Nazareth advanced to the sectional championship match Wednesday at St. Ignatius by defeating Fenwick. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comThere's no place like home for St. Ignatius. The Wolfpack took advantage of playing on their home floor and avenged an early-season loss with a 25-21, 25-20 win over Latin in the second semifinal of the Class 3A St. Ignatius Sectional on Monday.  McKenzie Washington had 10 kills to lead St. Ignatius (20-15), which will look for that home court magic to hold up o...

St. Viator is enjoying its most successful season since the 2017 team reached the Class 3A semifinals in Normal, an aspiration that is shared by this 2021 edition. Adversity.What was it that German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said? “That which does not kill us makes us stronger?"St. Viator is a much stronger volleyball team today than it was Tuesday.“We knew adversity would come our way,” said St. Viator setter Cailyn Harrington. “We had to face that today. We knew it was coming. We know Benet's a great team. Today, we were kind of prep...

Terri Narantic has officiated seven boys' state finals and was named the IHSA Boys Volleyball Official of the Year in 2007. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) “Without officials, it’s just recess.” High school officials protect the integrity of the games student-athletes play by demonstrating qualities like honesty, objectivity, consistency, courage and common sense. They help student-athletes learn life lessons that will benefit them for a lifetime.Illinois has been fortunate to have volleyball officials who are among the best in the business....

Fremd junior setter Rian Baker believes her coach's background in art melds into his coaching style, which she called "creative" and "non-traditional." (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comFremd coach Curt Pinley is a bit of a throwback.In an era where many people like to promote themselves on social media, Pinley prefers to ignore the hype, especially when it concerns his accomplishments.That’s why he didn’t tell his players before the March 16 season opener that a win would mean a career milestone. It was left to...

Former Cary-Grove star and Indiana recruit Colleen Smith battled an incurable disease to star at DePaul and eventually land a head coaching job at Cary-Grove conference rival Jacobs. (Photo courtesy of DePaul University) Colleen Smith served as assistant coach at Cary-Grove before she was hired to head the program at Jacobs. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comColleen Smith still remembers the day she learned the identity of her tormentor.It was September 22, 2011, early during Smith’s freshman year at Indiana, where the former Cary...

(Photos of Wednesday's South Suburban Conference match between Bremen and Shepard by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comFor Lincoln-Way East, boys volleyball conference titles are old hat.But this one is extra special.Wednesday in Frankfort, the Griffins rallied past Sandburg, 20-25, 25-23, 25-19, to clinch at least a share of the Southwest Suburban Conference championship. It's the 12th conference championship for Lincoln-Way East since the league formed in the fall of 2005. But it's also the Griffins’ first since wi...

Rockford Lutheran's Lauren Spangler hits against the block of St. Teresa's Addison Newbon (35) and Valerie Nutakor (25). (Photo by Dave Ruggles) NORMAL – Breese Mater Dei coach Chad Rakers didn’t have time to think about what went right. “I’m still thinking about all the things we have to fix (before tomorrow),” he said. The first thing, he said, is nerves. “This can be a big, scary place at times,” he said. It was almost a chamber of horrors for his Knights. Breese Mater Dei watched St. Joseph-Ogden erase an 18-11 deficit in Game 2, the...

Belleville Althoff defeated Normal U-High and lost to Sterling in a triangular Saturday in Normal which saw all three teams finish the day 1-1. Normal I-High beat Sterling. Sterling beat Belleville Althoff. Belleville Althoff beat Normal U-High. Everybody goes home happy … sort of. Sterling, Belleville Althoff and Normal U-High got together Saturday in Normal to iron out a few rough edges before the IHSA tournament gets underway Monday. All three teams walked away 1-1, but winning and losing was secondary. Sterling “never got off the bus,” ...

Libertyville's Jack Stevens led the Wildcats to three consecutive regional championships. (Photos courtesy of Chicago Tribune) 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 continued to represent themselves and Illinois volleyball on the national and international stage. High School boys ha...