Norris City-Omaha-Enfield's Evie Duncan powers a kill past the outstretched arms of Athens' defenders Sophia Chavis (11) and Lexi Morgan (12) during the Class 1A third-place match last fall. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Today, Illprepvb.com continues its look at 200 reasons why we’re looking forward to girls high school volleyball resuming in the fall.Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday released long-awaited guidance for schools across the state that would allow them to re-open in the fall. Each school district will determine how to impl...
St. Teresa eases past Mater Dei for 2A crown; Newark goes back-to-back in 1A
Sophomore Tori Mohesky had 8 kills for Breese Mater Dei in its Class 2A championship loss to Decaur St. Teresa. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) NORMAL – Decatur St. Teresa and Breese Mater Dei were no strangers before taking the floor at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University for the Class 2A championship game, having met at the Quincy Notre Dame tournament on October 22."It was helpful that we played them a couple of weeks ago,” said Decatur St. Teresa setter Lexie Huck. “We knew what they were going to bring, and we knew w...
Illprepvb.com presents 570 reasons to watch girls high school volleyball this fall, Pt. III
Mother McAuley's Ellie White (8) played a big part in the Mighty Macs' success as a freshman last winter and figures to anchor the south side powerhouse for the next three years. On the home page is Wheaton Warrenville South's Rebecca Bellows. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Yes, the start of the 2021 fall girls’ volleyball season is still a few weeks away, but it’s never too early to speculate about what or who we’ll be seeing on high school courts across Illinois. Today, Illprepvb.com continues its look at 570 reasons to watch girls high...
Barnes named Big Ten's top defender; Wuensch fuels Wichita State's hot start
St. Francis graduate Laney Malloy (7) leads Southeast Missouri State in kills. (Photo courtesy of Southeast Missouri State) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comSenior Lauren Barnes continues to impress for the top-ranked Wisconsin, which improved to 10-0 with a 25-10, 25-16, 21-25, 25-22 victory over Michigan State on February 21.Barnes, a Naperville resident who replaced fellow Benet graduate Tiffany Clark as the Badgers’ libero, recorded a career-high 28 digs in that match and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.“Defensi...
Marist ‘smacks’ No. 1 Glenbard West; Oak Park stops Barrington at Downers South
(photos by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comThere's no substitute for versatility. There’s also no substitute for having Marty Jepsen on your team. That combination proved to be the winning one as No. 3 Marist knocked off No. 1 Glenbard West, 26-28, 25-23, 25-22, in the title match of the Brother Rice Smack Attack on Saturday at St. Xavier University.Jepsen, who officially signed with Lewis University this week, led the way for Marist (19-2) with a match-high 21 kills. But the senior outside hitter, who also le...
Kenney, Benet share the ball, defeat Waubonsie Valley to advance to supersectional
Benet's Kyla Kenney (left) and libero Hattie Monson confer during the Redwings' sectional semifinal victory. Kenney led Benet with 9 kills Wednesday against Waubonsie Valley. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). Kyla Kenney doesn’t see the ball as much as last year when she led Benet in kills. But that’s OK with her. “Volleyball is a team sport,” said the 5-foot-10 junior outside hitter. “Last year, I felt like Ally (graduated setter VanEekeren) was setting me the whole time. I'm glad to know that we have other players who can score as well.“It's ni...
Lincoln-Way West reloads behind Vedder, Wegrzyn; Glenbard East growing, more
Lincoln-Way West libero Tyler Vedder, who could see time at outside hitter, is one of only two returning starters from last year's sectional semifinalist. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Illprepvb.com continues its look at the 2020 boys' high school volleyball season with another set of team previews. Illprepvb.com provides the best in boys volleyball coverage throughout the season anywhere in the state.School: Downers Grove SouthConference: West Suburban GoldHead coach: Kurt Steuer (9th year) Last season’s highlights:...
McGuire, Benet erase big second-set deficit to top Minooka, win Scholastic Cup
Benet rallied from a 19-14 deficit in Game 2 to defeat Hailey Sperling (2) and Minooka in the championship match of the St. Charles East Scholastic Cup at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) No one expected Benet to blow past Minooka 25-9 in the first game of their championship match Saturday at the St. Charles East Scholastic Cup hosted by the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora.And likely no one expected Benet to find itself trailing 5-0, 10-5 and 19-14 in the second game. “I think the other team step...
The Latest 1st Alliance Volleyball Club/Illprepvb.com Boys High School Rankings
Eric Epenesa and Edwardsville will host Southwestern Conference rival O'Fallon Tuesday. (photos by Dave Ruggles) Marty Jepsen and Marist repeated as Smack Attack champions, beating Glenbard West in the finals for the second time in two years. Meanwhile, Oak Park defeated Barrington to win the Richard Griesheim Invitational at Downers Grove South, and Palatine only dropped one set while winning its own invite. Next up: the Lincoln-Way East tournament. Here are the top 25 teams heading into Week Six. (previous ranking in parentheses...
Minooka stuns Lockport with late rally; Benet closes out Joliet Catholic
Lockport's Leena Ajibola (shown here earlier in the season against Plainfield North) had 7 kills for the Porters, but it wasn't enough as Minooka erased an 18-10 deficit in Game 2 to win the match in three sets. )Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comMinooka was down, but not out.For a set-and-two-thirds, Lockport had its way with the host Indians. It appeared that the Porters were well on the way to a breakthrough victory. Not so fast. The Indians regrouped and ended the last two sets with combined bursts...