Pleasant Plains defeated defending Class 2A state champion St. Thomas More Friday in a semifinal at Redbird Arena. NORMAL – Down 24-23 in Game 3 of its semifinal against defending Class 2 State champion St. Thomas More Friday at Redbird Arena, Pleasant Plains found a way. A tip kill by 5-foot-8 junior middle hitter Anna Kanilakan, a service ace from 5-7 junior libero MacKenzie Houser and a kill to an open corner by 5-10 senior Allie Edwards gave Pleasant Plains a thrilling 25-22, 15-25, 26-24 victory over St. Thomas More and sent the ...
Hartsburg-Emden bounces St. Teresa; Newark routs Grayville in Class 1A semis
Hartsburg-Emden meets the media after defeating Decatur St. Teresa Friday at Redbird Arena. NORMAL -- Moments like these don’t come often for schools like Hartsburg-Emden, which has an enrollment of 75 students. Of course, it helps when one of those students is 6-foot senior outside hitter and University of Memphis recruit Anna Hayes. Hayes had 17 kills while hitting just a shade under .300 as Hartsburg-Emden (36-4) defeated Decatur St. Teresa 25-17, 25-14 to advance to the IHSA Class 1A state championship match Saturday at 10:30 a...
Marist, Belleville Althoff seek to defend state titles this weekend at Redbird Arena
Belleville Althoff reached the state finals with a 25-18, 23-25, 25-16 supersectional victory over Mt. Zion. Durand coach Molly Kelsey was reminded last Friday what many fans of Illinois volleyball already knew – the most deserving teams don’t always get to Redbird Arena.Durand, which finished third in Class 1A in 2017 and returned every starter save one from that team, saw its 37-3 season end in a 25-23, 24-26, 25-20 supersectional loss to Newark last Friday at Westminster Christian. “I, like many others, believe that this was a state serie...
Marist, Marian Catholic to meet for the third time after winning at Eisenhower
Marist and Marian Catholic will meet for the third time this season in the finals of the Eisenhower Class 4A Sectional. By Randy Whalen Special to Illprepvb.com Marian Catholic girls’ volleyball coach Ryan Summers put it best. "We out-Temi-ed them," he said. Temitayo “Temi” Thomas-Ailara was amazing with 25 kills as the Spartans rallied for a 22-25, 25-16, 25-19 victory over Sandburg in the second semifinal of the Eisenhower Class 4A Sectional Monday in Blue Island. The victory set up a third meeting this season with Marist,...
128 teams, 96 games, 32 sites, 1 goal: scouting this week’s sectionals
Mike Layne's Murphysboro team is part of a loaded Class 3A sectional field at Mascoutah. The 2018 IHSA Girls State Volleyball Tournament resumes Monday with 32 sectional semifinals in four classes. Here is a look at the various sectionals across Illinois: Class 4A Normal Community Supersectional At Bloomington Game 1, Monday, October 29, 5:30 p.m. – O’Fallon (30-7) vs. Edwardsville (23-12) Game 2, Monday, October 29, 6:30 p.m. – Bloomington (31-4) vs. Normal Community West (25-11) Game 3, Wednesday, October 31, 6:00 p.m. – win...
1st Alliance Volleyball Club/Illprepvb.com 2018 Week Two Girls Rankings
1st Alliance Volleyball Club/Illprepvb.com 2018 Girls Rankings Week Two(Last week’s ranking in parenthesis)1. Marist (1) 8-0Katie Mather setting winners for Jordan Vidovic’s RedHawks.2. Sterling (3) 12-0Bree Borum leads Golden Warriors to title at Rock Falls.3. Marian Catholic (2) 5-2Loses to Munster (Indiana) in four sets, travels to Marian Central next. 4. Benet (4) 5-2Redwings can’t be casual when they call on Angels Tuesday.5. Sandburg (5) 7-1Eagles take control of conference with win over Lincoln-Way East.6. Waubonsie Valley (8) 7-2Sh...
Joliet Catholic defense erases third-set deficit, denies Normal U-High
Joliet Catholic is one step closer to its first trip to Redbird Arena since 2015 following Wednesday's sectional championship victory over Normal U-High. By Randy Sharer Special to Illprepvb.com COAL CITY - When it really needed to, Joliet Catholic repeatedly sent the ball back against Normal University High in the Coal City Class 3A Sectional championship match Wednesday. The resulting 25-23, 21-25, 25-20 victory for the Angels lifted their record to 26-13 while the Pioneers fell to 29-8. The outcome denied 2017 state third-place...
Illprepvb.com’s 150 (and more) players who gotta be seen in 2018
Here are 150-plus players who should be on everybody's "must-see" list during the 2018 girls high school season (class status as of Fall 2018 indicated): Loren Alberts, 6-0, Sr., RS/MB, HuntleyBrooke Amann, 5-11, Jr., OH, Woodstock NorthMaggie Bair, 6-2, Sr., MB, Glenbard SouthKennedy Bauer, 5-11, Sr., OH, WatsekaGigi Barr, 6-1, Jr., MH, YorkJoslyn Boyer, 5-6, Sr., L, Montini Cassidy Beshel, 6-0, Sr., OH, Grayslake CentralMaddie Blake, 6-0, Jr., OH, Crystal Lake CentralBreelyn Borum, 5-11, So., S, SterlingBrooklyn Borum, 6-1, So., OH, St...
Decatur St. Teresa thwarts Windsor-Stewardson-Strasburg’s bid to get back to Redbird
Windsor-Stewardson-Strasburg, which finished second in Class 1A last year, lost Wednesday in the sectional finals at Effingham St. Anthony. By Zach Rainey Special to Illprepvb.com EFFINGHAM -- After spending the past 10 years in Class 2A and not winning a regional for the last three, Decatur St. Teresa is finding Class 1A to its liking. St. Teresa (27-10) defeated 2017 Class 1A runner-up Windsor-Stewardson-Strasburg 25-13, 25-27, 25-14 Wednesday to win the Effingham St. Anthony Class 1A Sectional. “It's kind of been our M.O. al...
Doah’s block sends Marist past Marian Catholic … again
Defending state champion Marist defeated Marian Catholic for the third time this season Wednesday. By Randy Whalen Special to Illprepvb.com “The best feeling in the world.” It was for No. 1-ranked Marist and rightside hitter Katie Doah. The senior came off the bench to be in the front row at a crucial time and played her position to a tee in putting down the match-winning block. That put the finishing touch on Marist's 25-12, 25-23 victory over Marian Catholic in the championship of the Eisenhower Class 4A Sectional on Wednesda...