1st Alliance 16 Gold reached the championship match of the 16 Open division at the USAV Girls Junior National Championship at McCormick Place on Thursday, but suffered a heartbreaking 27-25, 25-23 loss to sixth-seeded Arizona Storm 16 Thunder (Phoenix, Arizona). By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comA journey that started last November ended Thursday before a packed crowd on a highlighted court at McCormick Place. There, the 1st Alliance 16 Gold volleyball team lived up to its billing as the top-ranked team in the country and advanced...
Catching up with the girls’ club scene, including rankings and qualifiers
SPVB 18 White dropped only two sets while going 9-0 and winning the 18 Club division at last weekend's JVA World Challenge in Louisville, Kentucky. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorIt’s time to catch up with the girls’ club teams from Illinois or that feature several players from Illinois.To date, 11 teams in the 18s age group, ten 17s teams and six 16s have punched their tickets to the 2023 USAV Girls 18s Junior National Championship in Columbus, Ohio, on April 28-30, and the 2023 USAV Girls Junior 14s-17s National Championship at ...
Nathan Grutza does it all as Plainfield East stops Plainfield North in SPC finale
Plainfield East's Kendall Killins (2) had 11 kills in the Bengals' victory Thursday at Plainfield North. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comPlainfield East coach Jeff Wilkie left nothing to chance going into Thursday’s regular season finale against host Plainfield North.“We’ve been preparing for this all week, watching film,” Wilkie said. “I found a whole lot of crowd noise on a YouTube video and played it in our gym one day, just because of how loud it was in our gym last year when they were at our house.“I...
Hope ramps up as season winds down for several nat’l tournament contestants
Illini Elite 15 Cardinal, which finished second at the JVA World Challenge in mid-April, has its sights set on winning a national championship in Orlando. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorIllini Elite 15 Cardinal coach Kyle Caldwell is not ready for the club season to end.“I’m not ready,” he said. “This group is a lot of fun. They're good kids. They work hard. They’re everything you ask for in a team.”But end it must, either at the 2023 USAV Girls Junior 14s-17s National Championship at McCormick Place, June 28-July 6, or the 2023 AAU ...
Life on the outside agrees with Oswego’s talented 6-1 junior Sidney Hamaker
Oswego junior Sidney Hamaker (13), shown here at last weekend's West Aurora round-robin, had 12 kills Tuesday to lead the Panrthers past host Waubonsie Valley. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThere are very few places – if any – on a volleyball court where Oswego’s 6-1 junior Sidney Hamaker doesn’t thrive.As a sophomore last year, Hamaker played middle hitter for her club’s top 18s team, which finished second at the AAU national championships in Orlando. But for the past two years, she’s played outsi...
Presenting the SPVB/Illprepvb.com top 100 (and then some) girls club players
Addison Horner (8), Abby VanderWal (on home page) and 1st Alliance 16 Gold are favored to bring hme a national championship from the USAV Girls Junior National Championship at McCormick Place. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNeed something to do for the next few weeks? The top girls club teams from Illinois will either fly east down the Eisenhower or southeast via Southwest to compete in the 2023 USAV Girls Junior 14s-17s National Championship at McCormick Place, June 28-July 6, or the 2023 AAU Girls Junior...
Tharpe leads Whitney Young past Jones College Prep; eyes ultimate prize
Jones College Prep fell into a first-place tie with Whitney Young and Taft in the Chicago Public Gold with its 25-21, 25-29 loss to the Dolphins on Tuesday. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorFew could have imagined that after his friend dragged him to a boys’ volleyball tryout a few years back that Whitney Young’s 6-8 outside hitter Tyler Tharpe would have developed into one of the top high school players in the country.But there is one thing that Tharpe, who has committed to continue his academic and volleyball career at Ohio State next...
The ‘White’ stuff: SPVB 16 White wins national championship on final day of AAUs
SPVB 16 White dominated the field in the 16 Spirit division at the 50th annual AAU Girls National Volleyball Championships in Orlando, Florida, this week. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorORLANDO, Florida – Twelve teams from Illinois advanced to the championship brackets of their respective divisions Thursday at the at the 50th annual AAU Girls National Volleyball Championships in Orlando, Florida.Six survived their first-round matches.But only one thrived. SPVB 16 White defeated Lake NONA 16 Willie (Orlando, Florida), 25-19, 25-16...
1st Alliance 17 Black wins AAU 17 Club title; MOD Elite G17 Blue third in Premier
1st Alliance 17 Black rallied from down a set to defeat VCNebraska 17 Black and win the 17 Club division national championship Sunday in Orlando, Florida. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorORLANDO, Florida – Paint it black. As in 1st Alliance 17 Black.The Woodridge crew rallied after dropping the first set to defeat VCNebraska 17 Black (Lincoln, Nebraska), 18-25, 26-24, 15-7, to win the 17 Club division Sunday at the 50th annual AAU Girls National Volleyball Championships in Orlando, Florida.After losing the first set, 1st Alliance...
This ‘Sting’ really hurts: 1st Alliance 15 Gold falls just short in National title bid
1st Alliance 15 Gold reached the finals of the 15 National division at the 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship at McCormick Place on Saturday before falling to MKE Sting 15 Gold. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorRiding high in April. Shot down in May.Something had to give when 1st Alliance 15 Gold and MKE Sting 15 Gold met in Saturday’s championship match of the 15 National division at the 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship at McCormick Place.The teams had split two previous matches, with 1st Alliance 15 Gold wi...