Volleyball clubs around the state were among the victims of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's latest executive order related to the pandemic, but many girls remain optimistic that they will be able to play sometime in the new year, if not sooner. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comWith the COVID-19 pandemic setting record numbers in recent days, all of them in the wrong direction, there remains uncertainty over the upcoming club and high school seasons.That uncertainty was further amplified when Illinois Gov. J.B....
York graduate Sarah Rose fighting the biggest battle of her life off the court
Former York setter Sarah Rose took the court February 27 and served an ace in Marquette's three-set sweep of Iowa State. (Photos courtesy of Marquette University Athletics). Sarah Rose By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comSarah Rose has spent her entire volleyball career handing out assists, first as a star setter at York and later at Marquette.But this season, the senior has been receiving assistance of a different, life-saving kind.Last September, Rose was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and is curre...
Glenbrook North feels the energy late, hands Vernon Hills its first loss
Vernon Hills took a 9-0 record into its Central Suburban League crossover Friday at Glenbrook North, and left with its first loss of the young season, 25-23, 25-16. What makes Glenbrook North so good?“We’re high energy,” said the Spartans’ 5-foot-10 senior setter Louie Batang. “We thrive on energy. Any energy. When we get big bounces, big blocks, anything we can do, we use that. We use that momentum.”Vernon Hills pulled the plug on that energy throughout much of the first set and through the first half of the second, but once Glenbrook Nort...
Sauer soars with big boys, Future wows, Adversity bows (out) at Palos Courts
Six-foot-8 setter Kyle Sauer (44) from Elgin Academy set for top-ranked SPVB 18 Elite on Saturday at Palos Courts, then came back on Sunday to set for SPVB 16 Elite. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/rOwva7ZaaDE Saturday, it was Kyle Sauer’s turn to keep the seat warm.Sports Performance B18 Elite, not-so-fresh off its 18 Open title at the 21 Dennis Lafata Boys Bid Classic a month ago, unveiled its third setter in as many events Saturday at Palos Courts when it borrowed 6-foot-8 sophomore Kyle Sauer (Elgin Academy) from its 16 ...
Visiting St. Francis proves its point, hands Marist a rare second straight loss
Marist lost a second consecutive match for the first time since 2017 when it fell to visiting St. Francis on Monday. St. Francis' Aiden Benson (left) and Kevin Schuele. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comComing off its first loss of the season, St. Francis not only wanted to regroup, the Spartans wanted to show they were still a top team.The Spartans did exactly that.Coming up with some huge plays down the stretch, St. Francis defeated Marist, 25-17, 25-23, in a scintillating matchup Tuesday on Chicago’s south side.St. Francis...
Benet's Muisenga named Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year
Benet Academy's Rachel Muisenga (18, far left) led the Redwings to a 51-1 record and an IHSA Class 4A championship during her two years as the team's setter. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year Rachel Muisenga of Benet Academy. CHICAGO (May 6, 2021) — In its 36th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Rachel Muisenga of Benet Academy as its 2020-21 Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year. Muisenga is the second Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year to...
Naperville North's perfect, albeit short season ends with perfect sendoff for eight seniors
Naperville North bid farewell to eight seniors Thursday while wrapping up a 10-0 season with a 25-16, 25-9 victory over visiting Waubonsie Valley. Naperville North has enjoyed some great success during head coach Jen Urban’s tenure.There was the 2004 team that went 34-6 and reached the Class AA supersectional before losing to Downers Grove South, 25-20, 23-25, 25-23. There was the 31-7 team in 2006 led by future University of Illinois All-American Colleen Ward.And there was last year’s team, which overcame the loss of 6-foot-2 outside hitt...
Simpson-Kirr achieves a young girl's dream: coaching college volleyball
Former Downers Grove South star and IHSA champion Jackie Simpson-Kirr is in her fourth year as associate head coach at Clemson. Jackie Simpson-Kirr By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comJackie Simpson-Kirr was only 13 years old when she figured out what she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to coach college volleyball.It was a lofty aspiration for someone who had just been cut from her seventh-grade volleyball team.But the Downers Grove native made it a reality. Simpson-Kirr blossomed into a 6-foot-1 setter at Downers Grove Sout...
St. Charles East rallies behind Skyler Misch to topple young St. Francis
St. Francis coach Lisa Ston flanked by some of her players. By Phil BrozynskiFor Illprepvb.comSkyler Misch probably could have taken a dozen more swings if needed. “My arm is pretty good,” she said. “I play softball. I’m a pitcher, so my arm is pretty warm all the time.”Misch wasn’t just warm Saturday night, she was smokin’. The 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter had a team-high 14 kills to lead St. Charles East (2-0) to a 21-25, 25-15, 25-13 victory over St. Francis Saturday night in Wheaton.Misch’s strategy is simple.“It's not about hitti...
Former McAuley star Katie O'Connell is leading the way for Ferris State
Former Mother McAuley star Katie O'Connell (No. 7, left) and Minooka standout Samantha Hermann (3) are two of the reasons Ferris State was ranked No. 17 in the AVCA Division II preseason poll. (Photos courtesy of Ferris State Athletics) Ferris State's Katie O'Connell. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comKatie O’Connell is doing it again.The Evergreen Park resident and former Mother McAuley and Michio Chicago Volleyball Academy star earned All-American honors in each of the past two seasons for Ferris State and she appears headed...