Joliet Catholic follows Zach Pekol’s lead, stays positive in win over Metea Valley

Bartosz Chmielewski (seen here last year at the Wheaton Classic) had 13 kills, but it was not enough as Metea Valley fell to visiting Joliet Catholic Wednesday. (file photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorJoliet Catholic could have folded after squandering four set points in set one and surrendering a 15-8 lead in set two Wednesday at Metea Valley.But …“Our main motto this year is stay positive and enjoy the ride,” said Joliet Catholic’s 6-9 rightside hitter Luke Pekol. “Volleyball is game of runs. Between set...

Adversity G18 Adidas advances, others falter at Windy City Girls 18s Qualifier

Six-foot-3 outside hitter Catherine Burke (Loyola) and her Adversity G18 Adidas teammates finished second in their pool Saturday at the Windy City Girls 18s National Qualifier in Schaumburg. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/9NSxa5L6H5w By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorAdversity G18 Adidas lived to fight another day, but VC United 181 Elite was not as fortunate, losing a three-way tiebreaker in its pool during day one of the Windy City Girls 18s National Qualifier Saturday at the Schaumburg Convention Center.Adversity defea...

Presenting the 2022 Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Special Mention Team

Oswego East's Vivian Campbell (far court) led the Wolves to a Southwest Prairie Conference title and one of the best seasons in school historty. On the home page is Joliet Catholic's Ava Neushwander. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Today, we are pleased to announce the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com 2022 Girls All-State Volleyball Special Mention Team. Coaches across Illinois were invited to nominate players to the all-state team. Team members were selected based upon their accomplishments on the court and in the classroom as high school stu...

‘The Generator’ sparks Lincoln-Way East over Glenbard West in ’22 title rematch

Parker Moorhead had 10 kills in Glenbard West' loss Thursday to Lincoln-Way East in a rematch of last year's IHSA championship match. (file photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comLincoln-Way East star Tyler Walenga has a nickname for fellow senior Joey Glennon.“We like to call Joey 'The Generator,’” Walenga said. “He generates so much energy at the perfect time, all the time.“He’s got a high motor and is a great player. Whenever we need him, he always delivers.”Glennon lived up to his moniker on Thursday, delivering 1...

Aquin feels no pressure in 1A; G-K's Pierce puts dagger in IC Catholic's 2A title bid

Alayna Pierce (16) had 18 kills to lead Genoa-Kingston past IC Catholic Prep in the Class 2A championship match Saturday at Redbird Arena. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor NORMAL -- Genoa-Kingston’s Alayna Pierce didn’t have the kind of performance she had hoped for in the Cogs’ semifinal victory Friday over Chillicothe IVC. The 5-foot-11 junior had 8 kills, but those came at the expense of 38 attempts and 9 errors for a -.025 hitting percentage.So, Pierce went back to the drawing board.“At practice this mor...

Illprepvb.com presents a first look at Illinois' top 2023 club teams … the 18s

(On the home page) SPVB 18 Elite and SPVB 18 Kahl tangle at the Great Lakes Volleybal Center in 2022. (Above) Marist's Kamryn Chaney (far court) returns for 1st Alliance 18 Gold along with six other players who won a national USAV championship as 17s. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorFirst, congratulations to former Mother McAuley great Kayla Caffey, who played in her second NCAA Division I national championship in two years when Texas defeated Louisville on December 17.A 2016 graduate of McAuley, Caffey was gr...

After the gold rush, here are the latest 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb Boys Club Rankings

MOD Elite B15 Blue finished third in the 15 Open division at last weekend's The Socal Cup: The Open Championship in Anaheim, California. On the home page is SPVB B18 Elite, which finished third in the 18 Open division in California, best among all entries from Illinois. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor Just about everybody in Illinois flew a little more than 2,000 miles to compete at The Socal Cup: The Open Championship in Anaheim, California, last weekend. But their next trip will be considerably shorter.Illinois boys’ club t...

White & Co. rock power league seeding; Sandt says 'no mas' to title match losses

SPVB 15 Elite's Ellie Stiernagle (77) attempts to get past the block of Adidas G15 Adidas' Bridget Ferriter (3) and Avery Maddox (14) Sunday at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora. On the home page, SPVB 18 Elite's Anna Murphy skies over the net for a kill im a match against Balance 18 White. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorPrepvolleyball.com National Class of 2024 Player of the Year. Volleyballmag.com second-team All-American.The accolades keep pouring in for 1st Alliance 17 Gold’s Ellie White (Mothe...

Be like … Sophie? Arndt is Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Player of the Year

Lucy Arndt (12) grew up wanting to emulate former Aquin great Sophie Brunner, who led the Bulldogs to two IHSA championships in basketball. Leading Aquin to an IHSA Class 1A championship this fall certainly qualifies. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comFreeport Aquin’s Lucy Arndt grew up wanting to emulate Sophie Brunner, who led the Aquin girls’ basketball team to IHSA Class 1A championships in 2011-12 and 2012-13 before playing at Arizona State University and briefly in the WNBA and Italy.Arndt did emulate ...

Presenting the latest 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb.com Boys Club Rankings

Adversity 16 Adidas-South put together back-to-back wins in the 16 Open divisions at THE Point Series 15-18s 2022 and the 2022 JVA Showdown in Motown. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorWith a few exceptions, boys’ club teams will go on hiatus over the holidays, giving us time to catch up with the final weekend of THE Point Series 15-18s 2022 and the 2022 JVA Showdown in Motown last weekend in Detroit, Michigan.Through the early part of the season, 630 Volleyball 18-1 and Adversity B16 Adidas-South have established themselves as seri...