Freshman setter Alison Coyne (3) is playing alongside her sister, senior outside hitter Lauren Coyne, while both follow in the footsteps of their mother and uncle by playing for Wheaton Warrenville South. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comLauren and Alison Coyne feel at home in Wheaton Warrenville South’s gym.That’s because it’s been a second home of sorts for their family, which is synonymous with volleyball excellence.Lauren, a 6-foot-3 senior who plays outside hitter and rightside hitter, and Alison, a 5-10 f...

Wright State commit and 5-9 outside hitter Elisa Furlan (6) hopes to lead Richmond-Burton to Redbird Arena for just the second time in program history. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThree sets of sisters. Junior Sophia and sophomore Malorie Komar. Senior Elisa and freshman Mia Furlan. Senior Alexandra and sophomore Daniella Hopp. And a set of cousins.So what’s the secret behind Richmond-Burton’s success this fall?It's family. Not only figuratively. Literally. Family.“The girls on the team … every single pe...

Daniella Hopp (8) and her Richmond-Burton teammates finished their regular season with a 25-10, 25-20 victory Wednesday at Plano. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comDaria Szymelfenig and her Niles West teammates had already wrapped up another Central Suburban Conference North Division championship.But they wanted more. They wanted perfection.Thanks to a great all-around effort Wednesday, they got it.Szymelfenig, a 5-foot-10 senior middle, landed 6 kills, tying 5-9 senior outside Megan Burke for match-high honors,...

Lincoln-Way East libero Stella Drozd, freshman Kolby Ross (7) and head coach Sean Burns celebrated a Southwest Suburban Conference championship Tuesday following a 25-19, 25-18 victory over Homewood-Flossmoor. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comDuring the first set of the winner-take-all match between Homewood-Flossmoor and Lincoln-Way East for the Southwest Suburban Conference championship Tuesday, a volleyball flew into the rafters and did not come down.But the way Tamia Maddox was jumping out of th...

Mother McAuley's Abbey Williams tries to beat the block of Benet Academy's Brooklynne Brass (5) and Lynney Tarnow during the championship match of Saturday's Autumnfest tournament at Glenbard East. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorTell me if you’ve heard this story before.Benet Academy defeats Mother McAuley to win the Autumnfest tournament at Glenbard East. A few weeks later, the two teams meet again in the IHSA Class 4A championship game at Redbird Arena in Normal. This time, the Mighty Macs turn the tables on...

Since leading (Augusta) Southeastern to an IHSA Class 1A runner-up finish in 2021, Amanda Stephens has continued to pile up big numbers for the Suns and recently eclipsed 1,500 career kills. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorAfter COVID robbed both her seventh and eighth grade teams of an opportunity to win IESA state championships, Amanda Stephens burst onto the Illinois volleyball scene in the fall of 2021.As a freshman, Stephens was exactly the missing piece that the (Augusta) Southeastern vo...

Naperville North's (from left) sophomore setter Grace Anderson, Heidi Mick, junior libero Ennette Bednarz and sophomore Joelle Pye-Blacknard played key roles in the Huskies' 25-19, 25-16 victory Thursday over Metea Valley. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorHow important was Thursday’s match against visiting Metea Valley to the girls from Naperville North?“This means the world,” said Naperville North middle/outside hitter Heidi Mick.“We wanted to win this so badly because we came in here as the underdog after they beat us pretty badly a ...

Barrington (far court) advanced to the IHSA Class 4A semifinals for the third consecutive year under coach Michelle Mayer-Jakubowski in 2023. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorBarrington coach Michelle Mayer-Jakubowski has made a few stops along the way during her 27-year coaching career.“So many memories, so many people involved,” she said. “I have been blessed to have some amazing teams and meet some amazing people. I've been lucky to be in this career for really, really long time. I love high school volleyb...

Normal West sophomore setter Lainey Thompson (2) gets ready to set on of her attackers during Saturday's championship match of the St. Charles East Scholastic Cup at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.com Versatility. Benet Academy has it, and it certainly shows.The Redwings had more blocks from their setter than they did from their middle hitters. But one of their middles, 6-foot-5 junior Lynney Tarnow, also had 2 aces and an assist. It all added up to a 25-12,...

Benet Academy junior outside hitter Brooklynne Brass was named the MVP of last weekend's St. Charles East Scholastic Cup tournament. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorIn the bigger picture, winning and losing in October doesn’t mean anything.It's all about how you get to where you want to go.“I feel like we go out there and play and let (wins and losses) take care of (themselves), because at the end of the day, our main goal to win a state championship,” said Benet Academy junior outside hitter Brooklynne Brass.“...