Batavia coach Lori Trippi-Payne gathers with her team for one of the last times before announcing her retirement following Tuesday's loss to Waubonsie Valley. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Two Batavia players collide going to a ball during Tuesday's loss to Waubonsie Valley. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) After 33 years of coaching and more than 535 wins, Batavia’s Lori Trippi-Payne announced her retirement following Tuesday’s 25-12, 25-10 loss to Waubonsie Valley in a Class 4A regional semifinal at Waubonsie Valley.“I could have retired after las...
Which boys' high school teams will be among Illinois’ best in 2020?
Many athletes, coaches and fans are holding out hope that some of the 2020 boys high school volleyball season can be salvaged and scenes like this one be repeated. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Updated 3:45 p.m., Wednesday, April 1 Two weeks on the shelf (and more ahead), but here and elsewhere we’re still hoping that there will be a boys’ high school volleyball season, even a substantially abbreviated one. After Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzer announced Tuesday that schools would remain closed through April 30, the IHSA released a statement...
Marist unveils its better side while silencing the field at the Tiger Classic
Tournament MVP Kamryn Chaney (23) helped Marist avenge two earlier losses to Wheaton Warrenville South, two games she missed while nursing an injury, in the Tiger Classic semifinals. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorAny similarity between this Marist team and the one that started the season losing three of its first six matches is purely coincidental.“We’re completely different,” said 6-foot middle blocker Mary Clare Brusek. “We used the Plainfield North tournament as motivation. For the next three weeks, all w...
Lockport, Joliet West advance to regional final, this time on Porters’ court
Leena Ajibola (12) had 5 kills in Lockport's victory over Crete-Monee Tuesday at Lockport. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comThe last time Joliet West won a regional title was in 2016. That season, the Tigers defeated Lockport in the regional championship match. They will have an opportunity to repeat that feat in the title match of the Class 4A Lockport regional Thursday at 6:00 p.m. The Tigers defeated crosstown rival Joliet Central, 25-7, 25-13, in Tuesday’s second semifinal, and Lockport took ca...
Who were some of the best of the best? We asked the coaches, and the nominees are:
New Trier junior Peter Brown led the Trevians to a third-place finish in the IHSA Boys Volleyball Tournament. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Illprepvb.com asked boys' volleyball coaches statewide to nominate players for this year's all-state team. The Player of the Year will be announced Saturday and the all-state team will be announced Sunday. These are some of the players who were nominated by their coaches for the all-state team: Sammy Adkisson, 5-10, Sr., L, Vernon HillsThe Player of the Year in the Central Suburban North, Adkisson ama...
'Stronger together' – merger of Wildcat Jrs., Division 1 offers new opportunities
Division 1 and Wildcat Juniors recently merged, creating more training and participation opportunities for athletes who live in the North Shore area. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comThe COVID-19 pandemic has played havoc with youth sports.One of the hardest-hit sports has been volleyball, which saw the cancellation of the Illinois boys’ high school season last spring, the cancellation of the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships and a scaled-down AAU Junior National Championships this summer, and the postponement of the IHSA...
Illprepvb.com presents 200 reasons we can't wait for volleyball in the fall: Liberos
Libero Gillian Grimes was an anchor for Nazareth during its drive to Redbird Arena last fall. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Today, Illprepvb.com begins its look at 200 reasons we’re looking forward to girls high school volleyball resuming in the fall.Of course, there is no guarantee that Illinois schools will re-open by mid-to-late August or early September, and the IHSA will most likely follow the lead of state government before it OKs high school sports in the fall. But if schools do re-open, and the IHSA gives the go-ahead to fall sport...
Belvidere North, Sterling get acquainted before potential supersectional showdown
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...
At last … here's a look at the abbreviated, unconventional 2021 girls high school season
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...
York graduate Sarah Rose fighting the biggest battle of her life off the court
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...