Katie Schumacher-Cawley served as an assistant coach at Penn State for four seasons before being named head coach earlier this month. (Photos courtesy of Penn State athletics) Former Mother McAuley star and new Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comKatie Schumacher-Cawley called it a "dream come true.”The Chicago area native and two-time Penn State All-American landed one of the most prestigious positions in the nation when she was named the head coach of the Penn State women's volleyba...

Lemont improved to 16-8 overall and 7-0 in the South Suburban Conference with its win over Tinley Park on Tuesday. But the end game is a regional championship. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorChristine Zogata took over the boys’ volleyball program at Lemont six years ago with the idea of turning the team into a consistent winner, much as she has done with the girls’ program that has enjoyed several 30-win seasons and won a number of regional championships.Of course, it helps when some members of the boys’ team have sisters who play vo...

Jack O'Riordan (19) has led Barrington to a 12-0 record this spring and is a top attacker for his club team, Adversity 18 Adidas, which is ranked No. 3 nationally. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorCharlie Spry would probably be dialing up Brian Urlacher for hair grooming tips if not for Jack O’Riordan.Barrington is seeded No. 1 at this weekend’s 2022 Tiger Classic at Wheaton Warrenville South, but the Broncos teetered on the edge in their opening set Thursday against Metea Valley. The Mustangs broke out to a 19-1...

Unbeaten Belvidere North won the Jacobs Volleyball Invitational on Saturday, defeating Lake Forest, 25-16, 11-25, 25-10 in the championship match. Sometimes, no matter how good you are, you can’t do anything right. It was about then that Jayden Flynn decided that she had enough.“We did everything wrong in the second set,” said Flynn, Belvidere North’s feisty setter after watching her team bow 25-11 to Lake Forest in Game 2 of the championship match at the Jacobs Volleyball Invitational Saturday in Algonquin.“It seemed like as the set k...

Oswego's Anthony Ramirez (6) had 4 kills in the Panthers' regional semifinal win over Naperville North in a Downers Grove North regional semifinal Wednesday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorSometimes it takes more than a powerful outside hitter or a strong blocking middle making play after play to turn a match around.Sometimes it takes a 5-foot-6 defensive specialist.After his team dropped an error-plagued first set to Naperville North, Oswego 5-6 junior Connor Kehoe toed the service line to begin the second.B...

Fremd defeated Hersey, 25-22, 25-14, in Palatine to win the Mid-Suburban League championship. https://youtu.be/m0GbzFvY_WM By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe last time Fremd won the Mid-Suburban League championship, the Vikings advanced to the Class 4A semifinals in Normal.Just saying.Wake Forest recruit Rian Baker had 22 assists, 3 kills, 1 block and 2 aces, and 6-0 outside hitter Rylen Reid slammed 13 kills and added a pair of aces as Fremd, the queen of the West, defeated Hersey, the ruler of the East, 25-22, 25-14, in the Mi...

South Elgin, which recently won the Elgin tournament, collected more hardware Tuesday when it defeated West Chicago for the Upstate Eight Conference title. South Elgin junior Alyssa Worden recently committed to the University of Iowa. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorSouth Elgin’s Alyssa Worden knew West Chicago had three pretty good reasons to win Tuesday’s Upstate Eight Conference winner-take-all match.“We traveled 30 minutes to get here and we knew they had a huge crowd, it was at their house and it was their senior night,” she sa...

Barrington's starting six feature only two seniors -- setters Felicia Guagliardo and Amelia Sigaev -- seen here flanking freshman Jenna Meitzler, junior Amanda Cleary, sophomore Campbell Paris and sophomore Jessica Horwath. Fremd's Rylen Reid, who had 19 kills in a 2019 third-place match against Marist, had 18 kills against Barrington on Tuesday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) There will be no state tournament this spring or at any time in the future for girls like Barrington’s 5-foot-9 setter Amelia Sigaev.  So like many other seniors pl...