Future 18 Elite advanced to the Gold bracket of the Boys 18 Open division at the Winter Volleyball Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana, despite its late Sunday afternoon loss to SPVB B18 Elite. Gavin Swartz and his SPVB 18 Lenny teammates took the hard road to the Gold semifinals of the 18 USA division. Indianapolis, Indiana – Four points into its match with Academy 18 Adidas early Sunday at the Winter Volleyball Championship, Sports Performance 18 Elite had to go the bullpen. Kevin Schuele turned out to be quite a reliever.Schuele,...
Paris burning for a shot in Class 2A, Foxes jump into the Prairie fire, & 21 more
After a successful run in the now-defunct Northern Illinois Big 12, Yorkville joins the Southwest Prairie Conference for 2019. Illprepvb.com continues its coverage of the 2019 Illinois high school girls' volleyball season with another set of team previews. School: ChristopherConference: Black Diamond WestHead coach: Adam RosohoLast season’s highlights: 9-24 overall, 5-7 in conference, lost to Woodlawn, 25-13, 25-14, in a Class 1A regional semifinal. Top returnees: 5-9 junior outside hitter Shianne Dejear (27 kills in 58 a...
Sterling repeats as Class 3A champion; Nazareth downs U-High for third place
Joliet Catholic's Bella Ray (14) tries to hit through the block of Sterling's Brooklyn Borum (10) and Kierra Collins (15). Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.com NORMAL – Sterling believed all season. Now the Golden Warriors are back-to-back IHSA Class 3A champions. Brooklyn Borum bashed 16 kills, and what Grace Egan imagined came through as the freshman outside hitter added 11 kills and 5 digs, as Sterling stopped Joliet Catholic with a 25-16, 25-19 victory Saturday in the Class 3A championship match at R...
Glenbard East turns focus to defense; Foster, Indian Creek are worth a peek
Graduation took a toll on Glenbard East's offense, so the Rams' veteran defense will be called upon as the team seeks to replace Allison Hamaker, Emily Sarles and Sarah Elliott. Illprepvb.com continues its coverage of the 2019 Illinois girls high school season with another set of team previews. School: Aurora ChristianConference: Metro SuburbanHead coach: Taylor Knauf (first year)Last season’s highlights: 24-9 overall, 7-0 in conference, lost to Newark, 25-16, 25-14, in a Class 1A sectional championship.Top returnees: 6-0 senior middl...
Sky High Adidas 16 Black shows it can compete with the nation's elite
Sky High Adidas 16 Black flashed its potential when it finished 10th at the 2020 Triple Crown Volleyball NIT two weeks ago. https://youtu.be/FOg54ng8no4 Perhaps no one is harder on Sky High Adidas 16 Black than … Sky High Adidas 16 Black.“I have a lot of perfectionists on this team,” said Sky High Adidas 16 Black coach Steve Bonnem. “You can’t be that in this sport. You have to learn to get over the mistakes and move on from them. Even an elite team is going to make mistakes.”Sky High Adidas 16 Black certainly showed it can be an el...
We peer into the Illprepvb.com crystal ball at the boys’ 2020 season
New Trier's Colin Heath (12) and Glenbard West's Ben Harrington (1) could meet at Hoffman Estates again in 2020. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Which teams will be among Illinois’ best in 2020? Peering into the Illprepvb.com crystal ball … Can Glenbard West return to the top of the Illinois boys volleyball world after falling to Marist and Marty Jepsen in the 2019 IHSA championship game? Can Marist repeat without the 2019 Illprepvb.com Player of the Year? Will New Trier ride its two fabulous outside hitters to the school’s first title in 25 years...
Crystal Lake Central wins Preview, earns berth in next year’s Asics Challenge
Crystal Lake Central defeated Andrew at the Mother McAuley Preview tournament Saturday to earn a berth in next October's Asics Challenge. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comMaddy McCormick just wanted to get it over. So that's exactly what the Crystal Lake Central junior outside hitter did.Her match-ending kill gave the Tigers a 25-18, 25-23 win over upstart Andrew on Saturday in the title match of the Mother McAuley Preview Invite.With the championship match already starting nearly an hour late, and at least an hour-and-a-half ride hom...
Edwardsville's Sellers uses unscheduled break to create volleyball strategy game
Max Sellers, whose love of volleyball and interest in computers led to the creation of a unique volleyball strategy game, will continue his volleyball career at Augustana College in Rock Island. Edwardsville's Max Sellers played club ball for High Performance St. Louis. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comWhen the COVID-19 pandemic derailed his senior season, Max Sellers put his unexpected free time to good use.The libero from Edwardsville, who will continue his volleyball career at Augustana College in Rock Island, combined his love...
Introducing the 2019 Illprepvb.com Boys All-State Volleyball Team
(Photos by Dave Ruggles) Today, we are pleased to announce the Illprepvb.com 2019 Boys All-State Volleyball Team, our Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Team of the Year. Coaches across Illinois were invited to nominate players to the Illprepvb.com all-state team. Team members were selected based upon their accomplishments on the court as high school players, not on any future potential or current recruitment status. These players excelled on the court and represented their schools, their teams and their communities with distinction...
Illinois boys', girls' club volleyball tryouts set to begin Sunday, August 30
Pipeline (foreground) and UNO are among the Illinois clubs that have set tryouts for their boys' teams on Sunday, August 30. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Boys' and girls' club tryouts will be held beginning Sunday, August 30. Here is a list of some area clubs and their tryout schedules:Boys Adversity Volleyball Club710 Corporate Woods ParkwayVernon Hills, Ill.Phone: (847) 793-0900 Sunday, August 30 18s & 17s, 8:30-11:00 a.m.16s & 15s, 12:00-2:30 p.m.14s & 13s, 3:00-5:00 p.m. UNO Volleyball Club570 Joyce RoadJoliet, ...