Springfield Shock 15 Under Armour head coach Bruce Wible said this group has a chance to be “really special.” This is the final installment of Illprepvb.com’s look at some of the top clubs in Illinois in their respective age groups. The 15s are always the most difficult to predict for a variety of reasons. This season, that uncertainty is magnified partly because most 14s experienced a shortened competitive season in 2020, and in some cases, no season at all.However, there are some things we can say for certain.Year in and year out,...

The talents of Fusion 16 Red's Grace Egan (Sterling) and Illini Elite 16 Cardinal's Lily Barry (Normal U-High) were on display during the 2019 IHSA volleyball championships at Redbird Arena. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Many volleyball clubs throughout Illinois are proceeding with plans to resume after the first of the year. The Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora recently released its schedule for the new year, which includes its Challenge Cup series and Presidents’ Day tournament (see the "Wanted" section).The dates to begin the Wind...

Fremd's Rylen Reid (13), who toils for Adversity Volleyball Club, and Marist's Mary Clare Brusek (5), who plays for Michio Chicago Volleyball Academy, saw a lot of each other in the 2019 IHSA Class 4A third-place match and could see each other again during club play in 2021. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Yes, they are playing club volleyball in some parts of the country. Wisconsin and Nevada held events last week. But the immediate future does not look in Illinois as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the state.The Windy City Power L...

SPVB G18 Elite's Audrey Rome (Sandwich, on the home page) and Adversity G18 Adidas' middle hitter Gigi Barr (York, pictured inside) are two of reasons their teams rank in the top three of the 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb.com Preseason Girls Club Rankings. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) When will they start? How will they finish?Like the boys, the girls club season is on hold while Illinois continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor’s recent restriction on youth indoor sports has forced Illinois clubs to break for the time being,...

Chicago Bounce 16 Red will look a lot like last year's 15 Red team with eight players back from the team that finished third at the Dennis Lafata Boys Bid Classic last winter. Boys’ volleyball clubs throughout Illinois (and southeastern Wisconsin) got some bad news earlier this month when Palos Courts was forced to postpone the start of the 2020-21 Palos Point Series due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The news got even worse this week when Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzer announced he would be shutting down indoor youth sports beginning Friday, al...

Sandburg and Ultimate Volleyball Club's Gavin Kissane (1) returns from a 16s team that enjoyed a successful run during last year's Palos Point Series. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Boys’ volleyball clubs throughout Illinois (and southeastern Wisconsin) got some bad news last week when Palos Courts was forced to postpone the start of the 2020-21 Palos Point Series due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So while they wait for a possible January reboot, it’s never too early to look at what the boys’ club scene will look like in 2021. Most clubs – but...

Libero Paul Wyszynski from Glenbrook North will anchor SPVB B18 Elite's defense when the boys' club season begins sometime after the new year. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Boys’ volleyball clubs throughout Illinois (and southeastern Wisconsin) got some bad news earlier this week when Palos Courts was forced to postpone the start of the 2020-21 Palos Point Series due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So while they wait for a possible January reboot, it’s never too early to look at what the boys’ club scene will look like in 2021. Most clubs – but...

Norris City-Omaha-Enfield (foreground) has enough pieces returning to make another run at Redbird Arena and a Class 1A championship in 2021. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) The IHSA has made its decision and pushed girls' volleyball back to "spring." If we assume (not always a good thing when it comes to the IHSA) that girls will not have to decide between high school and club teams, here is what the 2021 field could look like: Class 4A1. Benet (41-1) – Brad Baker has some holes to fill with the departure of five seniors, but there’s more th...

Lockport coach Nick Mraz will be a busy man come February 2021. He coaches both girls and boys teams at Lockport. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Now that we know that the girls' high school volleyball season has been pushed back to "spring" beginning February 15, here are 10 more teams that could thrive in 2021. Class 4ADowners Grove North (22-17) – Setter Grace Malone and middle hitter Morgan Wendt are significant losses for coach Mark Wasik, but as long as Gwen Wolkow is around, the Trojans will always be in the hunt. The 5-10 outside hit...

The AAU Girls Junior National Volleyball Championships are still scheduled for July 14-22, in Orlando, Florida. But because of the lack of local competitors, the tournament will have no bearing on our rankings. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) It is hard to believe that, for all intents and purposes, the 2020 girls club season ended nearly four months ago. Five Illinois clubs, including 1st Alliance, Top Flight and Sky High, have entered teams in the AAU Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando, Florida, on July 14-22, which has banned ...