Lincolnwood returns six of its top eight players from last season's 32-6-1 campaign that ended with a 25-17, 25-19 loss to Brown County in a Class A sectional semifinal. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe real fun begins tomorrow, so today Illprepvb.com takes a look at some of the teams and players who will be gracing gymnasiums throughout Illinois this fall with their athleticism, cohesiveness and determination. Due to the number of teams responding to our request for information and the amount of information we have gathered, we ...

St. Francis and Loyola star Jeff Jendryk has blossomed from a skinny 6-foot-1 high school freshman to a member of Team USA who was preparing for the Summer Games in Tokyo when the COVID-19 crisis struck. (Photo courtesy of Loyola University) Today, we continue to count down the 50 All-Time Best Illinois Boys Volleyball Players. The players were selected based on their athletic ability, their individual accomplishments on the court, how they impacted their team’s success, their place in IHSA history, and in some cases, how they conti...

Springfield Lutheran's Makenna Cox tries to tip around two Augusta Southeastern defenders in the second IHSA Class 1A semifinal won by the Suns, 25-16, 25-23. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Class 1ABy Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNORMAL – The little engine that could ran out of steam.After surprising No. 1-ranked (Champaign) St. Thomas More in the first set, (Freeport) Aquin fell behind in each of the next two sets and could never quite catch the Sabres, falling 19-25, 25-22, 25-18 in the first IHSA Class 1A semifinal Friday at Redbird Arena...

Normal U-High's hard-hitting Lily Barry, who plays outside hitter for her high school and Illini Elite 16 Cardinal club teams, projects as a libero at the Division I level. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.comWatching 5-foot-6 Lily Barry wallop a volleyball says a lot about the 16-year-old member of the Bloomington-based Illini Elite Volleyball Club.“She doesn’t hold back in anything that she does,” said club director Andy Erins, who is trying to convince the sophomore from Normal University High School by way o...

Tara Glynn (above) and Abby Kenzinger (on the home page) are two reasons Richards is expected to vie for the South Suburban Conference Red Division title again this fall. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) 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 looking to move up the heirarchy in their respective leagues. (Last season's record in parenthesis):Crystal Lake South (7-6)After a slow start, the Gators won four of their final five...

Plainfield Central needed a few more balls to bounce its way Thursday at Oswego, said coach Robert Richardson. Oswego junior libero Alex Rosenow was kidded that he got short-changed in the height department, checking in at a good 6 inches shorter than his brother, Ben.But Alex countered that he does have bragging rights in at least one area.“I’m three minutes older,” Alex said.The Rosenows, two-thirds of a set of triplets (brother Sam opted to play golf rather than follow his brothers’ lead), both came up big this week for Oswego, leading...

John Glennon (82) is one of three key seniors returning at Lincoln-Way East, which has won 30 or more matches seven times over the last 10 years and claimed the 2018 IHSA championship. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Illprepvb.com continues its look at the 2020 boys' high school volleyball season with another set of team previews. Illprepvb.com provides the best in boys volleyball coverage throughout the season anywhere in the state. School: Benet AcademyConference: East Suburban CatholicHead coach: Jeff SteinbergLast season’s highlig...