Setter Sarah Musial i(5) s one of only a few returning players for 2022 IHSA Class 4A semifinalist St. Charles East. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor The Illinios girls high school volleyball season begins in earnest in just a few days, and today Illprepvb.com continues its annual series of previews of the teams, players and coaches whose ultimate goal is a trip to Redbird (now CEFCU) Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal. Here is nearly everything you need to know about m...
Arizona Storm brings the thunder, denies 1st Alliance 16 Gold a national title
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...
Will Aquin dance again? IC Prep has unfinished business; more ’23 previews
IC Catholic Prep libero Alyssa lLawton (2) chases down a deep volley during the Knights' 2022 IHSA Class 2A championship match against Genoa-Kingston. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe Illinios girls high school volleyball season begins in earnest in a little more than a week, and today Illprepvb.com continues its annual series of previews of the teams, players and coaches whose ultimate goal is a trip to Redbird (now CEFCU) Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal.So, here are some fac...
Genoa-Kingston begins title defense; Normal West, York, more ’23 previews
Genoa-Kingston's Alayna Pierce (16) and the Cogs are preparing to defend their IHSA Class 2A championship, but they will face stiff competition from teams like IC Catholic Prep, Fairfield and Timothy Christian. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe Illinois girls high school volleyball season is underway this week with the start of practice, and today Illprepvb.com continues its annual series of previews of the teams, players and coaches whose ultimate goal is a trip to Redbird (now CEFCU) Arena on the campus of ...
Benet Academy plays rotation roulette, wins twice at Wheaton North tournament
Benet Academy rolled out a few dfferent lineups Wednesday in the opening round of the Wheaton North Blue & Gold Invitational, but won both of its matches against Kaneland and West Aurora. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorSetters playing outside. Middles playing rightside. So many substitutions you needed a GPS tracker to keep pace.Simply put, to quote one of the greatest movie lines of all time, it was, “Madness.”“We thought we had a lineup, but then we had an injury, so now we've had a few days to try to mix and match a little...
Hersey’s van den Herik plans a comeback; Burgdorf embraces underdog role
Hersey captured the title of its siix-team round robin turnament Saturday while awaiting word on the future of 6-1 outside hitter Claie Van den herik (8). By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNever bet against Hersey’s Claire van den Herik.Van den Herik, a 6-1 outside hitter, was poised to make a triumphant return to the court this fall after an ACL tear to her left knee during a summer league game prior to last season robbed her of her junior year.“I went up (for a kill), then all of a sudden when I came down, I heard a pop,” van den Her...
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...