Sophomore outside hitter Levyn Snow (5) and the Normal U-High Pioneers, coming off a 3-2 performance at last weekend's Illprepvb.com Plainfield North Crimson Classic, rallied to defeat defending IHSA Class 1A champion St. Thomas More on Monday. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.comNORMAL – The question of how far apart elite teams are in different classes got an answer on Monday when reigning IHSA Class 1A champion Champaign St. Thomas More traveled 58 miles to visit Class 3A’s No. 1-ranked Normal University Hi...
Setters take center stage at Glenbard East (Powell), Warren (Teresi) tournaments
Glenbard West's Danny Dorsey (16), Liam O'Neill (14) and Trevor Powell (17) put up an impenetrable wall at the net against Plainfield North in the semifinals of the Glenbard East Springfest tournament Saturday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comGlenbard West coach Christine Giunta-Mayer has long known about senior setter Trevor Powell’s capabilities.Now the rest of the state is getting a glimpse of his talents.Two weeks after making his varsity debut, the 6-foot-6 Powell guided the Hilltoppers to the Springfest...
‘It’s a Miracle!’ Martensen returns two years after freak accident nearly claimed her life
Alleman head coach Morgan DeBruine, who is amazed Miracle Martensen (kneeeling, second from right) is even playing at all, now calls her one of the most versatile players on the team. Alleman's Miracle Martensen By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comMiracle Martensen wasn’t always thrilled with her unique name.The Rock Island Alleman senior doesn’t personally know anyone else named Miracle.“It always kind of annoyed me when I was younger because my name was talked about so much,” Martensen said. “But now it’s cool that there is a meani...
No. 1 in Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com rankings, is SPVB 18 Elite No. 1 in nation?
SPVB 18 Elite defeated two of the top three finishers at the NIT Triple Crown tournament, including NIT champion Munciana 18 Samurai, to win the 22 Adidas Bluegrass Tournament in Louisville last weekend. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNo. 1 in the nation?SPVB 18 Elite stated its case emphatically at last weekend’s 22 Adidas Bluegrass Tournament in Louisville, crushing the teams that finished first and third at the Triple Crown NIT tournament in Kansas City, Missouri, thought by many to be the most prestigious tournament in the na...
There's turnover at the top of Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com boys rankings
Led by Liam O'Neill (14) and Trevor Powell (17), Glenbard West is back in familiar territory ... at the top of the boys volleyball rankings. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). Where were you on Thursday, March 24? That was the day Lincoln-Way East defeated Glenbard West in both teams’ second match of the season, 22-25, 25-21, 25-23. A lot has changed since then. Actually, nothing has changed for Glenbard West. Since that day, the Hilltoppers have won 16 consecutive matches, including a 25-20, 25-15 victory over Marist in the finals of last...
The Volleyball Institute/Illprepvb.com present the top 100 boys in the Class of 2022
Libero Paul Wyszynski of Glenbrook North and Sports Performance begins his fourth year as a starter for the defending IHSA champions. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Today, we rank the top 100 boys in the Class of 2022. Among those at the top of the list are Barrington’s 6-8 outside hitter and Ohio State recruit Jack O’Riordan, St. Ignatius’ 6-6 outside hitter Lucas Mack, who was second among all sophomores in kills last spring, and Loyola-Chicago recruit Ryan McElligott, a 6-5 setter/outside hitter from Mundelein.Also breaking the top 10 a...
Presenting the latest Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls Club Rankings
Club Fusion 18 Silver went 9-0 to win the 18 American division at the recent Winter Volleyball Championships at McCormick Place and earn a bid to the USAV Girls Junior National Championship in Phoenix, Arizona. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorMaybe, it’s cold outside, but club volleyball is beginning to heat up.The initial Windy City Power League 18/17 Open Seeding Event wrapped up last weekend with only a few surprises, while SPVB 18 Elite flexed its muscle at the first Champions Cup event at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center.This...
Glenbard West’s streaks end, but they’re still No. 1 in Michio/Illprepvb's book
After playing 22 games in 23 days and suffering its first loss since March 24, Glenbard West entertains West Suburban Silver foe Lyons on Tuesday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) No sooner had many observers crowned Glenbard West as the inevitable IHSA champion than the Hilltoppers found themselves pushed to the brink by circumstance at the Northside Classic last weekend.All last weekend really proved is that if you take two of the top three players from even the best team in the land and put them on the shelf, it’s very difficult to beat an ...
Presenting the Sports Performance VBC/Illprepvb Coaches Hall of Fame Class of '22
The late Dave Boze established the first volleyball club in the Great Lakes Region more than 40 years ago when he founded “Circus.” Four years ago, Illprepvb.com was approached to collaborate on the creation of an Illinois High School Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame.Unfortunately, at the time, nothing ever came of that phone call. But we felt that the creation of a coaches’ Hall of Fame was long overdue.In July 2020, with input from current and former coaches, players and officials, Illprepvb.com put together the initial class of the ...
Illprepvb.com presents 100 of the top high school players in the Class of '24
Edwardsville's Sydney Davis (14) and teammates will have some big shoes to fill with the graduation of Gabby Saye off last year's IHSA Class 4A fourth-place finisher. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Today, Illprepvb.com continues our look at some of the top high school players in Illinois with those members of the Class of 2024 expected to return and make an impact for their teams this fall. Class of 2024 Gwen Adler, 5-9, Jr., S, BarringtonAvery Allen, 5-7, Jr., OH, Mahomet-SeymourMolly Amendt, 5-11, Jr., MB, Lena-WinslowAddison Beekman, ...