Wheaton Warrenville South's 2012 unbeaten IHSA championship team, which went 42-0 and dropped only two sets all season, was named the ESPN National Champion The COVID-19 pandemic denied high school volleyball fans a 2020 boys’ season, but we can still celebrate some of the great teams of the past by naming the 10 All-Time Best Boys High School Volleyball Teams.The boys' first sanctioned state tournament was held in 1992. Richards dominated the landscape that season, not only becoming the first state champion in IHSA history, but also th...
Illprepvb.com presents the 100 All-Time Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players, Nos. 21-30
Benet libero Hattie Monson will go down as one of the best defenders in Illinois high school history and will take her considerable skills to Notre Dame in the fall. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Today, we continue our countdown of the 100 All-Times Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players with Nos. 21-30. Volleyball has come a long way since the IHSA began sponsoring a state tournament series in 1974. You might be hard-pressed to recognize the game. Not only have the rules changed, but so has the caliber of the athletes who compete.The growt...
Bay to Bay 'blocks' 630 Volleyball 17-1's championship bid at McCormick Place
630 Volleyball 17-1 middle hitter Mason Kolar (24) of Downers Grove South and his teammates reached the championship match of the Boys 17 Open division at the Winter Volleyball Championship at McCormick Place before falling to Bay to Bay 17-1. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor630 Volleyball 17-1 ran into a brick wall Monday.630 had earned the top seed in the Boys 17 Open division at the Winter Volleyball Championship at McCormick Place on the strength of its 25-6 overall record, including a 10-2 mark at THE Poin...
Willowbrook shrugs off delay, comes out smokin' against Glenbard North
An eight-day layoff between matches, precipitated by a malfunctioning ventilation system in its gym, had little effect on Willowbrook's performance Wednesday. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comWillowbrook’s second match of the season on August 25 was cancelled, but it had nothing to do with COVID.“We were supposed to have a game with East Aurora, but our gym had a malfunction with the ventilation system,” said Willowbrook coach Irene Mason. “Fire alarms were going off and we had to cancel.”That meant the Warriors had eight days off bef...
After a season of COVID and club, Metea Valley's got the gang back together
Metea Valley improved to 7-0 on the young season with a 25-15, 25-10 victory Tuesday over visiting Oswego East. Metea Valley coach Dave MacDonald gave his players an option last spring.“We told the girls, ‘Hey, if you can make it, great,’” he said. “’If you have club practice, that’s your priority right now.’ There were a handful of girls who decided to stay with their clubs. I didn't fault them at all.“They all talked to me individually. They said, ‘Hey, I want to do this.’ They want to get recruited and I totally understand. We didn't hav...
Two weeks later, Barrington (minus a starter or four) gets back on the court
Barrington was in quarantine for two weeks due to the pandemic, then played three times in 24 hours minus any practice, 6-7 junior Jack O'Riordan, two starting junior middle hitters and a freshman outside hitter in a squeaker Saturday against Schaumburg. https://youtu.be/hcbZ6LM3Lss It was a recipe for disaster.Two weeks without touching a ball while in quarantine. Arguably your best player in Las Vegas playing in a club tournament. Three conference games in less than 24 hours, including back-to-back matches on Saturday with one mat...
LaCoco, De La Salle's defense bring Montini's unblemished season to a stunning end
Montini could not protect big leads in both sets and dropped its first match of the season Monday to De La Salle. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comIsabella LaCoco is back.That’s a good thing for De La Salle. For Montini, though, it proved to be a problem.LaCoco missed De La Salle’s home loss to Montini last week with a back injury, but the Western Illinois-bound senior setter was in fine form Monday and made Montini feel the pain.LaCoco, who also worked on the right side while splitting setting duties with Daniela Scalise, had a team-...
Here are the Illprepvb.com/1st Alliance VBC Boys High School Volleyball Rankings
Three years ago, St. Francis coach Mike Lynch won his 500th career game. Is this the year he wins his first IHSA championship? Game on. Last week, the IHSA board OK’d a state tournament series for boys’ volleyball in anticipation of the relaxing of Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines on June 11. Sectional assignments have already been announced, and seeding is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19. The state finals will take place Friday-Saturday, June 18-19, at a yet-to-be-disclosed location.“We are excited to be able to of...
Presenting the initial Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls 16's Club rankings
Lions 15-1 veterans libero Sam Falk (32) from Mother McAuley and Oak Park-River Forest's Grace Nelson (29) are expected to lead 1st Alliance 16 Gold this season. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) The 2022 Windy City Power League seeding tournament starts Saturday at a number of sites throughout the Chicago area and we’ll get our first look at many of the teams listed here, but for now, it’s mostly speculation as we present our first rankings of the season. The 16’s rankings feature a number of teams that have undergone major “facelifts.” Ther...
Illprepvb.com presents the 100 All-Time Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players, Nos. 81-90
St. Francis setter Michelle Kocher led the Spartans to two IHSA championships and a runner-up finish, then guided Texas to the NCAA Final four twice. (Above photo courtesy of Texas Athletics, cover photo courtesy of Northwestern Athletics) Today, we continue our countdown of the 100 All-Times Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players with Nos. 81-90. Volleyball has come a long way since the IHSA began sponsoring a state tournament series in 1974. You might be hard-pressed to recognize the game. Not only have the rules changed, but so ha...