Club 1 B18 Skronkstrong had a rough start to its weekend at the Winter Volleyball Championships Saturday in Indianapolis, going 0-3 in first round pool play. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Jason Kougan (Lincoln-Way East) and his Ultimate B18 Gold teammates struggled to an 0-2 finish Saturday. Indianapolis, Indiana – Solomon Dail is feeling the heat.“(Coach Zach) Splitt is a very, very competitive person, and there’s a lot of pressure on me as a team captain because he really wants this three-peat,” said the 6-foot-5 Dail, a Sports Performanc...
SPVB B18 Elite’s national championship hopes go down in the (Balboa) Bay
Chicago Bounce 18 Red defeated Pipeline 18-1, 25-21, 25-21, to win the 18 USA division at the 2021 USAV Boys Junior National Volleyball championships Wednesday in Kansas City. Kansas City, Missouri – The end came like a rushing wave.After beating the Nos. 2 and 6 seeds to reach the quarterfinals of the 18 Open division at the 2021 USAV Boys Junior National Championships at the Kansas City Convention Center, SPVB B18 Elite was swamped Wednesday by Balboa Bay 18 Blue, 25-12, 25-22.“We started off with a service error to start the match,” sai...
Balboa Bay ends 630 Volleyball 16-1's run to a USAV national championship
630 Volleyball 16-1 reached the championship match of the 16 Open division Saturday at the 2021 USAV Boys Junior National Championship in Kansas City, Missouri, before running afoul of Balboa Bay 16 Blue. Kansas City, Missouri – There would be no second scintillating comeback for 630 Volleyball 16-1.After mounting a furious rally to defeat Bay to Bay 16-1 (Campbell, California) in the semifinals, 630 Volleyball 16-1 saw Balboa Bay 16 Blue dash its national title hopes late Saturday at the 2021 USAV Boys Junior National Championship at the...
There's something special about playing for your mom, and for moms coaching their daughters
Dakota's Tabytha Toelke likely would have finished in the top three on the IHSA all-time career kills list but for the pandemic-shortened season. The four-year starter led the state with 562 kills as a junior. https://youtu.be/RHMmGZ6fp4E By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comTheir hometowns are separated by hundreds of miles and they have never met, but Dakota’s Tabytha Toelke, Paris’ Emma Pinkston and Herrin’s Kelsey Jurich have a lot in common.All three volleyball stars are multisport athletes, team captains, outstanding students...
Ella Ramsay's cerebral approach has Maroon fans thinking 'red'
Four-year starter and Loyola University recruit Ella Ramsay (14) of Moline worked tirelessly to turn herself into a six-rotation player for the Maroons. (Photo by Randy Sharer) Moline's Ella Ramsay By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.comMOLINE – Moline High School volleyball fans have their fingers crossed.They haven’t been able to cheer their Maroons to a state tournament berth since 2002, but now they see Ella Ramsay’s approach could lead to a Class 4A Final Four appearance at Redbird Arena on November 12-13.Fans have actually seen two...
Glenbard West is going home (but in a good way); Lockport, Lake Park win
Sophomore Jakobi Lange (7) had 13 kills for Hinsdale Central, but it wasn't enough as Glenbard West prevailed, 25-21, 25-18, at the Hinsdale Central Sectional. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Glenbard West senior Danny Pasinski knew he was going to get a lot of work Tuesday against Hinsdale Central.The 6-foot-4 outside hitter was ready for it.“We knew from the scouting report that our outside was going to work a little bit more than our other positions tonight,” Pasinski said. “So I think I got ran a little bit more, which is nice.“I hit a load to...
Illprepvb.com presents the 100 All-Time Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players, Nos. 51-60
Augusta Southeastern's Kolby McClelland (20) ranks third on the IHSA all-time career kill list and now stars for Murray State. (Photo courtesy of Murray State). Today, we continue our countdown of the 100 All-Times Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players with Nos. 51-60. 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 club volleyball, improve...
Lake Park, Schellinger hand top-ranked St. Francis first loss of the season
No. 1-ranked St. Francis saw its winning streak to open the season end at 23 matches Friday at the hands of Lake Park. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comTop-ranked St. Francis no longer has the pressure of trying to go undefeated.Josh Schellinger and his Lake Park teammates made sure of that.The 6-foot-6 Schellinger and 6-5 Andrew Deardorff each put down 9 kills, and setter Elijah Wrobel dished out 24 assists as the third-ranked Lancers upset St. Francis, 25-16, 25-23, Friday in Wheaton.The loss ended a 23-match winning streak by the ...
Illprepvb.com presents the 100 All-Time Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players, Nos. 91-100
Megan Boken played on two IHSA championship teams at St. Francis and two NCAA tournament teams at St. Louis University. (Photo courtesy of St. Louis University) Today, we begin our countdown of the 100 All-Times Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players with Nos. 91-100. 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 club volleyball, improved t...
Young Fillies eye race to the finish line; Arndt, Bulldogs are small but mighty
Freeport Aquin has an enrollment of 88.50 students (how do you classify as a half-student?), but Lucy Arndt (12) and the Lady Bulldogs are among the favorites to reach Redbird Arena in Class 1A later this fall. Illprepvb.com continues its look at the 2021 season with more previews, including those of several teams hoping to build on their success in the spring and others that are facing a total revamp after suffering heavy graduation losses. (Last spring's record in parenthesis): Barrington (14-2)Start with the Mid-Suburban League Player...