Defending Class 3A champion Sterling may have to get past Belvidere North in the supersectional if the Golden Warriors hope to repeat ... provided both teams make it that far. Last year, behind Air Force recruit Brooklyn Messenger, Belvidere North went 34-4 including 18-0 in the NIC-10 before running afoul of St. Charles East in a Class 4A sectional semifinal.But like what seems to be a countless number of schools affected by the IHSA’s enrollment reclassification, Belvidere North dropped down to Class 3A this season.So instead of teams li...

While there will thankfully be a girls high school volleyball season, Newark and Sterling will not have an opportunity to win a third consecutive IHSA championship and Benet and Decatur St. Teresa will not be able to defend their state titles. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/VOoUVp6BJXE Better late than never? More than seven months since the 2020 series was scheduled to begin, the girls high school season is finally here. It will be a season like no other. Hopefully, we will never see another like it. No state tour...

Former York setter Sarah Rose took the court February 27 and served an ace in Marquette's three-set sweep of Iowa State. (Photos courtesy of Marquette University Athletics). Sarah Rose By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comSarah Rose has spent her entire volleyball career handing out assists, first as a star setter at York and later at Marquette.But this season, the senior has been receiving assistance of a different, life-saving kind.Last September, Rose was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and is curre...

Lincoln-Way West will meet Minooka for the third time this season in a sectional semifinal Friday at Plainfield North after beating the Tigers Thursday at Oswego. Louden Moran had 4 kills, 6 digs, 2 blocks and an ace for the Warriors Thursday at Oswego. Lincoln-Way West got what it wanted, and probably a little more than it bargained for.Six-foot-2 rightside hitter Tyler Holubek and 5-11 outside hitter Ben Pluskota each had 11 kills and 6-1 setter David Flores distributed 28 assists to go with 11 digs as the Warriors held off Plainfield...

Marist's Rocky Mayer had 4 kills and 6 digs during the RedHawks quarterfinal win over Minooka Friday at Hoffman Estates. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Marist's Nyherowo Omene (left) and Rocky Mayer. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.com“Takin’ Care of Business”The Marist volleyball team probably didn't listen to the classic song by that name before its IHSA quarterfinal match Friday at Hoffman Estates. But that's exactly what the RedHawks did ad they took care of their end of business and coasted to a 25-14, 25-15 victory over Minook...

Vernon Hills took a 9-0 record into its Central Suburban League crossover Friday at Glenbrook North, and left with its first loss of the young season, 25-23, 25-16. What makes Glenbrook North so good?“We’re high energy,” said the Spartans’ 5-foot-10 senior setter Louie Batang. “We thrive on energy. Any energy. When we get big bounces, big blocks, anything we can do, we use that. We use that momentum.”Vernon Hills pulled the plug on that energy throughout much of the first set and through the first half of the second, but once Glenbrook Nort...

Mission 16 Green was among the teams participating in the Champions Cup event last weekend at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center. https://youtu.be/7xLNt1UG5-M They got back to business last weekend for the first of several Champions Cup events at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora.However, it was anything but business as usual.Mandatory masks. A limit of one parent per player allowed inside the facility. No lineup cards. No changing of sides at the conclusion of each game. No handshake lines at the conclusion of each match. No...

After losing in the sectional finals to Joliet Catholic in 2018, Normal U-High will get another crack at the Angels in an IHSA Class 3A semifinal Friday at Redbird Arena. By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.com The Normal University High School volleyball team was so efficient on Friday in the Class 3A supersectional at Taylorville, it really didn't need the two kills dumped in by their setters during a 25-12, 25-15 win over Centralia. “They know what kind of weapons we have on offense and how aggressively we attack the ball,” said U-High c...

(From left) Kaleigh Ritter, Ali Sorenson, Jess Pappas and Ava Porada plan to help Lincoln-Way East erase the memory of the program's first losing season in nine years.  By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.com Lincoln-Way East flipped the switch.A year ago, the Griffins opened the season with a loss to Montini. They went onto have their first losing campaign in nine years. Ten of the players who lived through that 18-19 season return in 2019. Determined not to go through that again, those returners made big contributions as the Griffin...