All that stood between Chillicothe IVC's Kenna Wollard and the top spot on the IHSA all-time career kill list was a COVID-shortened season in 2020. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Today, we are pleased to announce the Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com 2022 Girls All-State Volleyball Team. Coaches across Illinois were invited to nominate players to the all-state team. Team members were selected based upon their accomplishments on the court and in the classroom as high school student-athletes, not on any future potential or current recruitment sta...
Benet, McAuley headed for 4A title game; Falduto keeps IC Catholic's hopes alive
St. Charles East's Kate Goudreau had 20 kills in the Saints' Class 4A semifinal against Mother McAuley. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) NORMAL – The feeling never gets old.“That’s what you want to do,” said Benet Academy coach Brad Baker. “You want to come down here, win on Friday, and play for a championship. Only two teams get to play for it, and we’re one of them.”Benet Academy punched its ticket to the IHSA championship game at 8:30 p.m. Saturday by defeating Barrington, 25-21, 25-16, in the first Class 4A semifinal Friday at Redbird Arena.Ben...
VC United 182 Elite punches ticket to Ohio at Windy City Girls 18s National Qualifier
VC United 182 Elite defeated 1st Alliance 18 White in the championship match of the 18 American division at the Windy CIty Girls 18s National Qualifier in Schaumburg to earn a bid to the 2023 USAV Girls 18s Junior National Championships in Columbus, Ohio, April 28-30. https://youtu.be/ViX7WUS68nQ By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorVC United 182 Elite was a resolute band of warriors during its journey through the 18 American division of the 2023 Windy City Girls 18s National Qualifier at the Schaumburg Convention Center this weekend,...
Bullington, Chaney lead Marist to huge win over visiting Benet Academy
Marist sophomore Bella Bullington (far right) had 8 kills in the RedHawks; 25-10, 25-16 victory over Benet Academy Tuesday. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comIt was billed as a matchup for first place in the East Suburban Catholic Conference.Marist turned it into a mismatch.Sophomore Bella Bullington and Kamryn Chaney each had 8 kills as the host RedHawks cruised to a 25-10, 25-16 victory Tuesday over visiting Benet Academy. Both teams were coming off losses in the title matches of their respective ...
Sixteen teams, four classes, one weekend at Redbird Arena – and so it begins
Nobody has won more IHSA championships during the past 10 years than Benet Academy coach Brad Baker, who guided the Redwings to Class 4A titles in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2019. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) (Cover photo courtesy of Papa Bear) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorNORMAL -- It all comes down to this. Here is a brief look at the 16 teams that will compete for four IHSA championships this weekend at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal: IHSA Semifinal Pairings, Friday, November 11(in bracket order) ...
Wait for it … 57 players to catch up with during the IHSA tournament
Marist won IHSA Class 4A championships in 2017 and 2018, and Kamryn Chaney (23) hopes to lead the RedHawks to a third title before moving on to Princeton in the fall of 2023. On the cover, Aquin's Lucy Arndt is Southeast Missouri State-bound next fall, but not before she hopes to lead the Bulldgos to a second consecutive Class 1A semifinal appearance. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor The IHSA tournament kicks off Monday, and it’s the last time hundreds of seniors throughout the state will don their high s...
Illinois high school boys volleyball is back … and OMG they’re on fire!
Glenbard West's 6-5 Liam O'Neill (14) and the Hilltoppers will try to defend their 2022 IHSA championship this spring. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe boys are back, so here is a look at some of the teams that will be punishing the floors throughout Illinois gymnasiums this spring while they compete for local, conference and tournament bragging rights and perhaps a little IHSA tournament glory in 2023 (in alphabetical order):Andrew (11-25)Sean Burns takes over as head coach for Troy Hari, whose final team re...
Lincoln continues impressive program overhaul with win at Bloomington
Kloe Froebe (5) blasted 10 kills for No. 6 Lincoln during a 25-11, 25-13 victory at Bloomington on Thursday. (Photo by Randy Sharer) By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.comBLOOMINGTON – Lincoln’s remarkable rebuild continued unabated during a 25-11, 25-13 victory over Bloomington in a nonconference match at the Robert Frank Sports Complex on Thursday.The regular season finale left the Railsplitters, ranked No. 6 in Class 3A by Illprepvb.com, with a 28-6 record and an increasingly foggy memory of their recent struggles.Between 2018 to...
Nazareth reaches second consecutive Class 3A title game, will face St. Francis
St. Francis' Emily Risley tries to get around the block of a pair of Taylorville defenders during Friday's Class 3A semifinal. (Photo by Dave Ruggles). By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comNORMAL – Not many high school athletes get to play for a state championship. Olivia Austin will play for her third in a year's time. Austin, a junior middle/opposite side hitter, had 6 kills in helping Nazareth to advance to the championship title match for the second straight season with a 25-19, 25-13 victory over Taylorville in the second...
Lauterwasser's to-do list gets shorter after Naperville North stuns Benet Academy
Benet's Kirsten Krammer tries to get around the block of Naperville North's Paige Lauterwasser during the championship match of the St. Charles East Scholastic Cup tournnament Saturday at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThe bucket list just got a little shorter.Paige Lauterwasser’s four years on varsity included zero wins against Benet Academy and zero Scholastic Cup tournament championships … until Saturday, that is.Lauterwasser had 12 kills and a block to lead Na...