Ellie White, who led Mother McAuley to back-to-back IHSA Class 4A championships, was named the Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Ellie White of Mother McAuley is the 2023-24 Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year, Gatorade announced today. The award celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community.White, who was named the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com 2023 Girls Volleyball Player of the Year ...
Taking a look at more players getting it done as the girls’ club season heats up
1st Alliance 17 Gold's Abby Vander Wal (6) and Gabby Stasys (59) go up to block 1st Alliance 18 Silver's Shay McMillen (26) during Windy City Power League play Sunday in Woodridge. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/CsdKVeeKDTc Notice: You may not distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, re-post, or use the content of the Site for public or commercial purposes, including the text, images, audio, and video, without Illprepvb.com, LLC’s written permission.By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorToday, we’re taking another look at...
The game’s afoot. The IHSA girls volleyball season comes to a head this weekend
Willowbrook coach Irene Mason said that having fun is one of the keys to her team's postseason success. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNORMAL – So what do you do when you’re making your first trip to the IHSA girls volleyball semifinals?“Rest is a part of it,” said coach Irene Mason, who is taking Willowbrook to a place no team from Villa Park has gone before. “I want to make sure their bodies are rested. There's a lot of sickness out there. I want to make sure their bodies and minds are healthy and relaxed and...
Fast-growing Hybrid Advantage taps into rich talent pool on the southwest side
Hybrid Advantage 161 finished 33rd in the 16 Open division at the 50th AAU Boys National Volleyball Championship last summer in Orlando, Florida, the first year of the club's existence. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorLate last summer, the Nebraska women’s volleyball team drew more than 92,000 fans to Memorial Stadium to watch the Huskers play the University of Nebraska-Omaha.But the concept of playing a volleyball match outdoors at a football stadium may not have originated with Nebraska.At least that’s Brandon McGinnis’ stor...
Weekend roundup: Illini Elite grabs two seconds; SPVB 16 Elite surprises; VC United rolls
SPVB 16 C-Fed's Greta Malinauskas (86) slips a kill past Illini Elite 16 Black's Isabelle Axelson (1) and Lyla Tate (2) during semifinal action of the 16/15 Open division Monday at the 24 SPVB Presidents Day Challenge hosted by the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThey came from as far away as Rochester, Minnesota; Brighton, Michigan; Waukesha, Wisconsin; and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, to compete in the 24 SPVB Presidents Day Challenge this weekend in Aurora.“This is o...
The race begins … here’s a look at some of the teams that will take the floor in ’24
Barrington head coach Charlie Spry and the Broncos will seek their fourth IHSA quarterfinal berth in five years in 2024. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Notice: You may not distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, re-post, or use the content of the Site for public or commercial purposes, including the text, images, audio, and video, without Illprepvb.com, LLC’s written permission.By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorEvery team in Illinois has a story to tell, so we want to send out a big “Thank-you” to all those coaches who took the time to tell us the...
Who’s been showing out at the 2024 Windy City Girls’ 18s National Qualifier?
Josilyn Wadas (16) and Mission 18 Elite advanced to the Monday's Gold bracket of the 18 USA division at the 2024 Windy City Girls' 18s National Qualifier at the Schaumburg Convention Center. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Notice: You may not distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, re-post, or use the content of the Site for public or commercial purposes, including the text, images, audio, and video, without Illprepvb.com, LLC’s written permission. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorToday, we’re taking a look at some of the players who...
Providence Catholic says ‘Good Knight’ to De La Salle to win GCAC White title
Providence Catholic, which won the Silver division at the Oak Lawn tournament earlier this season, will add another plaque to its collection after defeating De La Salle on Thursday to win the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference White Division. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comSay good Knight. Abbey Knight sure did.The sophomore outside hitter had a season-high 18 kills, and outside hitter Payton Mandac added 13 kills as Providence rallied for a 19-25, 25-22, 25-21 victory over De La Salle Thursday in New Lenox.With the win, the Celt...
How to mitigate one of the increasingly common injuries among volleyball athletes
Thr growth in popularity of girls volleyball, which has more than 460,000 participants in the United States alone, has also led to an increase in the number of specific injuries. Sometimes who is not able to compete in the IHSA girls’ volleyball tournament is as critical to a team’s success as who is. Injuries – ranging from tendonitis to stress fractures to ACL tears – has sidelined a number of Illinois’ best and brightest players during this year’s tournament. This article explores the causes of ACL injuries in girls’ volleyball, th...
Led by McAuley’s 135-match win streak, here are the top 20 in IHSA girls history
Montini Catholic won 35 consecutive matches during its dominating run to the IHSA Class 2A championshipo in 2021, and opened the 2022 season with a victory before seeing its 36-match win streak end. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). Editor’s note: Our thanks to Brian Smith through whose extensive research these numbers were updated and verified. He is currently working on a list of programs that have achieved 1,000 victories. According to Smith, one such program that joined that list this fall is Pleasant Plains, which began the 2023 season, its 50...