Mother McAuley's Ryann DeJarld celebrated a state championships with her mom and coach, Jen, before becoming a standout defensive player at Notre Dame. (Photo courtesy of Notre Dame). Today, we continue our countdown of the 100 All-Times Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players with Nos. 41-50. 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 growth of ...
'Don't make Jack mad,' said Wegh. So Barrington tops Buffalo Grove for MSL title
West winner Barrington repeated as Mid-Suburban League champion Thursday, outlasting East winner Buffalo Grove in Barrington. https://youtu.be/rZEqqiYHHdI By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorBarrington’s junior setter Carsten Wegh only had one thing on his mind late in the third set of the Mid-Suburban League championship game Thursday.Maybe two things.“I was just trying not to mess up,” Wegh said. “I was trying to get a good ball. Jack (O’Riordan) was pretty fiery, so I was trying to not make him mad.”Trailing 22-20, West division ch...
Illprepvb.com presents the 100 All-Time Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players, Nos. 1-10
West Aurora graduate Lauren Carlini never played at Redbird Arena, but she has played just about everywhere else during her college and professional career. She was scheduled to play in Tokyo this summer with the U.S. women's national team. Today, we continue our countdown of the 100 All-Times Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players with Nos. 1-10. 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 s...
Former Geneva great finds herself in the last place she expected to be – home
Lauren (Wicinski) Kosecki led Michigan State to a pair of NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances after starring at Northern Illinois University for two seasons. (Photos courtesy of Michigan State Athletic Department) Lauren (Wicinski) Kosecki. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comLauren Kosecki had no intention of going home.The former Geneva star was enjoying life deep in the heart of Texas, teaching and coaching in the Houston area, where she met her husband, Matthew.“At the time, I was like, ‘I’m not coming home, I don’t want to be cold...
Bolingbrook puts the finishing touches on a victory over Joliet Catholic
Bolingbrook players surround their coach, Molly DeSerf, after the Raiders' victory Saturday over visiting Joliet Catholic. The handful of fans in the stands and perhaps a few at the scorer’s table may have been gnawing at their fingernails when Joliet Catholic made a late run in the third game to trim what had been a 21-11 deficit to 22-16 Saturday at Bolingbrook.Nervous? Not Bolingbrook’s Kaylee Wnek.“I trust my team,” said the 5-foot-4 libero. “I trust the person behind me. I trust the person next to me. I really believe in them. I r...
McAuley's ballhandlers pass the test at Nazareth as Mighty Macs remain perfect
Nazareth's Izzy Decker (3) had 11 kills, but they weren't enough as the Roadrunners fell Monday to visiting Mother McAuley. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) A successful offense starts with good passing, and Mother McAuley passed the test with flying colors Monday.Molly McDermott and 5-8 middle hitter Abby Sarich each had 7 kills, 6-foot-3 middle hitter Molly Boyd added 5 kills and Caroline Macander passed out 21 assists as Mother McAuley defeated Nazareth, 25-22, 25-17, Monday in LaGrange Park.And it all started with good passing.“Our middles defi...
Pickering, Montini breeze past Mater Dei; Pleasant Plains exploits Chicago Christian
Montini had a lot to celebrate Friday, rolling past Breese Mater Dei, 25-10, 25-11, in an IHSA Class 2A semifinal at Redbird Arena. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). Class 2A Class 2A By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNormal – Can anyone stop Montini?Breese Mater Dei certainly couldn’t.“You just watched the best team in the state dominate a team that was really, really strong,” said Breese Mater Dei coach Chad Rakers after watching his team succumb to the Broncos, 25-11, 25-10, in an IHSA Class 2A semifinal Friday at Redbird Arena.Montini s...
Here are the latest Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com girls H.S. rankings
Marist's Kamryn Chaney (right) is back from injured reserve and was named MVP of the Wheaton Classic last weekend. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) So what did we learn last week?For starters, we learned that Marist, now that the RedHawks have senior superstar outside hitter Kamryn Chaney back off the disabled list, are every bit the No. 1 ranked team in Class 4A they were crowned in the preseason.Marist rolled through the Wheaton Classic field last Saturday. Eight-time tournament champion Benet Academy, which for some inexplicable reason was p...
Benet finds offense here, there and everywhere in opener at Wheaton North
Kaneland is a team that hopes to make a long run in the postseason, and achieving that goal started with a strong showing Wednesday at the Wheaton North Blue & Gold Invitational. After losing his most experienced player and most proven offensive threat – 6-2 senior middle hitter Ann Marie Remmes – to an ACL injury during the club season, Benet coach Brad Baker wondered where his offense would come from this fall. The answer? Everywhere. Outside. Rightside. Middle. Service line. The Redwings scored from all over the cou...
Hinsdale Central's game speed just a little too quick for Timothy Christian
Timothy Christian, which is only in its second full year of fielding a varsity team, features seniors (from left) Ben Tameling, Josh Loerop, Andrew Sheehan, Jason Westra and Kyle Teune. Timothy Christian’s schedule hasn’t exactly prepared the Trojans for what they’ll see on the other side of the net when the IHSA tournament begins in two weeks.“Adequate competition,” is what Timothy Christian coach David Barker calls his team’s slate of conference opponents.So while Wednesday’s 25-18, 25-15 loss at Hinsdale Central – the first time Timoth...