By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Hannah Kilbane helped the Saint Xavier women’s golf team qualify for the NAIA nationals for just the second time in program history. Kilbane, a junior, needed a playoff hole to be crowned the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference champion, and her red-hot shooting on the second day of the conference tournament…
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By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Max Strus had a money game on April 14. Chicago Bulls fans, however, may not have been too happy with the Hickory Hills native’s performance in a 102-91 win to knock the Bulls out of the NBA postseason. Strus, a former Stagg star who played briefly with the Bulls, scored…
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By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Most of the holiday basketball tournaments have not even started, but the IHSA has already released its 2023 postseason assignments. For some area schools, the placements into some sectionals are not exactly gifts from Santa. Area teams Reavis, Brother Rice, Hubbard, Marist, St. Rita, Oak Lawn, Sandburg, Shepard and Stagg…
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By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Todd Kuska Era at St. Rita is coming to a close. The retiring coach would prefer it would come two days after Thanksgiving, meaning the Mustangs would be playing in the IHSA Class 7A state championship game for a second straight season. The 12th-seeded Mustangs took the first step…
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By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The stage is set. The annual grudge match between neighborhood and conference rivals Marist and Brother Rice takes place at 7 p.m. Friday at Rice. Both teams are 5-3 overall and 0-2 in the East Suburban Catholic/Chicago Catholic League Blue, with both teams falling to Loyola and Mount Carmel in…
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By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Richards is in a pretty good position to get into the playoffs this year, but all of its success has come within the South Suburban Conference Red. Outside the Red? The Bulldogs know they still have some work to do. After a 68-30 crossover road loss to SSC Blue powerhouse…
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By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Saint Xavier lost its first two games by a combined score of 88-10. The last thing the Cougars needed was for Siena Heights to come into Chicago and make itself at home. But the Saints tried, scoring on their first drive and putting the Cougars in a hole. This time,…
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By Jeff Vorva Staff writer Former Richards volleyball standout Alex Costa led the NAIA with 508 kills and 613.5 points last season. Not a bad season for the Trinity Christian College sophomore. It gets even better. Last week, Costa was named TCC’s Male Athlete of the Year. The Oak Lawn native also had top numbers…
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By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Two of the top eight boys volleyball teams in the country squared off April 23 and it didn’t go well for No. 4. Marist, which came into the Brother Rice Smack Attack tournament unbeaten and ranked fourth in the nation in the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association’s poll released April…
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By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The only girls basketball head coach in Marist history is retiring. Mary Pat Connolly, who started the RedHawks program in 2002 when the Chicago private school went coed, is giving up coaching the program. “It’s been a fun journey for my family,” Connolly told Daily Southtown columnist Tony Baranek. “They…
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Prep News
Area Sports Roundup | State volleyball and lacrosse tournaments will have local flavor
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer When it comes to the postseason, there are rarely guarantees. There are, however, two guarantees this season when it comes to having teams in the IHSA state finals this weekend. Boys volleyball and girls lacrosse will each have an area representative at their respective state tournaments. In volleyball, Marist and…
Baseball and Softball Wrap | Brother Rice and Lyons win thrillers; Marist softball sets state HR record
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Exciting to the last pitch. Two area baseball regional championships were determined in nail biting fashion on May 27. At the Class 4A Whitney Young Regional, Brother Rice, which finished third the state in Class 4A in 2022, got a bases-loaded to squeak by Mount Carmel, 6-5, and continue its…
Pro Sports Report | Orlando outshoots Chicago 19-2, loses 1-0
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Orlando outshot the Chicago Red Stars 19-2, including a 6-2 disadvantage with shots on goal, during a May 27 visit to SeatGeek Stadium. That would normally be a recipe for disaster for the home team. But the Stars defense and goalie Alyssa Naeher withstood the barrage, and the team took…
Girls Soccer | McAuley starts playoffs with rout, but falls to LW East in regional title game
By Steve Millar Correspondent Hosting a playoff game on its new turf field for the first time, Mother McAuley made it a memorable occasion. Four players scored two goals each and the eighth-seeded Mighty Macs rolled to an 8-1 win over 10th-seeded T.F. United in a Class 4A Mother McAuley Regional semifinal on May 17.…
Baseball | Evergreen Park tops Shepard, clinches first conference crown since 1986
By Steve Millar Correspondent Evergreen Park’s players believed they had a special team this season. That was validated when they accomplished something the program had not done in 37 years. With their 4-2 win over Shepard on May 16, the Mustangs sealed the outright South Suburban Red championship for their first conference title since 1986.…
Baseball and Softball Wrap | Trinity softball finishes national runner-up
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Trinity Christian softball team finished second in the nation in the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series. The Trolls lost to Concordia (Michigan), 8-1, in the title game May 18 at the Urban Youth Academy in Kansas City. They finished 25-20 and won the second most games in…
Postseason Roundup | McAuley water polo takes second in state
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Mother McAuley water polo team won a squeaker and a blowout at the IHSA state tournament before falling in the championship game. It was McAuley’s (21-6-1) highest finish at state since a second-place showing in 2008. The Mighty Macs nipped Naperville North, 7-6, on May 18 in the quarterfinals…
Area Sports Roundup | State volleyball and lacrosse tournaments will have local flavor
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer When it comes to the postseason, there are rarely guarantees. There are, however, two guarantees this season when it comes to having teams in the IHSA state finals this weekend. Boys volleyball and girls lacrosse will each have an area representative at their respective state tournaments. In volleyball, Marist and…
Baseball and Softball Wrap | Brother Rice and Lyons win thrillers; Marist softball sets state HR record
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Exciting to the last pitch. Two area baseball regional championships were determined in nail biting fashion on May 27. At the Class 4A Whitney Young Regional, Brother Rice, which finished third the state in Class 4A in 2022, got a bases-loaded to squeak by Mount Carmel, 6-5, and continue its…
Pro Sports Report | Orlando outshoots Chicago 19-2, loses 1-0
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Orlando outshot the Chicago Red Stars 19-2, including a 6-2 disadvantage with shots on goal, during a May 27 visit to SeatGeek Stadium. That would normally be a recipe for disaster for the home team. But the Stars defense and goalie Alyssa Naeher withstood the barrage, and the team took…
Girls Soccer | McAuley starts playoffs with rout, but falls to LW East in regional title game
By Steve Millar Correspondent Hosting a playoff game on its new turf field for the first time, Mother McAuley made it a memorable occasion. Four players scored two goals each and the eighth-seeded Mighty Macs rolled to an 8-1 win over 10th-seeded T.F. United in a Class 4A Mother McAuley Regional semifinal on May 17.…
Baseball and Softball Wrap | Trinity softball finishes national runner-up
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Trinity Christian softball team finished second in the nation in the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series. The Trolls lost to Concordia (Michigan), 8-1, in the title game May 18 at the Urban Youth Academy in Kansas City. They finished 25-20 and won the second most games in…
Postseason Roundup | McAuley water polo takes second in state
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Mother McAuley water polo team won a squeaker and a blowout at the IHSA state tournament before falling in the championship game. It was McAuley’s (21-6-1) highest finish at state since a second-place showing in 2008. The Mighty Macs nipped Naperville North, 7-6, on May 18 in the quarterfinals…
Area Sports Roundup | Brother Rice and Lyons boys volleyball top Illinois’ top-ranked teams
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The boys volleyball postseason opened this week, but what happened during the last week of the regular season was perhaps as unexpected as any playoff upset. It started May 15, when host Brother Rice knocked off Marist, 27-25, 16-25, 25-20. The RedHawks entered the match ranked sixth in the nation…
Do It Stevie’s Way | Lyons falls to Providence in champ game; Troy Stukenberg earns tourney award
By Steve Millar Correspondent Lyons’ quest for a Do It Stevie’s Way Tournament championship came up just short, but it was still a memorable day for senior Troy Stukenberg. Stukenberg was chosen the Lions’ Do It Stevie’s Way Award winner at the tournament, which honors former Mount Carmel baseball player Steven Bajenski, who died at…
College Notebook | Augustana’s Ranieri named CCIW Pitcher of Year
By Mike Walsh Correspondent This has been quite the spring for Augustana College’s Nadia Ranieri. The Riverside-Brookfield graduate has been chosen Pitcher of the Year in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The junior lefty finished 15-4 with a 1.53 ERA in 23 appearances (21 starts) while helping the Vikings to an overall record of…
