Lemont senior setter April Rice (7) is one of only two starters back for Lemont in 2024. On the home page is Normal U-High's Laney Snow. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe 2024 girls high school volleyball season got underway Monday with the start of practice/tryouts, and Illprepvb.com continues its annual series of previews of the teams, players and coaches whose ultimate goal is a trip to Redbird (now CEFCU) Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal.So, here is (almost) everything you need t...
Wheaton North Blue & Gold Invitational
Mater Dei under new management; Oak Lawn sheds underdog image; and more
Six-foot-5 Alyssa Koerkenmeier(24) and the Mater Dei Knights have a new coach, but the same goal -- win an IHSA Class 2A championship. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe 2024 girls high school volleyball season gets underway today with the start of practice/tryouts, and Illprepvb.com begins its annual series of previews of the teams, players and coaches whose ultimate goal is a trip to Redbird (now CEFCU) Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal.So, here is (almost) everything you need to ...
Nancy Kerrigan steps down after more than two decades at IC Catholic Prep
After leading IC Catholic Prep to back-to-back runner-up finishes in the IHSA Class 2A tournament and more than 20 years affiliated with the program, Nancy Kerrigan is stepping down to focus on family and other pursuits. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Nancy Kerrigan, who has been an integral part of the IC Catholic Prep girls volleyball program for more than two decades, announced Monday that she is stepping down. “IC volleyball has been an integral part of my life journey, affording me the privilege to collaborate with exceptional coaches,...
Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com present the Best of the Girls’ H.S. Class of 2025
Graduation took a toll on Lincoln's 2023 Class 3A runner-up, but top attacker Payton Sasse (9) is among those who return from a year ago. On the homepage is Willowbrook's Hannah Kenny, who will be headed to Louisville next fall to play libero. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorContinuing with our series presenting the top girls high school players throughout Illinois, today we present the best of the Class of 2025.The list includes Marist’s 6-2 outside hitter and Northwestern recruit Bella Bullington, who...
Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com present the Top 150 Girls H.S. Players in 2024
Benet Academy libero Aniya Warren (front row, third from left) helped the U.S. Girls U19 National Team win the 2024 NORCECA Continental Championship in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on July 19. (On the home page is St. Francis' Addy Horner (22) (Cover photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorAugust 12.Circle it on your calendar.The first day of practice for girls volleyball teams across Illinois.So today, we begin our look at the best of the best players in Illinois with the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Top 150 Girls...
Illprepvb.com presents the Ultimate (VBC) Girls H.S. Volleyball Teams of All Time
Montini was the most dominant team in Illinois regardless of class in 2021, crushing all comers on its way to a 40-1 record and IHSA Class 2A championship. Montini went 14-1 against Cklass 4A competition and suffered its only loss to Class 4A Glenbard West in August of that year. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThere have been many great teams throughout the history of IHSA girls’ high school volleyball – undefeated champions, once-beaten champions, and some teams that did not win an IHSA championship d...
Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com present the Best of the Girls’ H.S. Class of 2026
Carmi-White County's 5-6 outside hitter Caroline Simmons (7) had more than 500 kills for the Bulldogs in 2023. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorContinuing with our series presenting the top girls high school players throughout Illinois, today we present the best of the Class of 2026.The list includes Carmi-White County’s 5-6 outside hitter Caroline Simmons, who had a staggering 514 kills last season for the Class 2A fourth-place Lady Bulldogs, and Rockford Christian’s Maddie Anspaugh, whose 386 kills led ...
Presenting the final 2024 Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Boys H.S. Rankings
Marist defeated two-time defending champion Glenbard West and West Suburban Silver powerhouse York to win its first IHSA championship since 2019. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorFour years in a row and counting … After the IHSA tournament last year, we argued that the IHSA boys’ tournament should be seeded so that the two best teams could potentially meet in the championship game. Clearly, that is not the IHSA’s intention.Two years ago, the two best teams in Illinois -- Barrington and Glenbard West – met in a sectional final. L...
Tough exit for SPVB 16 Elite in Orlando; Illini Elite 16 White has got the Spirit
SPVB 16 Elite dropped its final match in Orlando, a 25-20, 27-25 loss to GP 16 Rex (Orlando, Florida) in a Gold bracket quarterfinal feed-in match, to finish 8-2 and in ninth place in the 16 Open dvision. (Photo by Ellie Stiernagle) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorOrlando, Florida – It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. And that was just one match. SPVB 16 Elite, the only Illinois entry to reach the championship bracket of the 16 Open division at the AAU Girls National Championships in Orlando, Florida, built lead...