Paige Lauterwasser (right) and Naperville North crashed the 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb.com Class 4A rankings at No. 4 this week. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Getting to the top is sometimes easier than staying there.Benet Academy’s 6-3 junior outside hitter Ava Novak said it best Saturday.“When you’re winning a lot, sometimes you don’t come out as strong because you just expect to play great,” she said after the Redwings were stifled by Naperville North, 25-22, 25-20, in the championship game of the St. Charles East Scholastic Cup at the Gre...
Lincoln-Way West’s Connor Studer has fun during Warriors’ victory at Plainfield North
Plainfield North dropped its season opener Monday to visiting Lincoln-Way West despite 8 kills from Aidan Cupps (14) and 17 assists, 2 kills and a block from setter PJ Vaughn (13). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorDon’t worry. Be happy.Lincoln-Way West’s Connor Studer said the key to winning volleyball games is having fun. The 5-10 outside hitter had plenty of that Monday at Plainfield North.Studer had 13 kills, including the final two of the match, to lead the Warriors to a 25-21, 25-19 victory over Plainfield North in the sea...
Tagtmeyer stands tall as Plainfield East makes short work of Bolingbrook
Bolingbrook junior middle hitter Jacqson LeSure (13) had 3 kills, but the Raiders fell to Plainfield East in a nonconference match Wednesday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Plainfield East's Thomas Tagtmeyer By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comPlainfield East setter Thomas Tagtmeyer isn’t going to intimidate anyone with his height.The junior is listed at 5-foot-8, though he noted that he stands “5-9 in shoes.”That height might be merely average, but there was nothing average about his play Wednesday.Tagtmeyer did a masterful...
Illprepvb.com peers into the crystal ball to divine the '23 girls high school season
IHSA Class 4A 2022 semifinalists Barrington (near court) and Benet Academy (far court) will field teams that are very capable of returning to CEFCU Arena in 2023. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorBefore the girls' club season begins in earnest, it’s time to peer into the crystal ball and foretell which girls' high school volleyball teams could make a run at the former Redbird Arena in the fall of ‘23.But first, some thoughts to ponder:Will Mother McAuley earn its 17th IHSA championship behind Michigan recruit El...
Presenting the 2022 Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Honorable Mention Team
Genoa-Kingston libero Hannah Langton became her school's season and career digs leader this fall. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Today, we are pleased to announce the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com 2022 Girls All-State Volleyball Honorable 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 student-athletes, not on any future potential or current recruitment status. These players excelled on t...
Barrington stops Macs, OPRF at Autumnfest; Naperville is best North at Central
Paige Lauterwasser had 16 kills to lead Naperville North to its second tournament title in two weeks Saturday at Blocktober Fest hosted by Plainfield Central and sponsored by Illprepvb.com. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) At Glenbard EastEmotional power outage?“I think there was a little hangover,” said Barrington junior setter/opposite Jenna Meitzler. “It (Barrington’s semifinal win) was a great high for us.”After beating top-seeded Mother McAuley, 25-20, 10-25, 25-20, in a Gold bracket semifinal, Barrington sputtered at the onset of both sets in ...
McAuley's chemistry produces IHSA title No. 16; Barrington claims third place
Benet freshman Lynney Tarnow slams a kill past Mother McAuley defenders Ellie White (8) and Ellery Rees (9). (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor NORMAL – No. 16?Mother McAuley had the formula.Junior outside hitter Ellie White had 20 kills, 9 digs and a block and the Mighty Macs shook off a long Benet run that forced a third game to claim its record 16th IHSA championship by beating the Redwings, 25-22, 17-25, 25-14, in the IHSA Class 4A championship match Saturday at Redbird Arena. The difference? Chem...
Lauterwasser's to-do list gets shorter after Naperville North stuns Benet Academy
Benet's Kirsten Krammer tries to get around the block of Naperville North's Paige Lauterwasser during the championship match of the St. Charles East Scholastic Cup tournnament Saturday at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe bucket list just got a little shorter.Paige Lauterwasser’s four years on varsity included zero wins against Benet Academy and zero Scholastic Cup tournament championships … until Saturday, that is.Lauterwasser had 12 kills and a block to lead Na...
Saints extend Kull's career with one last trip to Normal; Macs end Joliet West's run
St. Charles East's Kate Goudreau did a little serve receiving in addition to slugging 12 kills to lead the Saints past Loyola Academy at the Hinsdale Central Class 4A Supersectional. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) At Hinsdale CentralJennie Kull has made no secret of the fact that this is the final year of a coaching career that began at Champaign Central in 1986 and includes the last 25 years as head coach at St. Charles East.So, her players weren’t about to let her go out without one final trip to the promised land of Illinois high school volle...
Family atmosphere keeps IPV players at home; close ones now go Fusion’s way
IPV (Illinois Performance Volleyball) 18 HP https://youtu.be/yMIu7B52akg By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorIPV (Illinois Performance Volleyball) 18 HP’s Sarah Schmidt can’t imagine playing anywhere else.“I knew a girl in middle school who went there,” said the 5-10 setter from Rosary. “So, I went and really liked it. I stayed because of the small atmosphere. I know all the coaches and all the coaches know me. My current coach has known me since I was a 12-year-old.“It’s a really close community,” she added. “The girls...