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...
Illprepvb.com presents a first look at Illinois' top 2023 club teams … the 15s
Olivia Stewart (8, far left), a 6-1 freshman from Metea Valley, will put her blocking skills to good use when she plays for SPVB 15 Elite this season. On the home page is 6-4 freshman Lynney Tarnow (12) of 1st Alliance 15 Gold by way of Benet Academy. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorToday, we turn our attention to the 15s as we end our look at some of the top club teams in Illinois. 630 Volleyball 15-1A Vincent Van Gogh this is not … yet. “This team is a blank canvas,” said 630 Volleyball girls program d...
Aquin's Arndt joins a list of 'Player of the Year' honorees that dates back to 1982
Ryann DeJarld, who played at Mother McSAuley and later at Notre Dame, was the last playerr honored as "Player of the Year" by the Chicago Sun-Times before it discontinued its coverage of all high school sports other than football and boys basketball in the spring of 2015. (Photo courtesy of the University of Notre Dame) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorDid you know that girls were not permitted to participate in interscholastic volleyball contests until 1973?Then during the 1974-75 school year, the IHSA sponsored its first volleyball t...
SPVB 18 Kahl, 18 Red eye Orlando; Xtreme 16U rocks, 15 Thunder rolls, 18 Theta wins
Yuliia Shchepkina (Neuqua Valley) and her SPVB 18 Kahl teammates went 3-0 Saturday during pool play at the Champions Cup hosted by the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/ioVBnWsnKW0 By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorWhen Bria Lomax looks to her left, glances to her right or peeks behind her, she doesn’t see many familiar faces.“Yes, I am the sole survivor,” she said.Lomax, a 6-0 middle hitter, is the only returning player from the Sports Performance 18 Kahl roster that finished second ...
Same old song: another year and nothing has been done to address disparities
Downers Grove South and New Trier locked horns in an IHSA quarterfinal at Hoffman Estates in 2022. The road to Hoffman in 2023 is laden with pitfall for both teams, while it's just an easy pass away for others whose main qualification is geography. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorHey, boys’ volleyball fans, once again it’s time to play, “Pick the Winner.”Can you pick the winner of the Jones College Prep sectional?Acero/Garcia, Acero/Soto, Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville, Hope Academy, Cristo Rey J...
VanderWal, Timothy oust Montini; Normal West, Joliet West prove West is best
Timothy Christian sophomore Abby VanderWal digs a ball under the watchful eye of freshman Bella Potempa (10) during Thursday's 25-20, 25-21 victory over Montini. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorAn observer pointed out that former Riverside-Brookfield and Wisconsin star Dana Rettke once had 11 consecutive kills in a match.Timothy Christian’s 6-3 sophomore Abby VanderWal came up five short of matching Rettke on Thursday, but her streak was only interrupted because of an ace by freshman outside hitter Bella Potemp...
Here are the final 2022 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb.com Girls H.S. Rankings
Genoa-Kingston assistant coach Marv Leavitt (white jacket), who won more than 700 matches as a head coach at St. Charles North, St. Edward and Burlington Central, lets the Cogs know where they placed in the IHSA Class 2A tournament. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) In the immortal words of the late Bill Paxton ("Aliens"), “That's it, man. Game over, man. Game over.” Game over.Last weekend’s IHSA championships were a mixed bag of old and new. Mother McAuley won its state-record 16th IHSA championship, while St. Francis, which won 12 ...
Presenting this week's 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb.com Girls H.S. Rankings
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...