(Bartonville) Limestone's Ella Karmenzind (24) soars for one of her 6 kills in the IHSA Class 3A championship game. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy Sharer            Special to Illprepvb.comNORMAL – Down a set and trailing 19-11 in the second, Mahomet-Seymour seemed stuck between hopelessness and panic against (Bartonville) Limestone in the Class 3A state championship match at CEFCU Arena on Saturday.Appearances, however, were deceiving as the Bulldogs, No. 2 in the final Illprepvb.com state rankings, resuscitated themselves and their rauc...

DePaul College Prep sophomore Kalia Kroth (13) led the Rams past St. Laurence in the IHSA Class 3A supersectional Monday at Hinsdale South. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNORMAL – Gone is Mother McAuley. Gone, too, are Galena and St. Francis.Three new IHSA champions will be crowned this weekend at Redbird (now CEFCU) Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal.But the drama only begins there.Can Benet Academy, which has played second fiddle to Mother McAuley each of the previous two seasons, cap...

Kayla Birmingham (6) had 22 kills and 2 aces, but her efforts went for naught as DePaul College Prep defeated St. Laurence, 21-25, 25-15, 25-21 at the IHSA Class 3A Hinsdale South Supersectional. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorDePaul College Prep and St. Laurence have a lot in common.Both schools compete in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference for girls’ sports and the Chicago Catholic League for boys athletics. DePaul College Prep rose from the ashes of Gordon Tech, an all-boys school, in 2014, while previo...

Benet Academy's Keira O'Donnell had 6 kills and 2 blocks to lead the Redwings into Saturday's IHSA Class 4A championship game. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNORMAL – You don’t have to remind the Benet Academy Redwings how their season has ended the last two years.Just don’t compare those teams to this year’s Redwings.“It’s a whole new season, a whole new team, so we’re just trying to treat it like a new opportunity, a clean slate,” said Benet Academy setter Audrey Asleson. “We obviously think about what happe...

Barrington's 6-2 outside hitter Whitney Mall had 14 kills to lead the Fillies to their fourth consecutive Class 4A regional championship at Prospect last week. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThis week, rather than recognize one outstanding individual performance, the Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb.com Player of the Week series recognizes several outstanding individual performances during last week’s regional championship games.These individuals helped propel their teams to this week’s sectional semifinals, whic...

Benet Academy junior Brooklynne Brass (5) had 13 kills, 2 blocks and 4 digs in the Redwings' sectional championship victory over St. Charles North last Thursday at West Aurora. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThis week, rather than recognize one outstanding individual performance, the Ultimate VBC/Illprepvb.com Player of the Week series recognizes several outstanding individual performances during last week’s sectional championship games.These individuals helped propel their teams to Monday’s supersectio...

Joliet West junior middle hitter Mady Gant (5) tries to avoid the block of a pair of Oswego defenders in a Class 4A sectional semifinal at Bolingbrook. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comThere will be some history made Thursday when top-seeded Lockport clashes with No. 2-seeded Oswego for the title of the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional.The Porters survived a scare to defeat Lincoln-Way West, 25-8, 20-25, 25-23, in Tuesday’s opening semifinal match of the Bolingbrook sectional. They advanced to the secti...

Levyn Snow (5) of Normal University High attacked Mahomet-Seymour blockers Lily Bosworth (6) and Charlotte Sinclair (1) in the Class 3A Mahomet-Seymour Sectional final on Thursday. The host Bulldogs won, 25-19, 20-25, 27-25. (Randy Sharer photo) By Randy Sharer            Special to Illprepvb.com MAHOMET – After fickle momentum had swung multiple times in a showdown of the state’s top-ranked Class 3A teams, torturing fans from both sides, Mahomet-Seymour ended years of postseaso...

Quincy Notre Dame setter Annie Eaton recently broke into the IHSA top 10 list of career assist leaders and could go over 3,000 assists for her career during the IHSA tournament. (Photos courtesy of Muddy River Sports) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorAbbey Schreake. Emma Hoing. Emma Borrowman. Nora Wiley, Eva Breckenkamp. Madalyn Boyer.Those are just a few of the players at Quincy Notre Dame who have thrived on the other end of sets from Annie Eaton.And let’s not forget the Raiders’ 130-16 record during Eaton’s four-year career....

Westville's Ella Miller (24), a 5-foot-10 senior, had 8 kills and 3 aces in Thursday's 25-23, 25-17 win over Watseka in the Class 2A Iroquois West Regional final at Gilman. (Photo by Randy Sharer) By Randy Sharer          Special to Illprepvb.comGILMAN – Westville extended a season to remember with a 25-23, 25-17 victory over Watseka in the Class 2A Iroquois West Regional final on Thursday.Outside hitters Maddy Doggett and Ella Miller notched 11 and 8 kills, respectively,...