Springfield Lutheran's Makenna Cox (14) is among the many players who we watched in 2021 and who will return to the high school hardcourts in the fall of 2022. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorSure, the start of the 2022 fall girls’ volleyball season is months away, but it’s never too early to speculate about what or who we’ll be seeing on high school courts across Illinois.Today, Illprepvb.com looks at 250 or more reasons to watch girls high school volleyball next fall by taking a peek at some of the best playe...
More time on the beach is within reach for Barrington standout Jessica Horwath
Jessica Horwath, the leading attacker on Barrington's IHSA Class 4A semifinalist, is foregoing club volleyball this season to train for a possible college career in beach volleyball. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Jessica Horwath was invited to participate in the USA Volleyball National Beach Volleyball Team Development Program in late September in Gulf Shores, Alabama. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comAfter leading Barrington to third place at the IHSA Class 4A state finals in November, Jessica Horwath will be looking to lift the Fil...
Lofty ranking no burden for No. 1 Normal U-High in victory at Bloomington
Normal U-High, the No. 1 team in Illprepvb.com's preseason Class 3A rankings, opened the 2022 season Monday by defeating Bloomington in straight sets. By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.comBLOOMINGTON – When Bloomington High School scored its first point on Monday, Purple Raider fans showered Class 3A’s No. 1-ranked visitor, Normal University High, with the obligatory chant of, “overrated.”After the Pioneers shrugged off that opinion to win, 25-14, 25-17, Joe Sanders, coaching his 25th season-opener for Bloomington, wasn’t sure what a rea...
Presenting the initial Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Boys 18's Club rankings of '21-22
Plagued by injuries and inconsistency, SPVB B18 Elite dropped its final three matches and finished fourth at last weekend's JVA Showdown in Motown. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorTime to play catch-up with boys’ volleyball clubs.While the girls were wrapping up their high school season, boys club teams in Illinois were quietly going about their business at THE Point Series at the Wintrust Sports Center in Bedford Park and the Third Coast Invitational at the Wisconsin Center.Last weekend, several Illinois boys’ clubs participated i...
Big weekend for 1st Alliance, Top Notch 17s in Omaha; SPVB 18 Kahl 'Blitz-es' field
1st Alliance 15 Gold toppled previously unbeaten 1st Alliance 16 Gold Sunday on the first day of Windy City Power League play. 1st Alliance 16 Gold rolled through the field during the 16/15 Open seeding portion of the Windy City Power League, going 10-0 and winning nine of 10 matches in straight sets, including a 25-19, 26-24 victory over 1st Alliance 15 Gold on January 9.Not surprising, considering that 1st Alliance 16 Gold featured seven players from the Lions 15-1 team that finished fifth in the 15 Open division at the 2021 USAV Girls Ju...
New look, same goal, same start for Montini; Benet youngsters get their feet wet
Montini is still figuring things out after losing four Division I seniors from last year's IHSA championship team, said captain Jordan Weatherly (16). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorAll good things must come to an end.Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. UCLA basketball’s 88-game winning streak. Cal Ripken’s streak of 2,632 consecutive games played. UConn women's basketball 145-game regular-season conference winning streak.And Montini’s 36-match volleyball win streak. Ironically, it ended right where it began.York ended the defendi...
Here are the 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb.com 2022 preseason girls H.S. rankings
Huntley, with four Division I recruits, is hoping to make a big splash in 2022. Rankings. Somebody’s got to do ‘em. So here we go. Another year, another best guess.Mother McAuley coach Jen DeJarld says her 2022 team is the strongest she’s had since the 2016 group that was declared national champion. But there’s no shortage of challengers, including Barrington, which returns nearly everybody from the team that finished third last fall.Elsewhere, Normal U-High and Illinois recruit Lily Barry claim the top spot in Class 3A, Pleasant Pla...
The road less traveled leads former McAuley star to the NCAA championship match
Former Mother McAuley star Kayla Caffey played a big role in leading Nebraska to the NCAA championship match opposite Big Ten foe Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of Nebraska athletics) Nebraska middle blocker Kayla Caffey By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comFormer Mother McAuley star Kayla Caffey’s road to the NCAA championship match was full of twists and turns.And she may not be done yet.Caffey played a pivotal role in leading Nebraska to the championship match against Wisconsin, played before a crowd of 18,755 at Nationwide Arena on De...
Two Grevengoeds are together again for one final run before college beckons
Logan Grevengoed (10) led Chicago Cjhristian to a third-place finish in the IHSA Class 3A finals this fall at Redbird Arena. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Delanie, Troy and Logan Grevengoed in 2019. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comTroy Grevengoed has a bond with all his children … all six of them, including five daughters. But he has a special bond with his oldest daughter, Logan.Troy Grevengoed, the longtime boys’ and girls’ volleyball coach at Richards High School in Oak Lawn, gave up the girls’ position this past fall to wa...
Club players from southern Illinois meet in St. Louis to kick off the Gateway League
Rockwood Thunder 16 Navy features a pair of Illinois products -- Edwardsville's outside hitter Sydney Davis (back row, second from left) and Quincy Notre Dame's Emma Hoing (back row, third from left). On the cover page is Edwardsville's Gabby Saye, who plays for Rockwood Thunder 18 Elite. By PJ BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe Windy City Power League does not get underway until January 8, but that does not mean the girls’ competitive club volleyball scene involving players from Illinois has been completely dormant.The Gateway League, which ...