Mother McAuley junior outside hitter Ellie White (8) was named the tournament MVP after leading the Mighty Macs to the championship of the ASICS Challenge last weekend. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) It was a hiccup. Mother McAuley, which lost back-to-back matches to Marist and Assumption (Louisville, Kentucky) heading into last weekend’s ASICS Challenge, rediscovered its mojo Saturday by beating Hamilton (Sussex, Wisconsin), Skutt Catholic (Omaha, Nebraska) and Notre Dame Academy (Park Hills, Kentucky) to win the 24-team event. “We hav...

The qualifier season really picks up following last weekend's Mideast Qualifier in Indianapolis with local teams travelling from Missouri to Florida to Las Vegas to earn bids to USAV nationals. (Phoot by Dave Ruggles). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor‘Tis the season …… to compete in a USAV national qualifier.Last weekend’s Mideast Qualifier in Indianapolis, Indiana, was just the tip of the iceberg for USAV qualifiers. Coming up are the Sunshine Classic, the Red Rock Rave, the Show Me qualifier, the Lone Star Classic, the Windy Ci...

Adversity G18 Adidas had to win its final match last weekend at the Ohio Valley 18s Qualifier in Columbus, Ohio, to earn a bid to the USAV Girls 18s Junior National Championship. In the immortal words of Tina Turner, Adversity G18 Adidas “never ever do nothing nice and easy.”Certainly not last weekend while trying to secure a bid to the USAV Girls 18s Junior National Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 22-24, while competing at the Ohio Valley 18s Qualifier in Columbus, Ohio.Cancelled flights. Driving through a snow storm....

You need to break out your yellow hardhats when your school's biggest rival shows up at your door on the south side of Chicago. There are a number of big games on the schedule tonight – Hartsburg-Emden vs. Jacksonville Routt as Stags coach Jennifer Hayes goes for win No. 700, Pleasant Plans vs. Springfield Lutheran in the Sangamon County, Tolono Unity vs. St. Teresa.Later this week, the annual Asics Challenge is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Mother McAuley. The tournament has been the playground for Louisville Assumption, but it...

1st Alliance 17 Gold reigns atop the volleyball world in the 17 age group after winning the Open division at the 2022 USAV Girls Junior National Championship in Indianapolis. The girls club season ended last week and today’s rankings feature 1st Alliance Volleyball Club entries heading each of the 17s, 16s and 15s age groups. But all these girls will have little time to rest with the high school season starting in less than a month.Here are the final Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Girls Club Rankings for 2021-22:17s1. 1st Alliance 17...

Gwen Wolkow and her SPVB 18 Elite teammates will get a look at some of the top teams in the country, including Triple Crown NIT champion Munciana 18 Samurai, in less than two weeks at the 22 Adidas Bluegrass Tournament. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Some liked it hot. Some liked it cold. Not everyone came home happy. The long Presidents Day weekend is over, and while it was a mixed bag for many Illinois teams, there were a few that stood out. 1st Alliance 15 Gold won the Triple Crown NIT, while 1st Alliance 18 Gold went all the way to ...

SPVB B16 Alpha won the 16 USA division at last weekend's Dennis Lafata Boys Bid Classic in St. Louis, Missouri, becoming just one of two No. 1 seeds to win their respective divisions. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorSeeding. It’s not exactly an exact science.Nowhere was that more apparent than at last weekend’s 2022 Dennis Lafata Boys Bid Classic at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri.15 USA top seed? 630 Volleyball 15-2. Result? Lost in a Gold bracket quarterfinal.16 Open? C2 16 Boys SMACK (Hendersonville, Tennessee). Result? ...

630 Volleyball 17-1's 10th place finish in Orlando last week was easily the highest by any Illinois entry in the 17 Open division. (Photo courtesy of AAU) Thursday’s wrap-up of the 2022 USAV Boys Junior National Championship at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, signaled the end of the 2021-22 boys’ club season.Led Nathan Finck (O'Fallon) and the Massey brothers -- 6-4 freshman Riley and 5-11 junior Trent (St. Louis DeSmet), Boys BSVBC 14-1 (Blue Steel, O'Fallon, Illinois) finished in second place in the 17 USA div...

SPVB 18 Kahl enjoyed a light moment during the 49th AAU GIrls Junior National Volleyball Championships in Orlando, Florida, last weekend. Some will soon be off to college to continue their playing careers. Others to focus on academics. Many have played their final competitive game of volleyball and will concentrate on pursuing careers in law, medicine, education or engineering, or perhaps the most noble and selfless profession of them all.The Class of 2022 provided us with unforgettable moments – both exhilarating and heartbreaking – an...

Plagued by injuries and inconsistency, SPVB B18 Elite dropped its final three matches and finished fourth at last weekend's JVA Showdown in Motown. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorTime to play catch-up with boys’ volleyball clubs.While the girls were wrapping up their high school season, boys club teams in Illinois were quietly going about their business at THE Point Series at the Wintrust Sports Center in Bedford Park and the Third Coast Invitational at the Wisconsin Center.Last weekend, several Illinois boys’ clubs participated i...