Alex Bardouniotis (19) and her Club Fusion 18-1 National teammates won the 18 Liberty division to earn a bid to the 2024 USAV Girls 18s Junior National Championship in Baltimore, Maryland, April 26-28. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) 1st Aklliance 18 Gold defeated City 18 Gold to win the 18 Open division at the 2024 Windy City National Qualifier Sunday at the Schaumburg Convention Center. https://youtu.be/aN88sAaoFPs 1st Alliance 18 Gold's winning point against Team Pineapple 18 Black. (Video courtesy of Trish Samolinski) By Phil Bro...
Presenting the Michio Chicago/Illprepvb Girls Special Mention All-State Team
Rock Falls' libero Carlie Kobbeman set a new single-season school record with 385 digs for the IHSA Class 2A third-place Rockets. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Today, we are pleased to announce the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com 2023 Girls Special Mention All-State Volleyball 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 student-athletes, not on any future potential or current recruitment ...
Here are the final regular-season Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb Girls H.S. rankings
GabriellaTowns (6) and the Oak Park-River Forest Huskies finished fifth at last weekend's Autumnfest tournament hosted by Glenbard East. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorOK, who is the No. 1 team in Class 4A this week?Right now, it’s Benet Academy (again).Why?Mathematics. It’s as simple as A beats B, B beats C, C beats A. Benet is 1-1 against Marist (splitting two matches) and 1-0 against Mother McAuley. Meanwhile, Mother McAuley is 0-1 against Benet Academy and 1-1 vs. Marist, and Marist is 2-2 with a win an...
Kansas City here we come – 1st Alliance, SPVB and others bound for Triple Crown
Sidney Hamaker (17) and SPVB 18 Elite will compete in the Triple Crown NIT this weekend in Kansas City. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorTaking a peek at the pools and pairings for the 2024 Triple Crown NIT at the Bartle Hall Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri, this weekend, we’re certain they must be determined by some kind of well-established mathematic formula.We’re just not sure even J. Robert Oppenheimer could figure them out.Nevertheless, the Triple Crown NIT, arguably the Midwest’s premi...
Taking a look at more players getting it done as the girls’ club season heats up
1st Alliance 17 Gold's Abby Vander Wal (6) and Gabby Stasys (59) go up to block 1st Alliance 18 Silver's Shay McMillen (26) during Windy City Power League play Sunday in Woodridge. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/CsdKVeeKDTc Notice: You may not distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, re-post, or use the content of the Site for public or commercial purposes, including the text, images, audio, and video, without Illprepvb.com, LLC’s written permission.By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorToday, we’re taking another look at...
The game’s afoot. The IHSA girls volleyball season comes to a head this weekend
Willowbrook coach Irene Mason said that having fun is one of the keys to her team's postseason success. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNORMAL – So what do you do when you’re making your first trip to the IHSA girls volleyball semifinals?“Rest is a part of it,” said coach Irene Mason, who is taking Willowbrook to a place no team from Villa Park has gone before. “I want to make sure their bodies are rested. There's a lot of sickness out there. I want to make sure their bodies and minds are healthy and relaxed and...
Spoken nearly 60 years ago, Jack Weinberg’s words still reverberate today
Lemont, which had perhaps its best chance to make its first-ever appearance in the IHSA finals since the program was established, was sidelined not by another team, but by the failure and vindictiveness of adults. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorOK, I admit it. I was part of the “Don't trust anyone over 30” generation.Jack Weinberg, a student activist at the University of California-Berkeley during the turbulent 1960s who is credited with authoring the phrase, made a few more converts this week.Tuesday, the Illinois High Schoo...
Who’s been showing out at the 2024 Windy City Girls’ 18s National Qualifier?
Josilyn Wadas (16) and Mission 18 Elite advanced to the Monday's Gold bracket of the 18 USA division at the 2024 Windy City Girls' 18s National Qualifier at the Schaumburg Convention Center. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Notice: You may not distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, re-post, or use the content of the Site for public or commercial purposes, including the text, images, audio, and video, without Illprepvb.com, LLC’s written permission. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorToday, we’re taking a look at some of the players who...
Fast-growing Hybrid Advantage taps into rich talent pool on the southwest side
Hybrid Advantage 161 finished 33rd in the 16 Open division at the 50th AAU Boys National Volleyball Championship last summer in Orlando, Florida, the first year of the club's existence. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorLate last summer, the Nebraska women’s volleyball team drew more than 92,000 fans to Memorial Stadium to watch the Huskers play the University of Nebraska-Omaha.But the concept of playing a volleyball match outdoors at a football stadium may not have originated with Nebraska.At least that’s Brandon McGinnis’ stor...
Weekend roundup: Illini Elite grabs two seconds; SPVB 16 Elite surprises; VC United rolls
SPVB 16 C-Fed's Greta Malinauskas (86) slips a kill past Illini Elite 16 Black's Isabelle Axelson (1) and Lyla Tate (2) during semifinal action of the 16/15 Open division Monday at the 24 SPVB Presidents Day Challenge hosted by the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThey came from as far away as Rochester, Minnesota; Brighton, Michigan; Waukesha, Wisconsin; and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, to compete in the 24 SPVB Presidents Day Challenge this weekend in Aurora.“This is o...