Despite 19 kills from Nyherowo Omene (far left), 2019 defending state champion Marist suffered its first loss of the season Monday at St. Francis, 21-25, 26-24, 25-17. https://youtu.be/pyvKiba5MLs By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comSt. Francis middle hitter Aiden Benson and Marist outside hitter Nyherowo Omene had never played against each other in a high school match.The two have faced each other in club and this year are teammates on Sports Performance’s top-ranked 18 Elite team, a squad that also features St. Francis setter K...
Michio Chicago 18 National getting it done with defense and a 'no fear' attitude
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...
Lockport defeats Homewood-Flossmoor, in position to make a little history
Lockport coach Nick Mraz has the Porters in position to win their first-ever conference title, but even if the Porters win out, they may need some help. By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comSince the Southwest Suburban Conference was formed in the fall of 2005, Lockport has never won or shared a league title in boys’ volleyball.But the Porters are in a position to do that now. Lockport defeated Homewood-Flossmoor, 25-14, 25-19, Thursday in Flossmoor to maintain a share of first place in the nine-team league.The Porters (10-2, 6-1), w...
The season starts Saturday for Waubonsie Valley, but Benet can't wait
Benet improved to 3-1 with Friday's win over Waubonsie Valley behind (far right) junior Drew Rogers' 6 kills and 2 aces. Any similarity between the Waubonsie Valley team that takes the court next Tuesday and the one that took the court Friday at Benet will be purely coincidental.Senior Vincent Johnson, the Warriors’ starting setter two years ago, will rejoin the team at practice early Saturday morning and be ready to go when Waubonsie Valley begins DuPage Valley Conference play Tuesday at Naperville Central.Johnson missed the team’s first ...
Two points shy of victory, Batavia falls in three sets to St. Charles North
St. Charles North improved to 5-3 overall and moved to 3-3 in the DuKane Conference with Thursday's win at Batavia. So you want to be a head coach? Then you must expect days like this. Batavia led St. Charles North 23-21 in Game 2 of their DuKane Conference clash Thursday in Batavia, looking to complete a two-game sweep. But four hitting errors down the stretch cost the Bulldogs the set, and eventually the match.The North Stars took advantage of Batavia’s late miscues to win Game 2, then opened leads of 9-2 and 12-3 in the third set t...
A few points decide VC United 171's fate; Illini Elite 15 White rules AAUs
VC United 171 Elite, seeded No. 2 in the 17 Open division, found out that a few points can make a big difference. Orlando, Florida – VC United 171 Elite learned a valuable lesson the hard way at the 48th AAU Girls Junior National Volleyball Championships at the Orange County Convention Center. “I guess when coaches say every point matters, this is an example why,” said VC United club director/owner Eric Schulze. VC United, seeded second in the 17 Open division, rolled through its first eight matches at the Orange County Convention...
EVC 15 National setting the tone for a 'little' club with 'big' aspirations
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...
Normal West wins nail-biter over district rival, wins first outright Intercity title
Averie Hernandez (10), a 6-foot-2 Northwestern recruit, totaled 57 kills while leading her Normal West volleyball team to a 4-0 record in the Bloomington-Normal Intercity Tournament at Normal West on Saturday. After a 25-17, 25-15 victory over Bloomington Central Catholic (pictured on defense), the Wildcats improved to 17-3 on the season. (Photo by Randy Sharer) By Randy SharerSpecial to Illprepvb.comNORMAL – Normal West’s first outright title in the 42nd Bloomington-Normal Intercity Volleyball Tournament on Saturday featured a ...
Kurpeikis creating her own legacy with blessing of her Mighty Mac alumna mom
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...
Pickering, Montini too much for Macander-less Macs; Shepard wins a wild one
Montini's Paige Pickering collected her 1,000th career kill during the Broncos' 25-17, 25-20 victory over Mother McAuley Thursday in Lombard. https://youtu.be/Hi8akNHRwu0 By Phil BrozynskiIllprepvb.com EditorYes, it was a huge moment for Montini’s 5-11 outside hitter Paige Pickering, who collected the 1,000th kill of her high school career late in the first set.Yes, it was a huge night for Pickering and five other Montini seniors – Reeghan Boyer, Lucy D’Anca, Ariana Joubert, Maddie Kasallis and Emily Labno – who were honored before th...