IC Catholic Prep's Ava Falduto (4) should help 1st Alliance 17 Gold's bid for a national championshp. On the home page, not every volleyball plauer in Illinois plays for an Illinois-based club. Herrin's Karli Mann (23, far left) plays for Evansville United in Indiana. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorToday, we turn our attention to the 17s as we continue our look at some of the top club teams in Illinois. This year’s crop of 17s has some high bars to hurdle.Last summer, 1st Alliance 17 Gold won the 17 Open c...

Timothy Christian was back at it Wednesday, less than a day after a crushing 25-21, 21-25, 26-24 loss to rival IC Catholic Prep. By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorSometimes the hardest thing to do is sports is to come back after a crushing defeat. That was the challenge for Timothy Christian Wednesday at Westmont, 24 hours after a heartbreaking 25-21, 21-25, 26-24 loss to Illprepvb.com Class 2A top-ranked IC Catholic Prep.“That’s what I told the girls as we were getting ready,” said Timothy Christian coach Scott Piersma. “The test is...

Rolling Meadows' middle hitter Chruis Kalweit (23) and the Mustangs dropped both of their matches Friday at the Wheaton Warrenville South Tiger Classic. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorLoyola Academy took care of business. St. Rita gave Fremd the business.  Day two at the Wheaton Warrenville South Tiger Classic did not go exactly as planned for several of the top seeds. But Loyola Academy came out of the scrum unscathed, defeating Rolling Meadows and Neuqua Valley in straight sets to advance to Saturday’s q...

Hinsdale Central (far court), which defeated Lyons Township during the regular season and in last year's sectional semifinals, could not pull of the feat again Saturday. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) At OswegoLyons Township stars Sam Levinson and Luka Kostic claim they don’t dwell on the past.But they aren’t above using history to fuel their fire.Levinson smashed 9 kills and Kostic landed eight more as the top-seeded Lions knocked off rival Hinsdale Central, 25-21, 25-20, in the Oswego Sectional semifinals on Saturday.The victory avenged a ...

Amanda Stephens (19), who led tiny Augusta Southeastern to the IHSA Class 1A semifinals as a freshman in 2021, is back to lead the Suns again this fall. On the homepage is Norris City-Omaha-Enfield's Hinsley Everett. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com Editor The start of practice for the 2023 Illinois girls high school season is just two weeks away. Today, Illprepvb.com takes a look ahead to some of the players we expect to make an impact during the upcoming season. So here they are, the Michio Chicago ...

Benet Academy defeated Metea Valley, 27-25, 25-20, to win the championship of the Metea Valley tournament Saturday in Aurora. At Metea ValleyBaby steps.“it’s a testament to the work we’ve done,” said Benet Academy coach Jeff Steinberg. “Our goal this weekend was to get 1 percent better at certain aspects of our game. We’ve struggled on Saturdays at the tournaments we’ve been in, so to come out and actually perform and not drop a set … “Baby steps.String enough of them together and you could make a giant leap.Six-foot-8 junior Dominic Krzecz...

Junior middle hitter Adam Janowiak had 8 kills and a block in Downers Grove North's win over Oswego at Glenbard South. (File photo by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/idz93dLMcEA By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorGlenbard West. Lyons Township. Oak Park-River Forest. Plainfield East. York. Fishers (Indiana).Downers Grove North has played them all … winning some, losing some, and hanging with just about everybody on their schedule.The IHSA tournament road ahead doesn’t get any easier for the Trojans, who advanced to Thursday’s 6:00 ...

1st Alliance 18 Silver (far court) took down Soprts Performance's No. 1 18s team, 25-20, 19-25, 15-13, but it could not get past the home club's No. 2 team, SPVB 18 Kahl, Saturday at the Great Lakes Volleyball Center in Aurora. (File photos by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/SiT1dmieQfs By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorSometimes, there’s no rhyme or reason in volleyball.Just ask fans of 1st Alliance 18 Silver.Moments after watching their team ease past Sports Performance 18 Elite, 25-20, 19-25, 15-13, Saturday at the Champions Cup a...

Kyle Saurer and his SPVB B18 Elite teammates were Illinois' lone representatives in the 18 Open quarterfinals at the AAU Boys Junior National Tournament in Orlando, Florida, but the crew from Oakhurst Avenue lost in the round of eight to Vanguard 18 Gold Webb. (Files photos by Dave Ruggles) By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorORLANDO, Florida – And then there was one.When the sun set on central Florida late Monday, only four teams from Illinois had advanced to the quarterfinals of their respective Open divisions at the 2023 AAU Boys Junior...

Barringtion defeated Belvidere North, 25-13, 25-23, to win Saturday's Jacobs Invitational. At JacobsBarrington’s 5-foot-11 outside hitter Hope Regas, who plays beach volleyball during the summer with former Fillies teammate and neighbor Jessica Horwath, was inspired by Horwath to pursue a collegiate career in beach volleyball at Grand Canyon University.Saturday in Algonquin, Regas showed she could dazzle on a wood floor as well.Regas smashed 11 kills and added a block for good measure to lead Barrington (10-1 overall, 0-0 in the Mid-Su...