Chris Babicz was tossin’ and turnin’ Friday night. “I was freaking out,” said Barrington’s 5-foot-8 junior libero. “I went to bed and couldn’t sleep.” Babicz learned that come Saturday he would be taking over at the left side for Barrington’s 6-4 junior Gabe Hartke, who was taking an Advanced Placement Test. Barrington was already down a starter with 6-3 sophomore opposite Ben Ridgway nursing a knee injury. But with 6-5 outside ...
Circle City 18 Purple denies Uno shot at Gold at Winter Volleyball Championship
(function(jQuery) { function init() { window.wSlideshow && window.wSlideshow.render({elementID:"565790771809947368",nav:"thumbnails",navLocation:"right",captionLocation:"bottom",transition:"fade",autoplay:"1",speed:"9",aspectRatio:"auto",showControls:"true",randomStart:"false",images:[{"url":"5/3/2/0/53203179/uno-vs-circle-city-3.jpg","width":"400","height":"252","caption":"Uno Girls 18 Elite battled eventual 18 Open Girls...
Fusion 15 Red, Uno Girls 15 Elite join Week No. 2 club rankings
Sky High Adidas 18 Black's Megan (left) and Emily Meyer. Tournaments in Chicago and Milwaukee last weekend provided a few surprises, and some disappointments. This weekend, several ranked teams will be in action at the Great Lakes 16s Power League, while IL STLHP 18 Elite seeks to avenge an earlier loss in the Gateway League. Ultimate G16 Gold is in the spotlight this week. (Week 1 ranking in parenthesis) 18s 1. Sports Performance 18 Elite (1)Note: Does it get any better than this? Pool B of the Great Lakes Power League 18 Super...
Michio claims tops spot among 17s in Illprepvb.com Week No. 1 club rankings
Michio Chicago 18 National coach Bryn Kehoe. The girls volleyball club season got into high gear around the state last weekend with several teams in the Illprepvb.com rankings making their debut. Here are the rankings after one week of what should be a fun and unpredictable (although we try) season. (Pre-season ranking in parenthesis) 18s 1. Sports Performance 18 Elite (1)SPVB 18 Elite overcame the absence of 6-foot-2 Northwestern recruit Hanna Lesniak (injury) and second setter Alli Van Eekeren (who set a perfect weekend for SPVB 18 ...
Plainfield East adjusts to not one, but two setters, while all the court’s a learning stage for Minooka
Minooka's Alginon Lewis-Fregeau, Rafael Vieyra and Shane Ooms. Minooka's 6-4 junior outside hitter Alginon Lewis-Fregeau Plainfield East middle hitter Remington Norman Minooka coach Mike Kargle Following its impressive 4-1 showing two weeks ago at Smack Attack – where its only blemish was a 25-20, 18-25, 25-22 loss to Brother Rice – Plainfield East hit a bump in the road a few days later when it played Southwest Prairie Conferen...
Riding high in the morning, shot down midday
(function(jQuery) { function init() { window.wSlideshow && window.wSlideshow.render({elementID:"982982293186553993",nav:"thumbnails",navLocation:"top",captionLocation:"bottom",transition:"fade",autoplay:"1",speed:"5",aspectRatio:"auto",showControls:"true",randomStart:"false",images:[{"url":"5/3/2/0/53203179/1st-alliance-vs-team-indiana.jpg","width":"400","height":"272","caption":"1st Alliance 18 Silver v...
Marist guts out win over Minooka in 4A; Belleville Althoff, St. Thomas More, Payson Seymour also win
Class 3A champion Belleville Althoff Savannah Thompson never had a doubt. “Honestly, in the back of our heads there was no doubt,” said Marist’s 5-foot-11 senior outside hitter. “We had no doubt. The whole time I knew the other 17 girls, we wanted it just as bad and it feels freaking great to do right now, right here with these girls.” Thompson had 14 kills and 13 digs, Molly Murrihy added 32 assists and Maggie Meyer had 9 kills as Marist (41-1) defeated Minooka with a gutty 22-25, 25-22, 25-15 victory in the IHSA Cl...
It’s a mixed bag at Great Lakes Power League
(function(jQuery) { function init() { window.wSlideshow && window.wSlideshow.render({elementID:"526628390757934080",nav:"thumbnails",navLocation:"right",captionLocation:"bottom",transition:"fade",autoplay:"1",speed:"7",aspectRatio:"auto",showControls:"true",randomStart:"false",images:[{"url":"5/3/2/0/53203179/cate-long.jpg","widt...
Club Fusion 18s seek to repeat Power League success
Club Fusion 18 Black Talk about a tough act to follow. Club Fusion 18 Red, competing out of the club’s Batavia location, went 13-3 last season to win the Great Lakes Power League 18 Super Open division. The team’s only losses were to Sky High Adidas 18 Black (twice) and Uno 18 Elite. Most of the members of that team, including Geneva’s Grace Loberg (Wisconsin), have graduated. But that does not mean that the club is not ready to defend its Power League title. “This season’s 18 Red team is full of kids who are committed to playing at ...
Illinois’ top club teams prepare for the 2018 season
Sport Performance 18 Elite's Taylor Landfair Here are some club teams that should be among Illinois' best during the 2018 season: 18s1. Sports Performance 18 Elite Six-foot-4 outside hitter Taylor Landfair, one of the top sophomores in the country who broke onto the 18s roster following her freshman year, returns as do 6-3 middle hitter Emmy Barnhorst and 6-3 middle/opposite hitter Sammi LaBolle from the team that lost to Asics Munciana 29-27, 22-25, 15-10 in the AAU Junior National Championships 18 Open title match last summer. SPV...