Kate Goudreau (3) and St. Charles East defeated Nazareth, 25-16, 25-16, to win the Silver bracket at the ASICS Challenge hosted by Mother McAuley on Saturday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor“Just remember, stick to the plan,” said the Oz the Great and Powerful to Finley the monkey.“But the plan is you,” Finley replied.Whatever the plan was Saturday, Mother McAuley stuck to it. The result was the Mighty Macs’ sixth ASICS Challenge championship, and their first since the national championship team won it back in ...
Bolingbrook hopes to steal page from Andrew; North survives Naperville fray
Paige Lauterwasser, shown here during a match from last fall, powered Naperville North past rival Naperville Central in a DuPage Valley showdown Tuesday at North. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) At BolingbrookIt's a new season, but a match from last year couldn't help but be on the minds of Andrew and Bolingbrook players when the two teams met in a Southwest Suburban Conference battle Tuesday in Bolingbrook.After all, it was a rematch of last season's sectional final.This time, it was the host Raiders who showed they are a team to be reckoned ...
Illinois high school boys volleyball is back … and OMG they’re on fire!
Glenbard West's 6-5 Liam O'Neill (14) and the Hilltoppers will try to defend their 2022 IHSA championship this spring. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe boys are back, so here is a look at some of the teams that will be punishing the floors throughout Illinois gymnasiums this spring while they compete for local, conference and tournament bragging rights and perhaps a little IHSA tournament glory in 2023 (in alphabetical order):Andrew (11-25)Sean Burns takes over as head coach for Troy Hari, whose final team re...
No. 2 Metamora upends No. 1 Normal U-High en route to Saints Fall Classic title
University of Illinois recruit Lily Barry of Normal University High went on the attack against Williamsville in the Gold Division third-place match of the Bloomington Central Catholic Saints Fall Classic in Bloomington on Saturday. Blocking for Williamsville were Brooklyn Holdener (1) and Nina Ledgerwood (4). (Photos by Randy Sharer) By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepb.comBLOOMINGTON – Scoring efficiently paid off for Metamora as it used power and precision during a five-match, 10-hour span to win the 16-team Bloomington Central Catho...
It's all in the genes for Wyszynski, Tiger Classic champion Glenbrook North
Lincoln-Way West's Logan Clarida (20) tries to drive the ball past Glenbrook North's Paul Wyszynski (10) and Grant Kosla (16) during Saturday's championship match of the Tiger Classic at Wheaton Warrenville South. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorSomewhere, Grego Mendel, the father of modern genetics, is smiling. “It’s a funny story,” said Glenbrook North’s 5-8 Paul Wyszynski. “I got my vertical to 39 inches with only genetics. I eventually got it up to 43, 44 inches, and then I started working out and I haven...
Oswego's Allen gets in Downers North's way; New Trier, Lockport move on
New Trier rallied after dropping the first set to defeat Maine South, 19-25, 25-19, 25-22, for the regional title at Maine South. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comLindenwood recruit Ian Schuller has come through hundreds of times for Downers Grove North this season.He’s as reliable a hitter as you will find at the high school level.But even a mailman would have trouble delivering if Oswego’s Reshawn Allen was standing in the way.Allen has recorded 101 blocks this season, an astounding amount for any player, especially one his size. Th...
Marist is right back where they (almost) started from in Michio/Illprepvb rankings
Can Sandburg spring some upsets in the IHSA tournament like it did by beating Lyons for fifth place at Richards? (Photo by Dave Ruggles) In the immortal words of The Great One, “And away we go.” The IHSA tournament kicks off Monday at 32 regional sites across Illinois. Leading the hopefuls is Marist, which returns to the No. 1 ranking after a three-week absence following its victory over Glenbard West on May 12.Unlike most regular-season tournaments that afford the better teams a greater opportunity to meet further down the bracket t...
It's the same old story … IHSA tournament an anti-climactic exercise in frustration
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...