After finishing third in the 18 Premier division at the Brew City Battle, SPVB B18 Lenny will head to Pittsburgh this weekend for the 2025 Nike Steel City Boys Championships, Notice: You may not distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, re-post, or use the content of the Site for public or commercial purposes, including the text, images, audio, and video, without Illprepvb.com, LLC’s written permission. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorIt’s been a while (OK, make that a LONG while) since we caught up with the boys clubs, who soon,...
Get better, play clean, move up … that’s the goal at the Windy City Power League
Sky High Adidas 17 Elite went 2-1 Saturday in the Windy City Power League 17/18 Open division and will join Bracket D when play resumes Sunday. On the home page is UNO Girls 17 Elite, which went 3-0 in Pool F. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorEveryone has to start somewhere in the Windy City Power League. That’s what the seeding event is designed to do.The goal for teams that start at the bottom, however, is to not stay there.Among the teams on the move is UNO Girls 17 Elite, which won all three of its matches in Pool F of the 17/1...
Richards, Ciesielski and Bullington share Ultimate/Illprepvb weekly player honors
Bella Bullington led SPVB 18 Elite to the 18 Open championship of the 25 Central Zone Invitational in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor Today, we announce the fourth Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb.com Player of the Week for the 2025 Boys/Girls Club season. Each week during the club season,we will be naming a “Player of the Week.” Coaches/club directors throughout Illinois are invited to nominate a boys’ or girls’ player in the 15-18s age groups for their outstanding performance on th...
Presenting the latest Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls Club Rankings
SPVB 18 Elite did not drop a set while winning the 18 Open division of the 25 Central Zone Invitational last weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana. Notice: You may not distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, re-post, or use the content of the Site for public or commercial purposes, including the text, images, audio, and video, without Illprepvb.com, LLC’s written permission. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorIt’s not quite spring, but never too early to do a little housecleaning.Today, we present the first regular-season Michio Chicago VB...
The focus is on learning, improving for Windy City Power League 18 Club entries
Belusa United 18 Cyclones has a tough act to follow after last year's edition won a national championship in the 18 Classic division of the AAU Girls Junior National Championships. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepb.com EditorBelusa United 18 Cyclones enjoyed a spectacular season in 2024, finishing 68-10 and defeating TPV 18 Renegade (Franklin, Tennessee), 25-18, 25-22, to win the 18 Classic division at the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando, Florida. The Romeoville-based club graduated three key players off that team -- Ava Val...
1st Alliance 18 Gold’s Tamia Maddox is the Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb Player of the Week
Tamia Maddox and her 1st Alliance 18 Gold teammates won the 18 Open division at the 2025 Windy City Girls' 18s National Qualifier at the Schaumburg Convention Center for the second year in a row and will be heading to nationals in Salt Lake City in late April. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorToday, we announce the third Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb.com Player of the Week for the 2025 Boys/Girls Club season.Each week during the club season,we will be naming a “Player of the Week.” Coaches/club directors throu...
1st Alliance 18 Gold, Club Fusion 18-1 roll; Sky High stuns No. 4 Legacy at Windy City
Club Fusion 18-1 National's Elissa Furlan splits a pair of TPV 18-Paragon defenders as the defending 18 Liberty champions went 3-0 Saturday at the Schaumburg Convention Center. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorTwo Illinois teams came away with bids from last year’s Windy City Girls’ 18s National Qualifier at the Schaumburg Convention Center – 1st Alliance 18 Gold in the Open division and Club Fusion 18-1 National in the Liberty division.The names and faces have changed in the past 12 months, but through first-ro...
1st Alliance 18 Gold, Silver and Black rule Windy City Girls’ 18s National Qualifier
1st Alliance 18 Gold won the Open division of the Windy City Girls' 18s National Qualifier for the second consecutive year thanks to the efforts of outside hitter Kiera O'Donnell (1) and friends. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllpprepvb.com EditorThe ladies from 1st Alliance VBC will have dozens of familiar faces with whom to share experiences and make memories at the 2025 USA Volleyball Girls’ 18s Junior National Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah, on April 25-27.Three teams from the Woodridge-based club punched their ti...
Egan, Chaney among former Illinois prep stars headed to new schools via the portal
Former Marist star Kamryn Chaney (right) transferred from Princeton to Vanderbilt via the NCAA transfer portal. On the cover is former Sterling and Ohio State standout Grace Egan,, who transferred to Wisconsin. (File photos by Dave Ruggles) Good or bad – the face of college sports has been inexorably changed by the transfer portal, which has given athletes the power to move on to another school for any number of reasons – looking for a better fit academically, a coaching change, etc.The number of college students entering the transfe...
Former Illinois prep stars Grimes, Falduto savor ‘surreal’ NCAA national championship
Former IC Catholic Prep and 1st Alliance VBC great Ava Falduto contributed 14 digs and 2 aces in Penn State's win over Louisville in the NCAA national championship game. (Photo courtesy of Penn State Athletics). https://youtu.be/BAiGpbOhCIw By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comMelissa Masterson first coached in the IHSA state finals in 2019, when her Nazareth Roadrunners lost, 25-19, 25-18, to Sterling in a Class 3A semifinal.That match featured a pair of outstanding liberos in Nazareth sophomore Gillian Grimes and Sterling junio...