Lincoln-Way East coach Kris Fiore, talking to his team at last year's Plainfield North tournament, must replace eight seniors including three Division I players. Illprepvb.com continues its coverage of the 2018 Illinois girls high school season with another set of team previews. School: Abingdon-AvonConference: PrairielandHead coach: Cindy Powell Last season’s highlights: 10-17 overall, lost 25-21, 25-14 to Illini West in Class 2A regional semifinal. Top returnees: 5-10 junior outside hitter Payton Florine (221 kills, 62 aces, 205 ...
Fifth-ranked IL HPSTL 18 Elite breaks through at Mideast qualifier
Edwardsville's Rachel Pranger and her IL HPSTL 18 Elite teammates earned a bid to the USAV Junior Nationals at the Mideast Qualifier last weekend in Indianapolis. Fifth-ranked IL HPSTL 18 Elite went 10-0 in the 73-team 18 USA division at last weekend’s 18 Nike Mideast Qualifier (16-18s) at the Indianapolis Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, to earn a bid to the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships June 25-July 4 in Detroit, Michigan. Unranked 1st Alliance 17 White won the 17 American division at the Mideast Qualifier t...
Lockport Regional Championship
By Randy Whalen Anthony Pfeiffer waited his entire four-year varsity career for this moment. In the end it was every bit as good as he imagined. From his opposite side hitter/setter position, Pfeiffer pounded a match-high 14 kills and added 12 assists and 6 digs as Lockport Township captured its first regional title in 14 years with a hard fought 31-29, 25-19 victory over rival Sandburg on Wednesday in the title match of the Lockport Regional at the Lockport Central campus. The regional cha...
SPVB 18 Elite stuns Munciana Samurai twice, wins national AAU title
Author Alan Lewis once said, “If at first you don’t succeed, get a bigger hammer.” Sports Performance 18 Elite didn’t get a bigger hammer. It got a pile driver. After snapping Asics Munciana 18 Samurai’s 56-match winning streak in Round 3 of Gold pool play on Wednesday, the crew from Aurora beat the defending national AAU champions a second time 24 hours later, 25-23, 12-25, 15-11, to win the 18 Open division championship of the 45th AAU Boys and Girls Junior National Championships in Orlando, Florida. This after SPVB 1...
Nazareth survives ‘chaos’ to best St. Charles North at Harvest Fest
Nazareth defeated St. Charles North to win Harvest Fest despite losing middle hitter Leilani Dodson (second from left) to an ankle injury late in the second set of the championship match. By Randy Whalen Special to Illprepvb.com Chaos. The Nazareth volleyball team prepared itself for a chaotic moment all season long. When it happened, the Roadrunners were ready. With one of their top players, junior middle hitter Leilani Dodson, on the bench with her left ankle on ice and elevated for the third set, the Roadrunners didn't flinc...
MVP Jakubowski can’t explain it, but Huntley rallies to win Autumnfest
Huntley celebrates its championship Saturday at Autumnfest hosted by Glenbard East. Taylor Jakubowski couldn’t explain it. “I don't even know what happened,” said Huntley’s 5-foot-7 junior setter. “We started playing our game. We started picking up balls a little more, started running a faster offense, and we started putting balls away. And our serving was phenomenal, which got us back.” Huntley looked dead in the water Saturday in Game 1 of the championship match against Benet at Autumnfest hosted by Glenbard East. A kill by Bene...
SPVB 18 Alpha wins USA division; Ultimate 17 Gold, Adversity 16 Purple take second at BJNC
18 USA division champions SPVB 18 Alpha went 9-2 and won the 18 USA division of the 2018 USAV Boys Junior National Volleyball Championships in Phoenix, Arizona. It was the Aurora-based club's first boys title at BJNCs. "(Head coach Victoria Vandeleur) and I both wore pink pants," joked assistant coach Susie Nelson. "I think that's what clinched it." Team members are Edward Jakubauskas, Parker Nelson, Jakub Migus, Cameron Menini, Matthew Russo, John Kenny, Petar Lumovic, Jeremy Cardenas, Ryan Swartz, Matthew Nealon, John Davis and Andr...
Wheaton Warrenville South eyes return to the top; Lincoln-Way West is loaded … now experienced, too
Wheaton Warrenville South has won seven state titles, but none since this team in 2012. Is this the year that the Tigers return to the top? Or perhaps, next season? Illprepvb.com's look at the upcoming boys' season continues today with previews of Wheaton Warrenville South, Lincoln-Way West, New Trier, York, Stevenson, Vernon Hills, Zion-Benton, Geneva, Marian Catholic, Fenwick, Reavis, Plainfield Central, Riverside-Brookfield, Bolingbrook, Conant, Downers Grove South, Illinois Math & Science Academy and Minooka.Wheaton Warrenvi...
2018 Illprepvb.com Illinois Boys Volleyball Preseason Top 50 Players
The problem with paring down any list of boys volleyball players in Illinois is that there are so many talented student-athletes that it is almost impossible to put a limit on it. So the perceptive person might realize that there are a few more than 50 names on this list, and even then, there are probably deserving players who have been inadvertently overlooked. But that is why they play the season. Those who have been left off have nearly three months to ensure that they are excluded from any postseason honors roster. Here they are …...
Adversity amps up for bigger, brighter future
New personnel. New facility. New energy. Founded by former USA Women’s National Sitting Volleyball and USAV CAP Level 5 coach Mike Hulett, Adversity Volleyball Club has been around for more than 20 years. But the Vernon Hills-based club is getting a complete overhaul from top to bottom. “We plan to take over the world,” said Adversity’s new boys’ program director Keith Kujawa, half-kidding and half-serious. “We have a lot of great things that will be happening here now and over the next few years.” The “overhaul” began recently with the hi...