Max Sellers (holding plaque) from Edwardsville and Connor Sheehan (No. 40) from O'Fallon helped to lead HPSTL B17 Royal to a third-place finish in St. Louis this weekend. Five-foot-10 setter Connor Sheehan from O’Fallon and Edwardsville’s 5-8 libero Max Sellers led HPSTL B17 Royal to a third-place finish in the 17 Open division of the 19 Dennis Lafata Boys Bid Qualifier in St. Louis, Missouri, this weekend. HPSTL B17 Royal opened the tournament Friday by losing to TORRI 17-1 from Puerto Rico, 25-17, 25-21, and defeating Vortex 17 Sto...
Illini Elite’s Matthews passes the eye test; Wrobel steps up for SPVB 16 Elite
Six-foot-2 junior middle hitter Linnea Dale (No. 76) from Naperville North will miss the rest of the season for SPVB 18 Elite after tearing her right ACL at the President's Day Tournament on February 18. Photos by Dave Ruggles Savannah Matthews is the type of athlete who tried every sport growing up. She even gave flag football a shot. Her natural jumping ability might have guided her toward a career in basketball, but there was one problem. “I could jump and get the rebound and stuff, but I could not dribble for the life of me,” s...
Sky High 17s, Adversity 16s making noise at Windy City Power League
Camryn Hausler and Sky High Adidas 17 Black finished third in Bracket A of the 18 Open division Saturday at the Windy City Power League hosted by Sky High Volleyball Club in Crystal Lake. Photos by Dave Ruggles “Win the first and stay in A.” That’s the goal whenever Sky High Adidas 17 Black and Adversity G16 Adidas take the court in the 18 Open division of the Windy City Power League. Both teams achieved their mission of remaining among the top teams in the division by winning their openers Saturday, and will again compete i...
Where are the boys from the Illinois high school Class of 2019 heading?
Michael Papes (No. 99, pictured above) of UNO Boys 18 Elite and Providence Catholic is committed to William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Photos by Dave Ruggles Illprepvb.com is creating a list of the top boys players in Illinois who have committed to a college or university to continue their volleyball careers. If you are a coach, club director or parent and know of a player who should be on this list, please contact us at Illprepvb@gmail.com. Class of 2019 Ryne Anders, 5-7, L, Oswego/Club 1 B18 Skronkstrong, Loras College M...
Cyclones storm to 18/17 Club title at President’s Day; Triple Ace ties for third
Cyclones 17 Black Adidas (pictured here against Rolling Thunder 18 Blue), went 3-6 and finished 34th in the 18/17 Club division. Rolling Thunder went 4-4 and finished 11th. Photo by Dave Ruggles When Cyclones 18 Black Adidas took the court two weeks ago, the Plainfield-based club dropped two of its final three matches at the Windy City Power League, including a 25-12, 25-11 debacle against Epic United 18 Elite ROX. “We had a rough weekend,” said Cyclones 18 Black Adidas’ 5-foot-7 middle hitter Madilynn Mueller from Kaneland. “So we've ...
Who’s No. 1 now? Glenbard West states its case by beating Neuqua Valley at Glenbard East
SPVB 18 Blue, Triple Ace 18 Black seeking President’s Day 18/17 Club division gold
Photos by Dave Ruggles By Randy Whalen Special to Illlprepvb.com It was a clean sweep for the SPVB 18 Blue team as it won all three matches Sunday at the President’s Day Tournament hosted by Sports Performance Volleyball Club at the Schaumburg Convention Center. SPVB 18 Blue advanced to Gold Pool A on Monday and is one of six teams remaining in contention for the 18/17 Club division crown. That's right where the team expected to be. “I feel like our team is super strong,” said 5-foot-10 outside/rightside hitter Kenzie Duggan from P...
18/17 Club division takes center stage at President’s Day tournament
Photos by Dave Ruggles Balance 18’s was a little off kilter early Saturday morning in its President’s Day 18/17 Club division tournament opener at the Schaumburg Convention Center. “This is only our second tournament together,” said Balance 18’s libero Mia Roffolo from Barrington. “This is a fairly new team. There are only three returning players from last year, so I think we’re still clicking together. “We started off a little slow, but I think we made up for it pretty fast and we came back stronger,” said the University of Connecticu...
McAuley expected to contend again; Oregon gets reinforcement
Okaw Valley won the school's first regional championship in 2017 and is looking for even bigger things in 2018. School: (Kankakee) Bishop McNamaraConference: Metro SuburbanHead coach: George HagemasterLast season’s highlights: 4-29 overall, lost 25-14, 25-18 to Aurora Christian in a Class 2A regional semifinal.Top returnees: 5-8 junior setter Kara Kleinert, 5-5 senior defensive specialist Kenna Kleinert,5-8 junior outside hitter Molly Kurtz, 5-6 junior outside hitter Ellie Nugent.Top newcomers: 5-7 sophomore rightside hitter Emma Valant.C...
Illinois boys club teams head to St. Louis this weekend with seeding, bids at stake
The last hurrah. This weekend’s 19 Dennis Lafata Boys Bid Classic at the America Center in St. Louis, Missouri, is the final tournament of the season for boys’ club teams in Illinois before they break for the spring high school season. For some teams – like Ultimate B18 Gold, UNO Boys 18 Elite, SPVB B18 Elite, Chicago Bounce 17 Red, SPVB B18 Lenny, SPVB B16 Elite and SPVB B15 Elite – it’s an opportunity to solidify their seeding at the USA Boys Junior National Championships June 30-July 7 in Dallas, Texas. For other teams -- like A...