Downers Grove North's Margaret Mahlke (with current class year) Outside Hitters (41)Temitayo Thomas-Ailara, 6-1, Jr., OH, Marian CatholicTaylor Landfair, 6-4, So., OH, Plainfield CentralCamryn Hannah, 6-1, So., OH, MaristMargaret Mahlke, 6-1, Jr., OH, Downers Grove NorthAmia Owolabi, 5-10, So. RS, Mother McAuleyNatalie Mitchem, 6-2, Jr., OH, BolingbrookSarah Kushner, 5-9, Jr., OH, Naperville NorthSydney Hummert, 5-10, So., OH, Quincy Notre DameMegan Schlechte, 5-10, Jr., OH, Windsor-Stewardson-StrasburgMadi Malone, 5-11, Fr., OH, New...
Lincoln-Way West keeps chugging along in Lockport
By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.com Lincoln-Way West is like "The Little Engine That Could." What the Warriors lack in height, they make up with hustle and determination. That showed on Tuesday as they rallied from a big deficit in the second set and defeated Lockport Township 25-16, 26-24 in a key Southwest Suburban Conference matchup at the Lockport Central Campus. West (23-7, 4-0) has one starter, Louden Moran, who stands 6-foot-4 inches. The Porters (17-8, 1-2), on the other hand, started five players 6-foot-3 or taller.
A little practice makes near perfect for Wheaton North
Wheaton North went back to the basics after last week’s loss at Naperville North. “That was rough,” Wheaton North’s 6-foot-7 middle block Daniel Duggan said of the Falcons’ 25-20, 25-27, 26-24 heartbreak. “We had to focus on making less errors. We dialed it down and went back to the basics. We focused more on serve and serve-receive.” A few days in the practice gym did wonde...
Taylor Jakubowski is her mother’s daughter and her hitters’ best friend
Brother Rice breaks through against Lincoln-Way East
By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.com Brother Rice senior middle hitter Dan Littleton said it best. "We were kind of sick of it," he said. The "it" was losing to Lincoln-Way East. But the Crusaders no longer have to answer questions about that as they rallied to defeat the host Griffins 20-25, 25-15, 15-11 to win the championship of the Lincoln-Way East Tournament Saturday in Frankfort. Behind Littleton, who was named tournament MVP, and all-tournament selection Kyle Springer (14 kills, 3 blocks aga...
Glenbard West’s ‘championship mentality’ rules the day at Benet
Oswego East finds its rhythm too late to derail Glenbard West at Benet invite
There was big news on and off the court Friday at the Benet Invitational. On the court, Oswego East has been flying under the radar much of the season. The Wolves, who trail Illprepvb.com’s 11th-ranked Plainfield East by one game in the Southwest Prairie Conference, opened tournament play against No. 2-ranked G...
Naperville North staggers Wheaton North in DuPage Valley showdown
Good things happen when you put the ball in play. After a kill by 6-foot-6 middle blocker Chase Olson allowed Naperville North to fight off one match point down 24-22 in the third set of the Huskies’ DuPage Valley Conference showdown Tuesday against visiting Wheaton North, Darius Baginskis went back to the service line. The junior l...
Lake Park’s soul-searching leads to gold-clinching
After losing to Neuqua Valley in the championship match at the Tiger Classic and falling to Glenbard West in the semifinals at Springfest, Lake Park took a little collective inventory. “We've kind of been doing some soul-searching as a team the last few weeks,” Lake Park coach Brian Fischer said. “We haven’t been clicking the way I think … and they think also … the way we should. We talked about things in practice...
Jepsen, Marist ‘smack’ Glenbard West
By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.com Marist has put itself squarely in the mix. Behind a monster match for tournament MVP Marty Jepsen, the RedHawks toppled three-time defending state champion Glenbard West 18-25, 25-20, 25-19 on Saturday in the title match of the Brother Rice Smack Attack at St. Xavier University in Chicago. With its ninth win in a row, Marist (19-3) has put itself right in the state title conversation when the postseason opens a month from today. "Marist is a solid team," Glenbard West coach Christine Giunta-Maye...