Mother McAuley outside hitter Connie Lebel (15) draws a double-team during the Mighty Macs' quarterfinal win over Huntley. Mother McAuley defeated Assumption (Louisville, Kentucky) for the second time in three days to finish third at the Asics Challenge. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comMarie Clare Brusek remembers where she was when Marist captured the Asics Challenge championship two years ago.“I was in the stands, watching,” said Brusek, who was in eighth grade in the fall of 2017.Brusek wasn't in the stand...
Illprepvb.com presents 200 reasons we can't wait for volleyball in the fall: Middle hitters
Emily Surin was the third-leading attacker for Joliet Catholic during its run to the Class 3A championship 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 implement the guidance based on its unique circumstances, the statement ...
Normal U-High hustles past scrappy Rochester to win program’s 15th sectional title
Normal University High defeated Rochester at Mahomet-Seymour on Wednesday to advance to Friday's supersectional at Taylorville against Centralia. By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.com Back-to-back blocks by Rochester, which had trailed by as many as 9 points, helped the Rockets pull within 22-20 in Game 1 against Normal University High in the Class 3A sectional final Wednesday at Mahomet-Seymour. “It’s probably the most demoralizing thing in volleyball,” said U-High coach Mike Bolhuis, whose team shrugged off those blocks en route to a 2...
Sterling poised to go back-to-back; Herscher, Offerman look to bounce back & more
Breelyn Borum (17) and Sterling will try to become the first Class 3A team to win back-to-back IHSA championships since St. Francis won the third of its three consecutive titles in 2014. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Illprepvb.com continues its coverage of the 2019 Illinois girls high school season with another set of team previews. School: HerscherConference: Illinois Central Eight (new)Head coach: Joel Huizenga Last season’s highlights: 22-13 overall, 10-1 in conference (Interstate 8), lost to Fieldcrest, 25-20, 18-25, 25-22, in a...
While we're waiting … here's a sneak peek at some of the top 17s girls' club teams
Fremd's Rylen Reid (13), who toils for Adversity Volleyball Club, and Marist's Mary Clare Brusek (5), who plays for Michio Chicago Volleyball Academy, saw a lot of each other in the 2019 IHSA Class 4A third-place match and could see each other again during club play in 2021. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Yes, they are playing club volleyball in some parts of the country. Wisconsin and Nevada held events last week. But the immediate future does not look in Illinois as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the state.The Windy City Power L...
Herscher goes all-in to make the 2019 season one for the record books
Illprepvb.com-ranked Herscher improved to 22-1 overall and 9-0 in the Illinois Central Eight with its 25-12, 25-15 win at Lisle Thursday. Twenty-one years.That’s how long Herscher has been waiting for team like this.You have to go back to the fall of 1998 when the 36-3 Tigers, led by former University of Illinois standout Sue Webber, reached the Sweet Sixteen. Wheaton St. Francis ended Herscher’s season that year, 15-7, 15-12, in a Class A supersectional.Herscher has not had a team like this one since. Thursday’s 25-12, 25-15 victory over L...
Here are the latest 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb.com All Boys Club Rankings
SPVB B18 Elite, SPVB 18 Lenny and Ultimate B16 Gold all won their respective Open divisions at the 21 Dennis Lafata Boys Bid Classic last weekend in St. Louis. The 21 Dennis Lafata Boys Bid Classic at America’s Center in St. Louis wrapped up play Sunday and Great Lakes Region teams turned in a number of stellar performances.Two Sports Performance teams walked away with championships – SPVB B18 Elite and SPVB 18 Lenny. Lenny had also won the tournament in 2020 while SPVB 18 Elite was looking to improve upon a sixth-place finish at the...
Lions 15-1 wins battle, but 1st Alliance 16 Silver wins war on ‘Epic’ final day of WCPL
1st Alliance 16 Silver won the Windy City Power League 15&16 Open division. Lions 15-1 defeated Epic United 15 Elite ROX to win Bracket A Sunday at Velocity. Maybe it wasn’t the way 1st Alliance 16 Silver wanted to go out, but the girls from Western Springs finished on top nevertheless. Despite losing to Lions 15-1, 21-25, 25-20, 17-15, in a Bracket A semifinal Sunday at the Velocity Athletic Club in Mokena, 1st Alliance 16 Silver won the Windy City Power League 15&16 Open division title. 1st Alliance 16 Silver, which won Bracke...
Prairie Ridge turns to Baudin, Sheridan; we look at L-W East, Rochester & 15 more
Hannah Baudin stepped in at setter for Prairie Ridge last fall when Jayden Otto was injured. Baudin and Trinity Sheridan will be asked to shoulder a bigger load this fall with the graduation of four starters off last year's fourth-place Class 4A finisher. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). Illprepvb.com continues its coverage of the 2019 Illinois girls high school season with another set of team previews. School: Elgin Conference: Upstate 8Head coach: Amy Zapata Last season’s highlights: 16-18 overall, 3-6 in conference, won Westminster ...
The Future is ‘wow’ in the 16s division at the Asics Boys Summer Challenge
Future 16 Elite defeated Ultimate B16 Gold in the championship match of the Asics Boys Summer Challenge 16 division Sunday in Mokena. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comThe Future is now.With a healthy lineup, Future 16 Elite captured the championship of the Asics Boys Summer Challenge on Sunday at the Velocity Training Center in Mokena with a dominating 25-14, 25-22 victory over Ultimate B 16 Gold. “I’d say it was a pretty good day for us,” said Future coach Kate Wright. “We’ve got all our starters back on the court, a...