1st Alliance 18 Silver (far court) took down Soprts Performance's No. 1 18s team, 25-20, 19-25, 15-13, but it could not get past the home club's No. 2 team, SPVB 18 Kahl, Saturday at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora. (File photos by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/SiT1dmieQfs By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorSometimes, there’s no rhyme or reason in volleyball.Just ask fans of 1st Alliance 18 Silver.Moments after watching their team ease past Sports Performance 18 Elite, 25-20, 19-25, 15-13, Saturday at the Champions Cup a...
The boys from Illinois come up empty at AAU national tournament in Orlando
Kyle Saurer and his SPVB B18 Elite teammates were Illinois' lone representatives in the 18 Open quarterfinals at the AAU Boys Junior National Tournament in Orlando, Florida, but the crew from Oakhurst Avenue lost in the round of eight to Vanguard 18 Gold Webb. (Files photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorORLANDO, Florida – And then there was one.When the sun set on central Florida late Monday, only four teams from Illinois had advanced to the quarterfinals of their respective Open divisions at the 2023 AAU Boys Junior...
Barrington bests Belvidere North at Jacobs; Joliet West exacts revenge at Fremd
Barringtion defeated Belvidere North, 25-13, 25-23, to win Saturday's Jacobs Invitational. At JacobsBarrington’s 5-foot-11 outside hitter Hope Regas, who plays beach volleyball during the summer with former Fillies teammate and neighbor Jessica Horwath, was inspired by Horwath to pursue a collegiate career in beach volleyball at Grand Canyon University.Saturday in Algonquin, Regas showed she could dazzle on a wood floor as well.Regas smashed 11 kills and added a block for good measure to lead Barrington (10-1 overall, 0-0 in the Mid-Su...
Former St. Charles East coach Jennie Kull takes on new challenge at Club Fusion
Former St. Charles East coach Jennifer Kull (shown here coaching the Saints at Mother McAuley last fall) has taken on a new challenge at Club Fusion. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorRetirement? That’s a word that’s not in Jennie Kull’s vocabulary.Kull, who won nearly 800 games at Champaign Central and St. Charles East during a coaching career that spanned 36 years before she stepped down following the 2022 season, is taking on a new challenge at Club Fusion in Batavia.Kull has agreed to join the Fusion team as a...
Glenbard West tops Glenbrook South to kick off West Suburban Silver pillage party
Camryn Sheehan (3) and O'Fallon rallied to defeat Barrington and become the only quarterfinal entry to crash the otherwise all-West Subuurban Silver semifinals. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThey should flash a graphic on the big screen inside the Hoffman Estates High School gymnasium … “Welcome to the West Suburban Silver Conference Tournament.”West Suburban Silver conference members Glenbard West, Oak Park-River Forest and Lyons Township all advanced to the IHSA boys’ tournament semifinals Saturday at Hoffm...
Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com present 100 Players to Watch in the Class of ’26
Sophomore Bella Potempa (10) and Timothy Christian teammate Abby VanderWal (left) hope to lead the Trojans to their first IHSA Class 2A semifinal berth since 2015. On the homepage is St. Charles North's Haley Burgdorf. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe start of practice for the 2023 Illinois girls high school season is just a little more than a week away. Today, Illprepvb.com takes a look ahead to some of the players we expect to make an impact during the upcoming season.So here they are, the Michio Chicago...
Oak Lawn’s youngsters get the best of shorthanded rival Shepard
Brendan McCarthy and Bbrother Rice rebounded from Tuesday's loss at Loyola Academy to defeat visiting De La Salle on Thursday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comOak Lawn's youth movement is going strong.Freshman Marco Budzak and sophomore Simon Komperda had 7 kills apiece as the host Spartans watched their young players come through during a 25 -13, 25-19 victory over Shepard in a South Suburban Red clash Thursday in Oak Lawn.The defending South Suburban Conference Red champion Spartans (16-14 overall, 4-2 in c...
Mother knows best, O’Fallon does the rest; Lyons Township, Barrington advance
Sam Levinson and Lyons Township defeated Downers Grove North Tuesday at Oswego to advance to the IHSA quarterfinals Friday at Hoffman Estates. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) At Lincoln-Way WestMother knows best.So, when Camryn Sheehan woke up not feeling well this morning, his mom, Amy Sheehan, knew what to do to get him better. After all, she had a personal stake in his health. Not only as his mom, but as his coach on the O'Fallon boys' volleyball team.It worked. Sheehan smacked a team-high 12 kills, many of them in a key second-set bu...
Presenting the final 2023 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb.com Boys Club Rankings
Ultimate B18 Gold (far court) finished 13th in the 18 Open division at the 50th AAU Boys National Championships in Orlando, Florida, behind 6-7 outside hitter Tyler Tharpe (Whitney Young), who is headed to Ohio State in the fall. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe boys’ club season ended a little over a week ago, but the start of another season is just around the corner.So, what did we learn from the past year?There are strong rising senior and junior classes in Illinois, but the time lost to COVID has sig...
Lincoln-Way East thrives, Barrington survives on day one of the Tiger Classic
Joey Glennon (14) and Lincoln-Way East went 2-0 at the Wheaton Warrenville South Tiger Classic on Thursday. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe top seeds were dropping like flies Thursday on day one of the Wheaton Warrenville South Tiger Classic.Sets, not matches.Top-seeded Lincoln-Way East (10-1) was the only one of the four top seeds in action Thursday to avoid dropping a set, sweeping Oswego, 25-17, 25-20, and St. Charles North, 25-18, 25-16, to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals beginning at 9:00 a.m....