Belleville Althoff defeated Glenbard West to finish fifth Saturday at Effingham.By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprevb.comHalf his lifetime ago, Tony Miner played in a baseball game to advance to the Little League World Series.But what the current Belleville Althoff girls’ volleyball coach remembers is they spelled his name wrong on his jersey.“I was so mad,” Miner said of his name being spelled Minor.Miner, however, will gladly take having his name spelled correctly in the Illinois High School A...
SPVB 16 Elite wins B16-Palos Point Series, sets sights on USAV nationals
Hitmen 16 Elite defeated Serve City 16 National Sunday to finish second overall in the B16-Palos Point Series. Don’t stop now boys. SPVB 16 Elite defeated MVC 16-Jon, 22-25, 25-11, 15-9, in the championship match of Bracket AA of the B16-Palos Point Series #4 Sunday at Palos Courts in Palos Heights to wrap up the overall series title. But it’s just one step in what SPVB 16 Elite hopes will be an appearance atop the final standings at the USA Boys Junior National Championships, June 30-July 7, in Dallas, Texas. “We have milestone...
SPVB stops Ultimate run as B16-Palos Point Series #4 heads into final day
Serve City 16 National (above) finished fourth in Bracket A Saturday at the B16-Palos Courts Points Series #4. Ultimate B16 Gold knocked off No. 2 Hitmen 16 Elite and No. 3 Serve City 16 National, and No. 4 Bounce 16 Red leapfrogged Serve City by winning the third-place match, but SPVB 16 Elite remained the top dog after the penultimate day of the B16-Palos Points Series #4 Saturday in Palos Heights. Ultimate B16 Gold, seeded No. 7 in Bracket A on Saturday, defeated Hitmen 16 Elite, 25-18, 25-19, and Serve City 16 National, 25-17,...
Adversity G16 Adidas displays confidence at Windy City Power League
Photos by Dave Ruggles Adversity G16 Adidas coach Melissa Masterson wanted to see a little more confidence from her team when the Windy City Power League moved into its second weekend of play Saturday at the 1st Alliance Training Center in Woodridge. “They kind of come out quiet,” she said. “They can let teams get on some runs. I don't think they realize how good they can be. We’ve been working on our confidence, serving strong, and realizing they’re talented enough to compete with these 17- and 18-year-old teams.” Confid...
Big-time, small-school talent on display at Great Lakes Power League
Photos by Dave Ruggles To paraphrase Jack Black’s character Carl Denham in the movie “King Kong,” tiny Durand High School’s 5-foot-7 outside hitter McKenzie Damon “has always been queen of her world.” However, Damon, who played at Club Fusion in Marengo for four years then spent one year with Big Dog Volleyball Club out of Durand in northwestern Illinois, is experiencing a different world of volleyball while playing for VC United Volleyball Club out of Rockford. Sunday during the Great Lakes Power League Division I in Aurora, Damon wen...
Libertyville gets punched in the face, knocks out Barrington
Odds & ends: Sky High stars motivated; Staunton, Jablonski still shopping
Photos by Dave Ruggles Sky High Adidas 17 Black pulled off the ultimate Houdini act Sunday at the Windy City Power League. One day after “disappearing” in a 25-17, 17-25, 25-16 loss to Wildcats Jrs. 18 Black, in Round 2 of the Windy City Power League 17-18 Open division, Sky High "re-emerged" to beat Michio Chicago 18 National, 25-16, 25-20, Adversity G16 Adidas, 25-18, 25-18, and 1st Alliance 18 Silver, 25-17, 25-18, at Velocity Volleyball Club in Mokena. “Honestly, all of the girls on our team work incredibly hard,” said Sky High Adida...
Lemont handles Evergreen Park, sets sights on Richards
Lemont’s Ella Pelen, Amanda Rice and Mary Kate Arundel. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comEverything is coming up aces for a young Lemont squad.The Indians served 8 aces and cruised to a 25-12, 25-18 victory over the host Mustangs in a South Suburban Conference clash Thursday in Evergreen Park.The win kept Lemont (6-4 overall, 3-0 in the South Suburban Conference), which has no seniors on the team, undefeated in conference play heading into Tuesday's home showdown with Richards. Last year, Richards beat ...
Newton features mix of young and old; West Aurora youngsters rising
Newton would like to get back to Redbird Arena in 2018, but the Lady Eagles will have to get there without last year's leading attacker Abby Frohning. School: Champaign CentennialConference: Big TwelveHead coach: Taylor Swords Last season’s highlights: 10-25 overall, 4-5 in conference, lost 25-17, 25-14 to Pekin in a Class 4A regional semifinal. Top returnees: Senior defensive specialist Hannah Luchinski, sophomore setter Leah Luchinski, senior setter Jenna Woods.Coach’s quote: “We are very excited to have a...
Marist repeats as Illprepvb.com Crosstown Showdown champion
Marist began its magical run to the 2017 Class 4A state championship when it stunned pre-season No. 1 Minooka at Plainfield North last August.“Hopefully, the is the beginning of another magical run,” said Marist’s 6-foot-2 junior rightside hitter Camryn Hannah on Saturday at Plainfield North.No. 1-ranked Marist’s 25-18, 21-25, 25-17 victory over No. 8 Marian Catholic in the Illprepvb.com Crosstown Showdown championship match certainly is a clear indication that despite the loss of five starters from a year ago, the RedHawks are ready to def...