Lincoln-Way East coach Kris Fiore is spearheading a move to expand boys' volleyball in Illinois. Wanted: A few good volunteers to help grow boys’ volleyball in Illinois.Lincoln-Way East coach Kris Fiore is serving as the lead Illinois representative for the First Point Volleyball Foundation, which was established in 2016 by the USA Men’s National Team head coach John Speraw and non-profit executive Wade Garard.The mission of the First Point Volleyball Foundation is to connect donors to the men’s volleyball programs that need them the ...

Lyons' 6-foot-8 middle blocker Sam Peters (17, far right) figures to be a force at the net for Lions' coach Brad Skendzel. (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: AndrewConference: Southwest SuburbanHead coach: Troy Hari      Last season’s highlights: 12-13 overall, 2-6 in conference, lost to Marist, 25-...

Katlyn Sipes and her St. Francis teammates reached a Class 3A supersectional in 2019 before falling to eventual third=-place finisher Nazareth. (Photo courtesy of Daily Herald). Olivia Sipes is making quite a name for herself following in her older sister's footsteps. Katlyn Sipes cannot explain it.Unlike her sister Olivia, age 10, who followed Katlyn into volleyball after watching her older sister compete at the local and national level, youngest sister Beatrice, age 8, rejected volleyball for a sport dominated by men.“She plays ice hoc...

Marist coach Jordan Vidovic, who won girls' and boys' state titles during the 2018-19 academic year, is hoping for some degree of normalcy in 2021. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Lockport boys' and girls' volleyball coach Nick Mraz. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comThis high school sports year will be like no other, especially in volleyball.Because of the coronavirus, the girl's season was moved to the IHSA’s reconfigured “spring” season and the boys will play during the “summer.” This will create a non-stop bevy of high school volle...

Adversity G18 Adidas is loaded with talent, but putting it all together could take some time, said coach Melissa Masterson. https://youtu.be/CAIXJmHGmm4 Every time Adversity G18 Adidas takes the court this season, it will have the proverbial target on its back.“I think we have a lot of talent,” said Adversity’s 6-foot junior setter Rachel Muisenga from Benet, who is committed to perennial Big 10 volleyball powerhouse Penn State. “But it's going to be what we do with that talent that will determine how we come out.“Each match, we have...

Michio Chicago 18 National is unbeaten at 9-0 after two weekends of seeding in the Windy City Power League. https://youtu.be/M50k_E2ZVDc This is not last year’s Michio Chicago 18 National team.Gone from the team that went 5-3 and finished in 25th place at the USAV Girls 18s Junior National Championship in Dallas last April are such big bangers as Marian Catholic’s Temitayo Thomas-Ailara (Northwestern), Sandburg’s Erica Staunton (Northeastern) and Latin middle blocker Kelsey Watkins (Furman).But different is not always a bad thing.Afte...

EVC 15 National is off to a 19-2 start this season, including a 5-2 record in the 15 Club division of the Windy City Power League. Brian Eich and his EVC 16 National team, which finished fifth in the 15 Aspire division last summer at the 46th AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships in Orlando, Florida. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.com Brian Eich never got the chance to play high school volleyball because his school didn’t offer it until two years after he graduated.He and his friends played beach volleyball every weeken...

Jeanine Szczesniak (2) was the 1994 Sun-Times Player of the Year while at Mother McAuley before continuing her career at the University of Michigan. Ellie Kurpeikis (10) is expected to be a huge force at the net for Marist in 2021. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comEllie Kurpeikis was born to play volleyball.The daughter of Mother McAuley graduate and 1994 Sun-Times Player of the Year Jeanine Szczesniak, Kurpeikis always knew where her athletic future lie.“I’ve always pretty much played volleyball,” Kurp...

Sports Performance's top 18s team features (front row, from left) Gabriella Croll, Lilly Smith, Sarah Konovodoff and Lauren Hughes, and (back row, from left) head coach Seth Salmon, Audrey Rome, Adekola Barakat, Ella Wrobel, Zayna Meyer and Ellie Watson. Seth Salmon does not need a history lesson.“Gold, gold, gold, gold, silver, gold, bronze,” he said. “That’s a lot of recent history with them winning. It’s up to me to make sure it happens again.”Sports Performance’s 18 Elite team has been a regular atop the medal stand at the AAU Junior ...