Chicago Bounce 18 Red defeated Pipeline 18-1, 25-21, 25-21, to win the 18 USA division at the 2021 USAV Boys Junior National Volleyball championships Wednesday in Kansas City. Kansas City, Missouri – The end came like a rushing wave.After beating the Nos. 2 and 6 seeds to reach the quarterfinals of the 18 Open division at the 2021 USAV Boys Junior National Championships at the Kansas City Convention Center, SPVB B18 Elite was swamped Wednesday by Balboa Bay 18 Blue, 25-12, 25-22.“We started off with a service error to start the match,” sai...
Balboa Bay ends 630 Volleyball 16-1's run to a USAV national championship
630 Volleyball 16-1 reached the championship match of the 16 Open division Saturday at the 2021 USAV Boys Junior National Championship in Kansas City, Missouri, before running afoul of Balboa Bay 16 Blue. Kansas City, Missouri – There would be no second scintillating comeback for 630 Volleyball 16-1.After mounting a furious rally to defeat Bay to Bay 16-1 (Campbell, California) in the semifinals, 630 Volleyball 16-1 saw Balboa Bay 16 Blue dash its national title hopes late Saturday at the 2021 USAV Boys Junior National Championship at the...
IHSA pulls the plug on state tournaments, but does not nix spring sports entirely
There will not be an IHSA boys volleyball tournament at Hoffman Estates in 2020. But the organization refused to rule out the possibility that some contests could be conducted later this spring or summer if the state government and health professionals deem it is safe. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Following Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzer’s decision Friday to close all Illinois schools for the remainder of the year, one astute boys volleyball coach reacted to the IHSA’s announcement that it would postpone until today a decision whether to cancel spri...
Illprepvb.com presents the 100 All-Time Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players, Nos. 51-60
Augusta Southeastern's Kolby McClelland (20) ranks third on the IHSA all-time career kill list and now stars for Murray State. (Photo courtesy of Murray State). Today, we continue our countdown of the 100 All-Times Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players with Nos. 51-60. Volleyball has come a long way since the IHSA began sponsoring a state tournament series in 1974. You might be hard-pressed to recognize the game. Not only have the rules changed, but so has the caliber of the athletes who compete.The growth of club volleyball, improve...
New dates, locations set for Windy City, Northern Lights, GLR qualifiers
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, McCormick Place in downtown Chicago is out as a location for the 2021 Windy City National Qualifier and Indianapolis and St. Louis are in. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) News flash! The Windy City National Qualifier will not be held in Chicago this year, and the Northern Lights Qualifier will not be held in Minneapolis.The 2021 adidas Windy City National Qualifier, originally scheduled for April 23-25 at McCormick Place, has been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions and now will be held over two weekends at differen...
Illprepvb.com presents the 100 All-Time Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players, Nos. 91-100
Megan Boken played on two IHSA championship teams at St. Francis and two NCAA tournament teams at St. Louis University. (Photo courtesy of St. Louis University) Today, we begin our countdown of the 100 All-Times Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players with Nos. 91-100. Volleyball has come a long way since the IHSA began sponsoring a state tournament series in 1974. You might be hard-pressed to recognize the game. Not only have the rules changed, but so has the caliber of the athletes who compete.The growth of club volleyball, improved t...
Illprepvb.com presents the 50 All-Time Best Illinois Boys Volleyball Players, Nos. 1-10
St. Francis and Loyola star Jeff Jendryk has blossomed from a skinny 6-foot-1 high school freshman to a member of Team USA who was preparing for the Summer Games in Tokyo when the COVID-19 crisis struck. (Photo courtesy of Loyola University) Today, we continue to count down the 50 All-Time Best Illinois Boys Volleyball Players. The players were selected based on their athletic ability, their individual accomplishments on the court, how they impacted their team’s success, their place in IHSA history, and in some cases, how they conti...
Tiny Emden's fearless Barry packs a big punch in her not-so-big frame
Normal U-High's hard-hitting Lily Barry, who plays outside hitter for her high school and Illini Elite 16 Cardinal club teams, projects as a libero at the Division I level. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.comWatching 5-foot-6 Lily Barry wallop a volleyball says a lot about the 16-year-old member of the Bloomington-based Illini Elite Volleyball Club.“She doesn’t hold back in anything that she does,” said club director Andy Erins, who is trying to convince the sophomore from Normal University High School by way o...
1st Alliance 18 Black punches its ticket to nationals at Beast of the Southeast
1st Alliance 18 Black won the 18 USA division at last weekend's Beast of the Southeast Invite. 1st Alliance 18 Black defeated Rage-Westside 18 Jen (Belmont, California), 25-23, 25-20, on Sunday to win the 18 USA division at the Beast of the Southeast Invite & U18 National Qualifier in Atlanta, Georgia, and earn a bid to the USA Volleyball Girls 18s Junior National Championship in Columbus, Ohio, April 23-25.“This was truly a team win … from the players to the parents,” said 18 Black coach Matthew Madia. “From the start, this team real...
L-W East looks to continue winning tradition; Benet, Palatine and more
John Glennon (82) is one of three key seniors returning at Lincoln-Way East, which has won 30 or more matches seven times over the last 10 years and claimed the 2018 IHSA championship. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Illprepvb.com continues its look at the 2020 boys' high school volleyball season with another set of team previews. Illprepvb.com provides the best in boys volleyball coverage throughout the season anywhere in the state. School: Benet AcademyConference: East Suburban CatholicHead coach: Jeff SteinbergLast season’s highlig...