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...
Sometimes the ball just falls your way. Just ask Barrington junior Whitney Mall
Barrington's 6-2 junior outside hitter Whitney Mall had 8 kills and 3 blocks in the Fillies' 25-14, 25-19 victory Monday at Wheaton Warrenville South. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorThere are times when you can only shrug your shoulders.“I'm so flabbergasted,” said Barrington’s 6-2 junior outside hitter Whitney Mall. “How did that even go over?”Mall’s kill attempt late in the second set was blocked at the net by a pair of defenders, but she had the presence of mind to push the ball back over net off on...
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...
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...
Get better? You could say that about ASICS Challenge champion Mother McAuley
Mother McAuley junior Abigail Willilams slams a kill past a Divine Savior Holy Angels defender during Saturday's semifinal. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorMother McAuley coach Jen DeJarld’s goal for her team this weekend at the ASICS Challenge was two-fold: get better and advance to the final four.“Where we go from there (the final four), I wasn't sure,” she said. “We've been working on a defense and blocking. I think we’re a pretty strong team offensively, but defensively, we needed to be better.“I ...
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...
Video highlights of day one of the St. Charles East Scholastic Cup at Great Lakes
Oswego lost to St. Charles North, 25-21, 18-25, 15-10, at the St. Charles East Scholastic Cup at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center on Friday and will play for the Silver championship on Saturday. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/WTKYURn4A_8 Live results and bracket information can be found here: https://results.advancedeventsystems.com/event/U3RfX0NoYXJsZXNfRWFzdF9TY2hvbGFzdGljX0N1cA2/home?_gl=11eddrhg_gaMTQ4MTI1MDcyMC4xNjM2NDYyNzcw_ga_PQ25JN9PJ8*MTY5NTMxNzgxNC4yNzMuMS4xNjk1MzE3OTM1LjAuMC4w&_ga=2.24165...
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...
Mother McAuley puts it on auto-pilot while cruising past Lyons Township
Junior outside hitter Sydney Buchanan had 6 kills in Mother McAuley's win Wednesday at Lyons Township. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comCoasting down the road means different things to different people, depending on what car you’re driving.Mother McAuley usually drives a Maserati, while most of its opponents are tooling along in midsize sedans.Little wonder, then, that Mother McAuley star Ellie White saw a pedestrian performance in what most other people thought was high quality win Wednesday.“Tonight was ...
No. 2 U-High derails Normal West’s three-peat bid at Intercity Tournament
Normal West's Ellie Rink (9) notched 9 kills against Normal University High, but it wasn't enough as Jozey Bossingham (20) and Isabella McKinney (right) helped the Pioneers win, 25-20, 27-25, en route to the Intercity Tournament title at Normal West on Monday. (Photo by Randy Sharer) By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.comNORMAL – Normal University High produced points from sources both expected and unexpected on Monday to down Normal West en route to winning the 44th annual Bloomington-Normal Intercity Tournament at Normal West.“It’s...