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 ...
Ultimate B16 Gold, vying to be top dog at Palos Courts, sees unbeaten streak end
Ultimate B16 Gold finished third Saturday at the Palos-B16 Point Series #3. https://youtu.be/6uDvC1_hKmo It had to happen sometime.Ultimate B16 Gold entered Saturday’s Palos-B16 Point Series #3 on the heels of 17 consecutive wins to start the season. After extending its win streak to 18 with a 25-15, 25-20 victory over SPVB B16 Charlie, Ultimate ran afoul of MVC 16-Jake, 14-25, 25-19, 15-7.Ultimate rebounded to beat Adversity 16 Adidas, 25-19, 25-13, in its finale Saturday, and will look to start another long win streak, and avenge it...
Batavia earns USMC/AVCA academic award for the 23rd consecutive year
The 2019 Batavia varsity volleyball team has been awarded the United States Marines Corps (USMC)/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2019-20 academic year. The 2019 Batavia varsity volleyball team has been awarded the United States Marines Corps (USMC)/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2019-20 academic year. The team earned an impressive cumulative grade point average of 3.84 despite the move to remote learning during second semester. Batavia has won th...
Muisenga, Wrobel and Rodriguez are worth watching, and still waiting
Plainfield North's Ella Wrobel, Benet's Rachel Muisenga and Sterling's Lexi Rodriguez were recently named to Volleyball Magazine’s Girls 25 Underclassmen to Watch list. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) https://youtu.be/yhHxJD5w5aU Like many of her peers during these anything-but-typical times, Rachel Muisenga is doing her best to remain ready should the girls’ club volleyball season resume.Working out. Running when weather permits. Or a pick-up volleyball game in her backyard with older sisters Sarah (St. Francis/University of Chicago) who is...
St. Charles East rallies behind Skyler Misch to topple young St. Francis
St. Francis coach Lisa Ston flanked by some of her players. By Phil BrozynskiFor Illprepvb.comSkyler Misch probably could have taken a dozen more swings if needed. “My arm is pretty good,” she said. “I play softball. I’m a pitcher, so my arm is pretty warm all the time.”Misch wasn’t just warm Saturday night, she was smokin’. The 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter had a team-high 14 kills to lead St. Charles East (2-0) to a 21-25, 25-15, 25-13 victory over St. Francis Saturday night in Wheaton.Misch’s strategy is simple.“It's not about hitti...
Heldmann, Beaty know they're doing a good job … if nobody notices them
Jon Heldmann of Bolingbrook has worked several boys state tournament games, including this 2019 semifinal between Glenbard West and New Trier. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) Bill Beaty became interested in officiating after his daughter finished her playing career at Divernon High School. By Matt Le CrenSpecial to Illprepvb.comLike most officials, Jon Heldmann and Bill Beaty prefer to remain anonymous, hiding in plain sight as the action goes on around them.“Honestly, if we’re doing our jobs, we don’t want people to hear about us,” Heldmann sai...
Facing a COVID-clouded future, Illinois girls’ 2020-21 volleyball season begins
Michio Chicago Volleyball Academy outside hitter Logan Grevengoed and her younger sister, Delaney, will have to wait a few months before taking the court for Chicago Christian. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) If this, then what?If that, then this.“We've got a whiteboard with all these different scenarios,” said Club 1 owner/girls director and Naperville Central head coach Brie Isaacson. “What we will do if this happens. What we will do if that happens.“This is a year we’re just going to have to roll with it,” she said.What promises to be anything ...
Illprepvb.com presents the 100 All-Time Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players, Nos. 11-20
Barrington's Lexi Zimmerman (17) was a three-time All-Big Ten selection, a three-time AVCA All-American and the Michigan Female Athlete of the Year in 2009-2010. (Photo courtesy of the Michigan Daily) Today, we continue our countdown of the 100 All-Times Best Illinois Girls Volleyball Players with Nos. 11-20. 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 com...
No. 2-ranked Benet hands the ‘keys to the kingdom’ to Muisenga
(Front row, from left) Annie Sobolewski and Hattie Monson and (back row, from left) Colleen McGuire, Maeve Nelligan, Rachel Muisenga, Sophie Gregus and Kyla Kenney hope to lead Benet to its sixth appearance at Redbird Arena in the last nine years. You might say Rachel Muisenga, a setter by trade, served her apprenticeship at Benet the past two years by being on the receiving end of sets instead of setting others.This year, however, the 6-foot junior is getting her chance to run the show.Muisenga and the No. 2-ranked (Class 4A) Redwings ...
Mother McAuley, Ellie White thrill their fans with thrashing of archrival Marist
Marist outside hitter Kamryn Haney, who led the RedHawks to the championship of the Wheaton Classic, was limited to just a single kill Thursday at Mother McAuley. (Photo by Dave Ruggles) By Randy WhalenSpecial to Illprepvb.comWhen Marist traveled to face rival Mother McAuley in the spring, there was something missing.The crowd.That wasn't missing when the two teams got together again on Thursday night, however. The gym was packed to the rafters and the home crowd left happy. That's because Mother McAuley’s 5-11 sophomore outside hitte...