Marist puts down Glenbard West threat; West Chicago finishes the job vs. Rebels

West Chicago earned a piece of the Upstate Eight Conference East division title with its 25-23, 25-23 victory Thursday over Ridgewood. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comMarist star Christian Teresi put his own spin on the basic law of gravity on Thursday.Everything that goes up must come down, of course. But when Teresi puts the ball down, it sometimes goes back up, occasionally almost to the rafters.The Ohio State recruit did that at a key moment in the second set against host Glenbard West, smashing back-to-back sets from Jacob F...

Pawel Greczek, Reavis (sur)pass Argo in battle of South Suburban unbeatens

Mason Lupima (2) and Joliet Central defeated Southwest Prairie Conference rival Romeoville, 25-12, 25-19, on Tuesday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorReavis’ Pawel Greczek is no stranger to Argo. When he was a member of the Reavis JV team as a freshman, his team defeated Argo to win the conference championship.Tuesday in Summit, Greczek and the Rams added another notch to their belt, defeating Argo, 25-18, 25-18, in a battle of South Suburban Conference unbeatens, clinching no worse than a share of the league...

Glenbard West lies down for no one, tops Oak Park-River Forest at Northside Classic

Glenbard West celebrated its victory over Oak Oak-River Forest by lying down in a circle on the Glenbrook North court with their feet facing toward each other. https://youtu.be/ovDweBeWGaM By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorWhat’s the old adage? Familiarity breeds contempt?But in this case, familiarity bred respect.“We talked before the game,” said Glenbard West’s 6-0 setter Owen Bare. “We knew them. We knew the last time we played them, they came back super strong in the second set. So, we were ready for that.“We came together a...

Owen Bare, Glenbard West’s ‘fixer,’ is the Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb Player of the Week

Owen Bare (far left) watches Otis Yahn convert one of his sets into a kill during Glenbard West's run to the championship of Springfest at Glenbard East earlier this season. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorEach week during the volleyball season, we announce an Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb.com Player of the Week. Coaches throughout Illinois are invited to nominate a player for their outstanding performance on and off the court.This week, the Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb.com Player of the Week is Glenbard West’s 6-0 s...

Oswego remembers fallen teammate, rides emotion past rival Oswego East

Oswego utilized Thursday's home game with rival Oswego East to raise money for the Sean Edward Fader Memorial Scholarship Fund. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe Oswego boys’ volleyball team, its fans and the entire Oswego community remembered the all-too brief life and continuing legacy of Sean Edward Fader prior to Thursday’s home game between Oswego and Oswego East.Fader, a member of the Oswego volleyball team, was tragically killed in an automobile accident in the fall at the beginning of his senior year. The proceeds from Thursd...

Caught in a bad (b)romance, Homewood-Flossmoor gets stagnant against Stagg

Homewood-Flossmoor dropped a tough Southwest Suburban Conference match Tuesday at Stagg. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorIt happens to every team at one time or another.You’re caught in a bad rotation and can’t get out.After a number of service errors contributed to a first-set loss, Homewood-Flossmoor opened the second set with another service error before finding itself stuck in a rotation from which it was unable to claw its way out.Stagg took advantage, building an 11-0 lead and cruising to a 25-21, 25-18 victory Tuesday in Palos H...

Ever-changing Michio Chicago/Illprepvb Boys Rankings welcomes two newcomers

Maine West (far court) broke into the rankings for the first time this season after going 5-0 to win the Geneva Invitational on Saturday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor“Change is the lone constant in the universe.”That quote is widely attributed to Greek philosopher Heraclitus, who embraced the philosophical concept of impermanence which suggests that everything is in a state of flux and nothing remains the same indefinitely. He might as well have been talking about the Illinois boys high school rankin...

Glenbard West’s ‘D’ bests hosts at East; ‘Always ready’ Maine West wins at Geneva

Maine West's junior libero Aidan Vega digs a ball under the watchful eyes of teammate Ronan Cusack (8) Saturday at the Geneva Invitational. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comGlenbard West’s players enjoyed competing at the Lincoln-Way East Invitational on Saturday.You could even say they dug it. The Hilltoppers rode some great defensive play plus the hitting and serving of tournament MVP Charlie Clifford to a see-saw 24-26, 25-8, 25-20 victory over host Lincoln-Way East in the championship match.Even Lin...

Glernbard West’s hard-working Charlie Clifford is the Ultimate Player of the Week

Glenbard West's Charlie Clifford (8) was an all-tournament selection at Glenbard East and the MVP at Lincoln-Way East. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorEach week during the volleyball season, we announce an Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb.com Player of the Week. Coaches throughout Illinois are invited to nominate a player for their outstanding performance on and off the court.This week, the Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb.com Player of the Week is Glenbard West’s 6-4 outside hitter Charlie Clifford.Clifford was named the MVP o...

Bolingbrook, Lewis men’s volleyball find support from unexpected source: each other

Members of the Lewis University men's volleyball team showed their support for the Bolingbrook HIgh School boys' team at Thursday's game against Romeoville. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LQ_9FZqU54 By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorAnyone who attended a Lewis University men’s volleyball home match this season might have noticed a large and vocal section of high school students wildly cheering on the Flyers.Those high school students were members of the Bolingbrook boys’ volleyball program, who “adopted” the Lewis University men’s...