VC United, led by former Club Fusion coach Eric Schulze (far right), is providing an opportunity for Rockford-area volleyball players to get to the next level. VC United executive director/owner Eric Schulze isn’t looking to build VC United in to a “mega-club,” just an “elite” one. “We want be among the nation’s elite clubs,” said Schulze, a fixture in the Illinois club and high school scene for two decades. “I believe that were capable of doing it out here with the athletes who are in Rockford and to the south and the west of us. ...
Pleasant Plains rains mainly on Galena’s parade in Class 2A title match
Pleasant Plains' Anna Kanilakan splits the Galena block during Saturday's Class 2A championship. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Randy Whalen Special to Illprepvb.com Before this season, the Pleasant Plains girl’s volleyball team hadn't won a sectional. Now the Cardinals are Class 2A state champions. Using a balanced attack, Pleasant Plains (34-6) put together some key spurts and went onto a 25-18, 25-20 victory over Galena in the IHSA Class 2A state championship match Saturday at Redbird Arena. It was the first state championship i...
Sports Performance 18 Elite preparing for run at another national title
Six-foot-6 Taylor Landfair (back row, middle) and SPVB 18 Elite are seeking the club's sixth AAU championship in seven years in the 18 Open division. Dynasties.Michael Jordan’s Bulls. Magic Johnson’s L.A. Lakers. The 1957-66 Boston Celtics. Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers. The New York Yankees (pick your favorite decade). The UCLA Bruins under John Wooden. The NHL’s Montreal Canadiens (1953-1979). Somewhere in there, you can add Sports Performance’s 18 Elite volleyball team.The Aurora-based club’s 18 Elite team won eight USAV 18 O...
Gregus easing into Benet lineup, helps stop Downers Grove North
Benet pin hitters Sophie Gregus, Kyla Kenney, Valentina Tabares, Caitlin McKee and Caitlin Wepfer. Sophie Gregus was expected to be a big part of No. 4-ranked Benet’s offense this season. But a back injury suffered during the latter stages of the club season sidelined her for nearly three months.The 6-foot junior outside hitter made a cameo appearance Wednesday in a win at St. Charles East, getting credit for 1 kill. She got a little more playing time Friday against visiting Downers Grove North and made the most of it. Gregus had 2 ki...
Revisiting past girls’ volleyball “Players of the Year”
West Aurora's Lauren Carlini (back row, far right) was a Player of the Year in 2012. Did you know that girls were not permitted to participate in interscholastic volleyball contests until 1973? Then during the 1974-75 school year, the IHSA sponsored its first volleyball tournament at Lantz Gymnasium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. New Trier East won that affair, defeating Rich East 15-10, 6-15, 15-3. Eight years later, the Chicago Sun-Tines named its first “Player of the Year” when it recognized Mother McAuley’s Eva Murra...
Peering into the crystal ball at some teams to watch in 2019
Marist lost only once to an Illinois team and three times all season while repeating as state champion. Which are the teams to be seen in 2019?Can Marist three-peat? Or will Benet, Belleville Althoff or a more seasoned Edwardsville team derail the RedHawks in their bid to make history?Can Class 3A champion Sterling weather the loss of Josilyn Borum and Gretchen Gould and defend its state title, or will Joliet Catholic or Nazareth supplant the Warriors?Will St. Thomas More be factored up to 3A, or will 6-foot-1 Allie Trame and the Sabers ge...
Illprepvb.com announces Player, Team, Coach of the Year and All-State First Team
Althoff's Karinna Gall led the Crusaders to a second-place finish in the IHSA Class 3A tournament. (photo by Dave Ruggles) Today, we continue to announce the Illprepvb.com 2018 Girls All-State Volleyball Team with our Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year and those players named to the First Team. 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 curren...
Katie Lanz lights the lamp from the service line against Naperville Central
St. Charles North's Kyla Lannert, Gigi Crescenzo, Ashley Bruns, Katie Lanz and Brigid McCarthy. And on the 14th point, St. Charles North rested.St. Charles North’s 5-11 senior setter/outside hitter Katie Lanz broke a 6-6 tie with a kill in Game 1 of the North Stars’ nonconference match Wednesday at Naperville Central, then proceeded to serve the next 17 points during a run that featured 12 aces.There really wasn’t much for her teammates to do except watch, wonder and wait for the return that never came.“You don’t have to do much,” St. Ch...
No. 5 Sandburg rallies to defeat No. 7 Mother McAuley
Sandburg's (left to right) Rachel DeFries, Rachel Krasowski, Shelby Stefanon and Erica Staunton. By Randy Whalen Special to Illprepvb.com A 9-0 run ended a nine-year losing streak for the Sandburg girls‘ volleyball team. The Eagles entered Tuesday’s big match without a victory over Mother McAuley since 2009. To make matters worse for the home team, they are always reminded that McAuley had eliminated them from the postseason 10 times in a 12-year span between 2005-2016. But none of that mattered to this season’s Sandburg squad....
Williams, Newark turn back Hartsburg-Emden to win Class 1A championship
Newark's Madi Malone puts down one of her 11 kills during Saturday's Class 1A championship match at Redbird Arena. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) NORMAL – When Hartsburg-Emden tied the second set of Saturday’s Class 1A championship game at 23-23, Newark’s 6-foot freshman outside hitter Megan Williams was ready. “I knew I was going to have to go in for one more play,” Williams said. “I felt confident in myself and in the passes that Meggie (Scott) was having. I knew it was going to get up to Olivia (Nelson), then whether it was me or Mattie Chap...