Ella Strausberger (front row, far right) and her Sports Performance 15 Elite teammates. Naperville Central boys volleyball coach Roger Strausberger and his daughter, Ella. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorShe grew up in the gym watching her dad coach.She played soccer and volleyball as a youngster, but decided to focus on volleyball because she said it "kind of runs in the family.”She’s training as a setter, and sometimes father and daughter sit down and talk about strategy and how to run an offense.Naperville Central boys’ volleybal...
Sunday at Windy City National Qualifier proves to be a mixed bag for local entries
Adversity G16 Adidas may have learned some valuable lessons after competing in the 16 Open division at the Windy City National Qualifier. It was a beautiful Easter Sunday afternoon outside McCormick Place along Chicago’s lakefront for the final day of the 2019 adidas Windy City National Qualifier. Inside, however? Well, that was a mixed bag. Dreams were shattered, hopes were dashed, and lessons were learned. Adversity G16 Adidas had already qualified for the 2019 USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships June 27-July 6 ...
Going out on a limb (without a net) and picking the 16 supersectional winners
Orion has dropped only four sets all season, but the Chargers will have their hands full when they face Decatur St. Teresa Friday at Farmington. Some surprising names are among the teams that will be watching from the stands Friday when supersectional play begins, including Quincy Notre Dame, Montini, Belleville Althoff and Crystal Lake Central.A few more could join them after Friday.Our former mentor at the Daily Herald – the venerable Bob Frisk – picked each quarterfinal, semifinal and championship game of the boys’ state basketball tourn...
No. 7 Deerfield has its eyes on the prize (two of them) after beating Maine West
No. 7 Deerfield improved to 17-3 overall with its win Thursday at Maine West and stayed in contention for the Central Suburban North title. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.com After learning earlier in the day that it received the No. 1 seed in a sub-sectional of the (Machesney Park) Harlem Sectional, Deerfield went out and kept itself in contention for a more immediate goal. A share of the Central Suburban North title.The Warriors kept themselves alive in the conference race a 25-16, 25-21 victory Thursday over Maine West...
Illprepvb.com presents 200 reasons we can't wait for volleyball in the fall: Outside hitters, Pt. II
Norris City-Omaha-Enfield's Evie Duncan powers a kill past the outstretched arms of Athens' defenders Sophia Chavis (11) and Lexi Morgan (12) during the Class 1A third-place match last fall. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Today, Illprepvb.com continues its look at 200 reasons why we’re looking forward to girls high school volleyball resuming in the fall.Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday released long-awaited guidance for schools across the state that would allow them to re-open in the fall. Each school district will determine how to impl...
St. Teresa eases past Mater Dei for 2A crown; Newark goes back-to-back in 1A
Sophomore Tori Mohesky had 8 kills for Breese Mater Dei in its Class 2A championship loss to Decaur St. Teresa. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) NORMAL – Decatur St. Teresa and Breese Mater Dei were no strangers before taking the floor at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University for the Class 2A championship game, having met at the Quincy Notre Dame tournament on October 22."It was helpful that we played them a couple of weeks ago,” said Decatur St. Teresa setter Lexie Huck. “We knew what they were going to bring, and we knew w...
Illprepvb.com presents 570 reasons to watch girls high school volleyball this fall, Pt. III
Mother McAuley's Ellie White (8) played a big part in the Mighty Macs' success as a freshman last winter and figures to anchor the south side powerhouse for the next three years. On the home page is Wheaton Warrenville South's Rebecca Bellows. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Yes, the start of the 2021 fall girls’ volleyball season is still a few weeks away, but it’s never too early to speculate about what or who we’ll be seeing on high school courts across Illinois. Today, Illprepvb.com continues its look at 570 reasons to watch girls high...
Barnes named Big Ten's top defender; Wuensch fuels Wichita State's hot start
St. Francis graduate Laney Malloy (7) leads Southeast Missouri State in kills. (Photo courtesy of Southeast Missouri State) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comSenior Lauren Barnes continues to impress for the top-ranked Wisconsin, which improved to 10-0 with a 25-10, 25-16, 21-25, 25-22 victory over Michigan State on February 21.Barnes, a Naperville resident who replaced fellow Benet graduate Tiffany Clark as the Badgers’ libero, recorded a career-high 28 digs in that match and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.“Defensi...
Marist ‘smacks’ No. 1 Glenbard West; Oak Park stops Barrington at Downers South
(photos by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comThere's no substitute for versatility. There’s also no substitute for having Marty Jepsen on your team. That combination proved to be the winning one as No. 3 Marist knocked off No. 1 Glenbard West, 26-28, 25-23, 25-22, in the title match of the Brother Rice Smack Attack on Saturday at St. Xavier University.Jepsen, who officially signed with Lewis University this week, led the way for Marist (19-2) with a match-high 21 kills. But the senior outside hitter, who also le...
Kenney, Benet share the ball, defeat Waubonsie Valley to advance to supersectional
Benet's Kyla Kenney (left) and libero Hattie Monson confer during the Redwings' sectional semifinal victory. Kenney led Benet with 9 kills Wednesday against Waubonsie Valley. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). Kyla Kenney doesn’t see the ball as much as last year when she led Benet in kills. But that’s OK with her. “Volleyball is a team sport,” said the 5-foot-10 junior outside hitter. “Last year, I felt like Ally (graduated setter VanEekeren) was setting me the whole time. I'm glad to know that we have other players who can score as well.“It's ni...