 4 digs, 3 blocks), Adam Graham (5 k...
USAV’s dance card is filled. Here are the Illinois girls’ teams heading to Las Vegas
Michio Chicago 15 National (above) will compete in the 15 USA division in Las Vegas while Sky High Adidas 17 Elite (on the home page) is headed to Mandalay Bay to compete in the 17 National division. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThere have been a number of changes to the list of local qualifiers headed to the 2024 USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship 14-17s at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, from July 3-11.Teams have moved up a division or two. New faces have joined the list. And th...
Illinois womens’ volleyball program hosts camp at Plainfield North July 23-24
Loyola ends St. Francis’ Cinderella run; Marist, Glenbard West, York reach semis
York sophomore Ben Brown (12) had 9 kills as the Dukes defeated Lincoln-Way West, 25-17, 25-17, in Friday's final IHSA quarterfinal at Hoffman Estates. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorLoyola Academy has had some “studs” come through its volleyball program through the years – players like 2014 Sun-Times Player of the Year and three-time Pepperdine All-American David Wieczorek and Quincy University standout Collin Merk.But somebody would always get in the Ramblers' way come IHSA tournament time.“We lost fi...
Can Glenbard West make history again? Marist, six others hope to say, ‘No way’
Glenbard West's 6-6 middle hitter Xzavion Willett hoists the sectional championship trophy following the Hilltoppers' straight-set win Tuesday over Downers Grove North. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorTalk about a two-class boys volleyball system surfaced again over the weekend.While we’d much rather the IHSA focus their collective energy on securing a college venue for the boys’ finals or seeding the tournament without regard to geography (see football), the move to a two-class playoff system seems to be gain...
In memoriam …
Former Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter/editor Steve Tucker passed away Friday, May 10, at the age of 74. Steve “Tuck” TuckerFormer sportswriter/editor, Chicago Sun-TimesDecember 5, 1948-May 10, 2024Tucker become a stringer for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1984, often covering area sporting events. Eventually, Steve became a supervising editor for the Sun-Times’ high school sports section. He also was assigned to cover many state tournament events. In addition, Steve was involved with an Amateur Athletics Union high school girls’ basketball t...
Tuesday, May 28 sectional results
Glenbard West's Xzavion Willet out the exclamation point on the Hilltoppers' 25-19, 25-19 victory over Downers Grove North during Tuesday's sectional championship match at Bolingbrook. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Tuesday, May 28 resultsBolingbrook sectional An IHSA tournament without Glenbard West? The Hilltoppers are making their 10th consecutive trip to Hoffman Estates this weekend. Glenbard West def. Downers Grove North 25-19, 25-19Glenbard West (35-3 overall, 6-0 in the West Suburban Silver): Jack Anderson (24 assists, 2 digs, 2 bloc...
Willett, Glenbard West deny Downers North; York, Bute party like it’s 1999
Downers Grove North's 6-5 junior outside hitter Aiden Akkawi hits over the block of Glenbard West's Brayden Tejeda (11) and Casey Maas (1) Tuesday at Bolingbrook. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepbvb.com Over the past decade, many teams have tried to block Glenbard West's path to the IHSA finals. But with a block like the Hilltoppers had Tuesday night, that's a nearly impossible task.Glenbard West came up big at the net and defeated Downers Grove North, 25-19, 25-19, in Tuesday’s championship match of the ...
Belleville East’s Werner is the Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb.com Player of the Week
Belleville East's August Werner, who has set a program record for most kills in a career, is this week's Ultimate VBC.Illprepvb.com Player of the Week. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorTournament champions. Conference champions. Regional champions. Sectional finalists.Belleville East (33-4) is having a season for the record books, and the driving force behind the Lancers’ excellence this spring is 6-1 outside hitter August Werner.A three-year varsity starter, Werner recently surpassed 900 career kills, the first player in Bell...
‘Brook throws scare into Glenbard West; Downers North, York, Conant advance
Bolingbrook and coach Molly DeSerf came within inches of dethroning two-time defending IHSA champion Glenbard West, falling 25-27, 25-18, 31-29, in a sectional semifinal Saturday at Bolingbrook. (File photo by Dave Ruggles). By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comGlenbard West hasn’t reached the top of the boys’ volleyball food chain without having some character checks. The two-time defending IHSA champions faced the ultimate test Saturday. The Hilltoppers fought off a pair of match points and upended upstart Bolingbrook, 25-27, 25-18, 31-...