Occasionally, you get lucky and the two best teams in the state meet in the championship match. But neither top-ranked St. Francis nor No. 2 Marist even advanced to the 2021 quarterfinals after having to run a gauntlet in their respective sectionals. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor Hey, boys volleyball fans, let’s play “Pick the Winner.”Can you pick the winner of the De La Salle sectional? Morton, Acero/Garcia, Acero/Soto, Catalyst/Maria, Cristo Rey Jesuit, De La Salle, Dunbar, Hancock, Horizon/Southwest,...
Unbeatens no more: Mother McAuley, Fieldcrest taken down on the road
Marist's Elise Ward (shown here at last weekend's Wheaton Classic), had 10 kills to help the RedHawks take down previously-unbeaten Mother McAuley on Thursday (Photo by Dave Ruggles). On the home page, Tri-Valley's Emma Witte (12) and Hailey Warfel (9) put up a wall during a 25-22, 25-20 win over visiting Fieldcrest and Kate White (3) at Downs on Thursday. (Photo by Randy Sharer) Marist, hosting its archrival for the first time in four years, came out focused and didn't disappoint its huge home crowd Thursday.Outside hitter Kamryn Chaney c...
Lincoln continues impressive program overhaul with win at Bloomington
Kloe Froebe (5) blasted 10 kills for No. 6 Lincoln during a 25-11, 25-13 victory at Bloomington on Thursday. (Photo by Randy Sharer) By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.comBLOOMINGTON – Lincoln’s remarkable rebuild continued unabated during a 25-11, 25-13 victory over Bloomington in a nonconference match at the Robert Frank Sports Complex on Thursday.The regular season finale left the Railsplitters, ranked No. 6 in Class 3A by Illprepvb.com, with a 28-6 record and an increasingly foggy memory of their recent struggles.Between 2018 to...
Everyone wins (and loses) at Rochester; Normal West upsets U-High at Intercity
Rochester's Emma Dixon (9) and Ellie Gegen (16) and Quincy Notre Dame's Abbey Schreacke (14), Emma Hoing (6) and Annie Eaton (4) were part of a triangular mini-tournament at Rochester on Saturday that also featured Metamora. All three teams went 1-1. Metamora and Quincy Notre Dame captains and coaches meet before their match at Rochester on Saturday. ROCHESTER –Metamora defeated Rochester. Rochester defeated Quincy Notre Dame. Quincy Notre Dame defeated Metamora.Each team won, and each team lost at the three-team mini-tournament hoste...
Nazareth reaches second consecutive Class 3A title game, will face St. Francis
St. Francis' Emily Risley tries to get around the block of a pair of Taylorville defenders during Friday's Class 3A semifinal. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comNORMAL – Not many high school athletes get to play for a state championship. Olivia Austin will play for her third in a year's time. Austin, a junior middle/opposite side hitter, had 6 kills in helping Nazareth to advance to the championship title match for the second straight season with a 25-19, 25-13 victory over Taylorville in the second...
Presenting the latest 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb.com Girls H.S. Rankings
Mother McAuley won five matches, four of them in three sets, to win the Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament last weekend. As one might expect after three weeks of play, there were a few changes in the rankings since our preseason poll came out in late August. But a few things did not change. Mother McAuley continues to rule Class 4A following its championship at the Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament last weekend at the KIVA Center in Louisville. The Mighty Macs broke a 15-15 tie in the third set to defeat (L...
Sky High Adidas 18 Elite claims Windy City Power League championship
Sky High Adidas 18 Elite clinched the Windy City Power League title by defeating Fusion 18 Silver early Sunday at the UNO Volleyball Center in Joliet. https://youtu.be/s51HnJnqF9A By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorPerseverance. Intelligence. Togetherness.Those are the elements that catapulted Sky High Adidas 18 Elite to the Windy City Power League championship Sunday at the UNO Volleyball Center in Joliet.“It's been crazy,” said Sky High Adidas 18 Elite setter and Wake Forest recruit Rian Baker (Fremd), one of only two Division I-b...
Downers Grove South passes chemistry test, erases early deficit to beat WW South
Wheaton Warrenville South's 2022 debut was spoiled by Downers Grove South, 25-12, 25-15, Monday in Wheaton. https://youtu.be/NGFUbtzNxo8 By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorMatthew Molnar, meet Colin Mason. Colin Mason, meet Mason Kolar. Mason Kolar, meet Nick Koch.Downers Grove South is no different than any other team at this time of the season. It’s a matter of getting reacquainted with each other after playing for five or six months with a different group of guys. That’s certainly true of the Mustangs.“We just have to build our t...
Huntley doesn't panic, races past previously unbeaten Barrington
Barrington's Berkeley Ploder (No. 10 shown here at Redbird Arena last fall) ended a marathon second set with a block Wednesday, but the 6-2 junior and her teammates eventually succumbed to Huntley in the third set. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Huntley's Allyson Panzloff By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorHuntley coach Karen Naymola admitted she was tempted to call a timeout with her team trailing 11-6 in the third set of its nonconference match Wednesday at Barrington.“I didn't take the timeout,” she said. “I didn't want to use one right a...
Showdowns are set: Glenbard West vs. Barrington, Marist vs. Lincoln-Way East
Downers Grove South's Matt Molnar and the Mustangs advanced to the sectional final at Hinsdale Central against the host Red Devils by defeating Oswego on Saturday. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorWhen preparing his remarks for the team’s banquet last week, Barrington coach Charlie Spry asked outside hitter Jack O’Riordan about his favorite memory from the 6-foot-8 senior’s four years in the program.“He said his favorite memory was going to the state tournament as a freshman and watching the varsity play,” Spry...