Benet Academy junior outside hitter Brooklynne Brass was named the MVP of last weekend's St. Charles East Scholastic Cup tournament. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorIn the bigger picture, winning and losing in October doesn’t mean anything.It's all about how you get to where you want to go.“I feel like we go out there and play and let (wins and losses) take care of (themselves), because at the end of the day, our main goal to win a state championship,” said Benet Academy junior outside hitter Brooklynne Brass.“...
The Suns rise and set behind Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb POTW Amanda Stephens
Since leading (Augusta) Southeastern to an IHSA Class 1A runner-up finish in 2021, Amanda Stephens has continued to pile up big numbers for the Suns and recently eclipsed 1,500 career kills. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorAfter COVID robbed both her seventh and eighth grade teams of an opportunity to win IESA state championships, Amanda Stephens burst onto the Illinois volleyball scene in the fall of 2021.As a freshman, Stephens was exactly the missing piece that the (Augusta) Southeastern vo...
Naperville North proves its point, defeats DuPage Valley league leader Metea Valley
Naperville North's (from left) sophomore setter Grace Anderson, Heidi Mick, junior libero Ennette Bednarz and sophomore Joelle Pye-Blacknard played key roles in the Huskies' 25-19, 25-16 victory Thursday over Metea Valley. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorHow important was Thursday’s match against visiting Metea Valley to the girls from Naperville North?“This means the world,” said Naperville North middle/outside hitter Heidi Mick.“We wanted to win this so badly because we came in here as the underdog after they beat us pretty badly a ...
Presenting this week’s Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls H.S. Rankings
All eyes will, be on Glenbard East this weekend for a potential showdown between defending IHSA Class 4A champion Mother McAuley and unbeaten Benet Academy. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe seeds, pairings and brackets are out for the 2024 IHSA tournament, and while we should have learned better from our disastrous experience with “Pigskin Picks” at a former media stop, we decided to go out on a limb and try to predict the Elite Eight in each class based on the seeds and brackets. Disagree? Like the...
Barrington’s Mayer-Jakubowski takes road less-travelled to post 600 career wins
Barrington (far court) advanced to the IHSA Class 4A semifinals for the third consecutive year under coach Michelle Mayer-Jakubowski in 2023. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorBarrington coach Michelle Mayer-Jakubowski has made a few stops along the way during her 27-year coaching career.“So many memories, so many people involved,” she said. “I have been blessed to have some amazing teams and meet some amazing people. I've been lucky to be in this career for really, really long time. I love high school volleyb...
Benet Academy is Scholastic fantastic; Bloomington CC stuns Normal U-High
Normal West sophomore setter Lainey Thompson (2) gets ready to set on of her attackers during Saturday's championship match of the St. Charles East Scholastic Cup at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.com Versatility. Benet Academy has it, and it certainly shows.The Redwings had more blocks from their setter than they did from their middle hitters. But one of their middles, 6-foot-5 junior Lynney Tarnow, also had 2 aces and an assist. It all added up to a 25-12,...
Marist punches first, but Benet wins by knockout; LaSalle-Peru falls at Kaneland
Benet Academy junior outside hitter Brooklynne Brass had 9 kills in Benet Academy's 25-18, 25-16 victory at Marist on Tuesday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comWhen Benet Academy stepped off the bus Tuesday, the Redwings knew they would have their hands full in a big conference clash.For most of the first set, they did. But then Benet Academy came together and showed why it is undefeated with a 25-18, 25-16 victory over the host RedHawks in an East Suburban Catholic Conference tussle at Marist.Junior outsid...
The glue that binds, setter Ava Flanigan leads Oswego past rival Oswego East
Oswego setter Ava Flanigan was honored between games Thursday after recording her 1,500th career assist. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comOswego setter Ava Flanigan is best known for dishing out assists, but that’s not the only item on her menu of skills.On a day when she was honored between games for recording her 1,500th career assist, Flanigan showcased her burgeoning talents in a dominant performance against visiting Oswego East. The senior handed out 23 assists, 17 of which went to star outsi...
Here are the most recent Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls H.S. Rankings
Mother McAuley and Sydney Buchanan (13) finished third at last weekend's ASICS Challenge, but still have not lost to a team from Illinois. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorIf you’re a fan of rankings, it’s a big week for scoreboard watching.It’s an even bigger week with seeding to the IHSA tournament scheduled to be held virtually this week. Of course, we prefer that coaches argue their cases in a public forum to avoid some of the shenanigans that occurs (albeit rarely) in certain sectionals.So, like many t...
Benet honors Asleson, Stiernagle; stops Skutt (Neb.) to extend win streak to 20
Benet Academy outside hitter Keira O'Donnell (17) had 5 kills in the Redwings' 25-21, 25-16 victory Thursday over visiting Skutt Catholic from Omaha, Nebraska. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThere was plenty to celebrate Thursday at Benet Academy.First, 6-1 setter Audrey Asleson and 6-1 junior setter Ellie Stiernagle were honored prior to the match against Skutt Catholic (Omaha, Nebraska) for each reaching the 1,000 career assists milestone.But perhaps more importantly than the individual accolades, the ba...