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 ...

There was some movement in this week's girls club rankings with Sky High Adidas 18 Black taking over the top spot among the 18s and Michio Chicago 16 National moving to the top of the 16s field. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) The Windy City Power League seeding is over and the league season is underway. Surprises? There were a few. Meanwhile, with a few exceptions, the schedule is a little light prior to Presidents’ Day tournaments hosted by the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora and Sky High Volleyball Center in Crystal Lake. ...

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,...

Grayson Juel (58) and his UNO Boys 18 Elite teammates battled their way to the 18 Open division Gold bracket quarterfinals at last weekend's Winter Volleyball Championship at McCormick Place. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) The 2020 Boys Winter Volleyball Championship at McCormick Place last weekend was a boon for some and a nightmare for others. Despite earning several bids, Illinois teams came away with only two championships in the 15-and-over divisions – SPVB B18 Lenny in 18 USA and SPVB B16 Alpha in 16 USA. Ultimate B14 Gold did win t...

The girls' club season is well underway and it's time to sort of who's who among the best in Illinois for 2020. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) The Windy City Power League is underway and the 2020 girls club season is kicking into high gear.SPVB 18 Elite, Michio Chicago 17 National, SPVB 16 Elite and Lions 15-1 topped the 2019 final club rankings, and all four – despite the obvious personnel changes – are among the top five teams in their age groups heading into the 2020 campaign.So here they are, the initial 2020 Michio Chicago/Illprepvb.com ...

Despite dropping its first match of the weekend Saturday at the B16-Palos Point Series #4, SPVB B16 Elite finished atop the series' standings by winning its last five matches. The B16-Palos Point Series #4 concluded Sunday and most teams are looking ahead to this weekend’s Winter Volleyball Championships at McCormick Place, where teams in the 16 and 15 Open divisions will vie for one of nine bids to the 2020 USA Volleyball Boys Junior National Championships in Reno, Nevada, June 27-July 4. 2019-20 Michio Chicago/Illprepvb.com Boys C...

Shane Ooms (far left) from Minooka and his UNO Boys 18 Elite teammates finished in 17th place in the 18 Open division at the SCVA 2020 Boys Junior Volleyball Invitational last weekend in Anaheim. The qualifier season is under way. Future 18 Elite and Chicago Bounce 18 Red both finished among the top 10 teams in the 18 Open division at last weekend’s 202 Southern California Volleyball Association Boys Junior Volleyball Invitational in Anaheim, while 630 Volleyball 17-1 finished third in the 17 USA division. The 2020 Boys Winter Vol...

Most Illinois 16s will be in action during the Presidents Day holiday at tournaments from Indiana to Nebraska. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) The first thing you notice when you try to track down records of teams you think should be ranked is that while the Illinois COVID-19 restrictions were in place, everyone went anywhere to find someone to play.Wisconsin. Indiana, Iowa. Tennessee. Alabama. Kids may be learning from home, but they are still getting an education in geography.Meanwhile, Illinois clubs are gearing up for one of several Presid...

Adversity 16 Adidas finished third in Bracket AA last weekend at Palos Courts, falling to SPVB B16 Elite in the semifinals. Last week, we looked at the top 18s and 17s boys club teams in Illinois. This week, after three weeks of the Palos Point Series and a few other minor tournaments, we look at the top 16s and 15s. 2019-20 Michio Chicago/Illprepvb.com Boys Club Rankings (Season-to-date record in parenthesis) 16s1. SPVB B16 Elite (16-1)The boys from Aurora avenged their only loss of the young season, defeating Adversity 16 Ad...

SPVB 18 Elite, which finished second at the 48th AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships and during the season posted five wins and no losses against teams that finished in the top five in the 18 Open division at the 2021 USAV Girls 18 Junior National Championship in Columbus, Ohio, earned the No. 1 ranking in the final 2021 1st Alliance VBC/Illprepvb.com Girls Club Rankings. Somebody did not do their homework. The 48th AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships wrapped up late last month, and in the Girls 18 Open championsh...