Wright State commit and 5-9 outside hitter Elisa Furlan (6) hopes to lead Richmond-Burton to Redbird Arena for just the second time in program history. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThree sets of sisters. Junior Sophia and sophomore Malorie Komar. Senior Elisa and freshman Mia Furlan. Senior Alexandra and sophomore Daniella Hopp. And a set of cousins.So what’s the secret behind Richmond-Burton’s success this fall?It's family. Not only figuratively. Literally. Family.“The girls on the team … every single pe...
Niles West beats Vernon Hills to wrap up second consecutive perfect CSL North run
Daniella Hopp (8) and her Richmond-Burton teammates finished their regular season with a 25-10, 25-20 victory Wednesday at Plano. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comDaria Szymelfenig and her Niles West teammates had already wrapped up another Central Suburban Conference North Division championship.But they wanted more. They wanted perfection.Thanks to a great all-around effort Wednesday, they got it.Szymelfenig, a 5-foot-10 senior middle, landed 6 kills, tying 5-9 senior outside Megan Burke for match-high honors,...
Lincoln-Way East rides the hot hand of Tamia Maddox to a SWSC championship
Lincoln-Way East libero Stella Drozd, freshman Kolby Ross (7) and head coach Sean Burns celebrated a Southwest Suburban Conference championship Tuesday following a 25-19, 25-18 victory over Homewood-Flossmoor. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comDuring the first set of the winner-take-all match between Homewood-Flossmoor and Lincoln-Way East for the Southwest Suburban Conference championship Tuesday, a volleyball flew into the rafters and did not come down.But the way Tamia Maddox was jumping out of th...
There’s a new No. 1 in Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls H.S. Rankings
Benet Academy's Ava Ledebuhr (left) and tournament MVP Aniya Warren (right) helped the Redwings defeat Mother McAuley, 25-13, 25-22, in Saturday's championship match of the Autumnfest tournament hosted by Glenbard East. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorA champions division in volleyball?Joe Trost, a former colleague at the (Chicago) Sun-Times, recently tweeted that a champions division, separating the top eight schools into their own playoff series, could be coming soon to the IHSA football playoffs.I...
Benet Academy remains perfect, defeats Mother McAuley (again) to win Autumnfest
Mother McAuley's Abbey Williams tries to beat the block of Benet Academy's Brooklynne Brass (5) and Lynney Tarnow during the championship match of Saturday's Autumnfest tournament at Glenbard East. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorTell me if you’ve heard this story before.Benet Academy defeats Mother McAuley to win the Autumnfest tournament at Glenbard East. A few weeks later, the two teams meet again in the IHSA Class 4A championship game at Redbird Arena in Normal. This time, the Mighty Macs turn the tables on...
Benet Academy’s Brooklynne Brass works to get 1 percent better every day
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...