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...

Huntley, with four Division I recruits, is hoping to make a big splash in 2022. Rankings. Somebody’s got to do ‘em. So here we go. Another year, another best guess.Mother McAuley coach Jen DeJarld says her 2022 team is the strongest she’s had since the 2016 group that was declared national champion. But there’s no shortage of challengers, including Barrington, which returns nearly everybody from the team that finished third last fall.Elsewhere, Normal U-High and Illinois recruit Lily Barry claim the top spot in Class 3A, Pleasant Pla...

St. Thomas More's Mallory Monahan (6) figures to add a lot of punch to Illini Elite 17 Cardinal this club season. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) The 2022 Windy City Power League seeding tournament for 17’s and 18’s is still two weeks away when we’ll get our first look at many of the teams listed here, but a few have already started competition and others will scrimmage this weekend at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora.As has become the norm, the rankings feature a number of teams that have undergone major “facelifts.” There are also...

Downers Grove South (attacking) is among the teams hoping to advance to the IHSA quarterfinals June 18-19 at Glenbard West. The 2021 IHSA boys’ volleyball tournament will have some unfamiliar wrinkles.One noticeable change in the 2021 tournament is the number of teams competing – 186. That is significantly fewer than the 229 teams entered in the 2019 tournament. Why the sudden drop? Fewer Chicago Public Schools, many of which did not field teams at all this spring due to COVID-19.Secondly, the state finals will not be held at Hoffman Es...

Glenbrook North's Evan Uhlig smashed a kill against Lincoln-Way West during the Wheaton Warrenville South Tiger Classic championship match Saturday. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) The more things change, the more they stay the same?Not when it comes to the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Boys High School Rankings.There have been plenty of changes over the past two weeks. But that’s to be expected. Many teams are still finding their way, juggling lineups, searching for the right rotations, and waiting for players to return from injury or … wa...

630 Volleyball 17-1 sits atop the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Boys' 17s Club rankings after winning the 17 Open division at the JVA Showdown in Motown last weekend. 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...