Timothy Christian's Bella Potempa (10) had 14 kills and 9 digs in the Trojans' 26-24, 25-17 loss to Nazareth Academy in the Class 3A sectional semifinal Tuesday in Elmhurst. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comIt's Marist and Mother McAuley … again. The two neighborhood rivals, who have combined to capture the last three IHSA Class 4A championships and six overall since 2016, will face each other once more at 6:00 p.m. Thursday for the sectional championship at Rich Township.In Tuesday’s first sectional semifinal...
Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb Player of the Week Haley Burgdorf shone brightest among Stars
St. Charles North's Haley Burgdorf accounted for more than 1,000 kills over the past two seasons ro lead the North Stars to back-to-back sectional championship match appearances. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor Illinois volleyball fans might have gotten to know St. Charles North’s 6-2 outside hitter Haley Burgdorf a little better had not one thing stood between her and an appearance in the IHSA Class 4A semifinals at Redbird Arena the past two seasons.But now, a national audience will get to learn about ...
New faces, same results. SPVB B18 Bravo wins gold at the Chi-Town Boys Challenge
SPVB B18 Elite finished ninth in the 18 Open division at the 2025 AAU/JVA Chi-Town Boys Challenge at McCormick Place. https://youtu.be/b-EALao5p50 By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe names have changed, but one thing hasn’t … the winning.SPVB B18 Bravo, which won an AAU national championship in the 18 Select division last summer in Orlando, defeated MAVS 18 Red (Lenexa, Kansas), 25-23, 25-22, to win the 18 Elite division at the 2025 AAU/JVA Chi-Town Boys Challenge Monday at McCormick Place.None of last year’s Bravo cast returned ...
Downers Grove South reverses the flow in the third set to sideline St. Ignatius
St. Ignatius' Skylar Greene, shown earlier this year during the Mizuno Crimson Classic, was forced to leave Thursday's regional championship match after suffering a gash on her right knee after crashing into the stands chasing a loose ball late in the second set. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorSt. Ignatius ebbed when it should have flowed, and when the door opened, Downers Grove South just couldn’t say no.Downers Grove South used a 9-0 run midway through the third set to erase an 11-9 deficit, then weathered ...
Looking for players to watch during the IHSA tournament? Here are 30 of them
Addison Nenninger has set two IHSA championship teams for Breese Mater Dei. Can she make it three in a row? By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorIf you love high school volleyball but your favorite team is eliminated from postseason contention, yet you still want to see some great volleyball, we’ve put a list together of some players you might want to catch while your team looks ahead to next year.Check them out. It promises to be the best two hours or so you’ll spend before the extended family invades your home at Thanksgiving and...
LaSalle-Peru ready to go to the mats next week after beating ‘super-hyped’ Kaneland
LaSalle-Peru earned a share of the Interstate Eight Conference title Thursday with its win over Kaneland. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNext stop … Galesburg.LaSalle-Peru’s 5-10 junior outside hitter Aubrey Duttlinger declared the Cavaliers ready for the postseason after her team defeated Kaneland, 25-19, 25-16, Thursday in Maple Park to earn a piece of the Interstate Eight Conference championship.The win was LaSalle-Peru’s sixth in its last eight games after back-to-back losses to Morris and Sycamore earlier this month ended what h...
Looking for a darkhorse in the upcoming IHSA state tournament? Here’s 12 of them
Lincoln-Way East, which has yet to see Indiana recruit Alaina Pollard on the court, served notice that it is still a team with which to reckon in the IHSA tournament with its win over Lockport on October 14. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorLyons Township in 1989. Quincy Notre Dame in 1998. Mt. Pulaski in 2007. Chicago Christian in 2010. St. Francis in 2022.What did they have in common?They were all double-digit losers who won state championships.Today, we look at 12 teams that are not ranked. With an e...
Oops! She did it again. Brass named Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb Player of the Week
Benet Academy's Brooklynne Brass (5) was named MVP of Autumnfest at Glenbard East after leading the Redwings to the tournament championship. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorBenet Academy’s Brooklynne Brass may not catch former teammate Aniya Warren, whose impressive list of individual hardware included five tournament Most Valuable Player awards, but at least she’s making sure the MVP plaques stay in Lisle.Brass was named the MVP of Autumnfest at Glenbard East last weekend after leading Benet Academy to the ...
There’s a change at the top of Class 4A in this week’s Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb rankings
Benet Academy middle hitter Lynney Tarnow (12) and the Redwings took over the No. 1 spot in Class 4A of this week's Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girl;s H.S. Rankings. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor There’s a new No. 1 in Class 4A after Benet Academy (31-2) defeated Marist and Mother McAuley in a span of five days last week to leapfrog the pair after sitting at No. 3 for most of the regular season. Otherwise, not much is expected to change between now and the start of the postseason next Tuesday.May...
Benet wraps up “rivalry week” by beating McAuley for Autumnfest championship
Mother McAuley sophomore outside hitter Keira McQuillan (10) hits past a pair of Huntley defenders during the Mighty Macs' 25-11, 25-14 quarterfinal victory Saturday at Autumnfest. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorRivalry week.“That’s what we called it,” said Benet Academy’s 6-2 setter Ellie Stiernagle.This week, Benet Academy faced the two teams that had beaten the Redwings in the last two IHSA Class 4A championship games – Marist (2024) and Mother McAuley (2023).Benet seniors Stiernagle, Lynney Tarnow and Soph...