Teams that were planning to participate in the Mid-East Qualifier March 20-22 in Indianapolis or the W9ndy City Qualifier April 20-22 will have to find other opportunities to qualify for nationals. USA Volleyball has cancelled the events due to health concerns. Here is the link to the USA Volleyball website:https://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/features/usa-volleyball-response-on-coronavirus ...
Torres setting a torrid pace for Oswego East despite Tuesday’s loss at Plainfield North
Oswego East, shown here earlier in the year during the Joliet West invitational, is rebuilding around some young players after last year's senior-fueled run to a regional title game. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Thirteen kills and a block.A great match for most players, but almost pedestrian-like numbers for Oswego East’s 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter Anthony Torres. Oswego East's record-setting junior Anthony Torres. Torres has emerged from the shadows of Cade and Collin Harrison and Jahari Winkfield, three 2018 graduates who led the Wo...
Digtown 16 Red taking small steps at its first big tournament of the season
Digtown 16 Red is among the nearly 150 teams competing in the Presidents' Day Challenge hosted by Sports Performance at the Schaumburg Convention Center this weekend. https://youtu.be/YBY46NlzK3Y Volleyball is the No. 1 participation sport in the United States for high school-aged girls, and it continues to enjoy explosive growth, especially on the club level.Case in point? Digtown Volleyball Club in Yorkville.Three-year-old Digtown is the brainchild of Bob Coselman, whose daughter, Sydney, teamed with Sammi LaBolle to lead Sandwich ...
Illprepvb.com announces 2019 Player, Team, Coach of the Year and First Team All-State
Huntley's Taylor Jakubowski, who concluded her stellar four-year varsity career as Illinois' second all-time assist leader, is the 2019 Illprepvb.com Player of the Year. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Today, we are pleased to announce the Illprepvb.com 2019 Girls First Team All-State Volleyball Team, our Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Team of the Year. Coaches across Illinois were invited to nominate players to the Illprepvb.com all-state team. Team members were selected based upon their accomplishments on the court and in the classroom...
Mission not impossible: Fresh faces, coaching staff attract players to new club
Mission Volleyball Club enjoyed a successful competitive debut at the Wisconsin Juniors Pre-Season Kick-Off at the Lake View RecPlex in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.com Mission Volleyball Club was initially conceived as a rebranding of Club Fusion's branch operation in Marengo before becoming its own entity. If you open it, will they come?That’s the question for anyone thinking of starting a new volleyball club.For Mission Volleyball Club, the answer has been a resounding, “yes.”Over 200 athletes ...
Montini's Billy Cyze doesn't let anything, including a rare birth defect, slow him down
Montini's Billy Cyze, flanked by his brothers Daniel (left) and Thomas (right), has learned to adapt to a rare birth defect, and in addition to being a valued member of the school's volleyball team, is a member of the school's robotics team and a licensed UAS pilot. Billy Cyze is a leader on Montini's robotics team, and holds an Unmanned Arial System (UAS) license that allows him to fly drones up to 55 pounds. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comMontini senior Billy Cyze can best be described as a problem-solver.The 6-foot-3 outside ...
Jepsen, Marist ends Lincoln-Way East’s reign; Brown, New Trier deny Loyola
Lincoln-Way East's Wil McPhilllips finds it tough sledding against the Marist block during Tuesday's sectional championship match at Marist. (Photos by Dave Ruggles) Marist junior outside hitter Jake Bonnett had 7 kills during Marist's win Tuesday. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.com Playing his final match on his home court, Marty Jepsen had an opportunity to do something he had never done and the Marist boys’ volleyball team hadn't done in nine years.Get to state.The 6-foot-1 outside hitter made sure he didn’t miss his final opp...
Driven to near-suicide by a friend’s death, she finds hope, courage, and a cause
Former Downers Grove South setter Addy Karmik (11) struggled with anxiety, depression and Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the death of club teammate Beth Dunlap. Former Downers Grove South setter Addy Karmik survived a suicide attempt and now advocates for mental health awareness. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comAddy Karmik suffered in silence for too long.Now she is determined to ensure others don’t do the same.Karmik, the former Downers Grove South setter who is an incoming freshman at the University of Wiscons...
Short-handed Sterling handles Geneseo, Quincy in Saturday two-for-one
Because of its vast geographic expanse, the eight-team Western Big Six conference has taken to playing two conference matches in one day, prompting Quincy to make the 324-mile round trip to Geneseo on Saturday to play Sterling and the host Maple Leafs. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comWith a pair of starters out and two early losses, which already doubled its loss total from last season, Illprepvb.com Class 3A top-ranked Sterling looked like it might be ripe for the picking heading into Saturday's Western Big 6 Conference triangular ...
Where are 200+ girls from Illinois high schools and clubs playing D-I volleyball?
Former Nazareth star Ella Sandt took her considerable talents to St. Mary's College of California, a private Catholic college in Moraga, California. The Gaels compete in the West Coast Conference. (Sandt photo by Dave Ruggles. Ally VanEekeren cover photo by Mark Kuhlmann) There are 334 schools that play Division I Women's Volleyball in the United States, including 13 in Illinois. Based on information provided by club directors, Illprepvb.com has identified approximately 235 girls who either played high school or club volleyball in ...