October 9, 2007
PRAIRIE STATE WRAPS UP CONFERENCE SEASON
In the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference finale Tuesday, the Prairie State College volleyball team lost 30-21, 32-30, 30-21 to Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, giving the Pioneers a 2-5 mark in league play.

Sophomore setter Jenny Ensign (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) had a double-double for PSC (13-16) after her 24-assist, 13-dig effort. Her three blocks tied her for team-best honors with sophomore middle hitter Mandy Sera (Illinois Lutheran H.S.) and freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.).

Sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.) led Prairie State with 11 kills and sophomore libero Eva Garcia (T.F. North H.S.) topped the team charts with 14 digs.

October 8, 2007
PSC DENIED IN QUEST TO DEFEAT ROCK VALLEY
One of the best matches of the year for the Prairie State College volleyball team took place Sept. 20 when it rallied from a two-games-to-one deficit to defeat Rock Valley College, the No. 3 team in the NJCAA Division III national poll, 25-30, 34-32, 14-30, 30-25, 15-11 in Chicago Heights.

But history didn’t repeat itself Monday in Rockford as the Golden Eagles won 30-19, 30-15, 28-30, 30-16, denying the Pioneers (13-15) of improving to .500 for the year.

Sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.) accounted for nearly a third of PSC’s kills, compiling 12 of the team’s 37 slams. Franczyk also led Prairie State with 21 digs.

Freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.) recorded six blocks, sophomore libero Eva Garcia (T.F. North H.S.) had 14 digs and sophomore setter Jennifer Ensign (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) dished out 28 assists in the contest.

October 6, 2007
PIONEERS INCH CLOSER TO .500 WITH SWEEP
Twenty-one service aces, including nine by sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.), set the for Prairie State College in its 30-26, 30-18, 30-14 sweep over Milwaukee Area Technical College on Saturday in Chicago Heights.

The win upped the Pioneers’ record to 13-14, marking the closest they’ve been to .500 since Sept. 14.

Freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin’s (Thornton H.S.) 11 kills, .450 hitting percentage (11-2-20) and three blocks were all team highs, as were sophomore setter Jenny Ensign’s (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) 17 assists and freshman defensive specialist Kim Merisko’s (Crete-Monee H.S.) eight digs. Merisko also had five aces.

October 4, 2007
PRAIRIE STATE WINS IN FIVE GAMES
It wasn’t the most direct route to take, but the Prairie State College volleyball team got to its desired location - the win column - after defeating Kankakee Community College 30-27, 30-16, 23-30, 27-30, 15-11 Thursday evening in Chicago Heights.

PSC looked to be on course for a 3-0 sweep after winning the first two games and leading the third contest 11-3. But KCC detoured the hosts and outscored them 27-12 to close out Game 3.

The Cavaliers carried the momentum into the fourth game as they tallied the first 11 points. The Pioneers, however, responded with a 23-12 run to deadlock the score at 23. Kankakee did hang on for a three-point win, but Prairie State bounced back in Game 5. A 6-2 spurt by the hosts closed out the match.

With the victory, the Pioneers upped their season record to 12-14 and avenged a 30-18, 30-18, 30-23 loss to Kankakee on Aug. 25.

Leading Prairie State’s offensive charge was sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.), who had team-best totals for kills (19) and aces (6). She also had 15 digs en route to producing a double-double.

Other team leaders included sophomore libero Eva Garcia (T.F. North H.S.) (17 digs), sophomore middle hitter Mandy Sera (Illinois Lutheran H.S.) (8 blocks) and sophomore setter Jenny Ensign (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) (42 assists).

October 2, 2007
PSC VICTORIOUS IN CONFERENCE MATCH
Coming off of two five-game matches at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the Prairie State College volleyball team made quick work of Morton College on Tuesday, winning 30-20, 30-19, 30-19 in Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference play in Chicago Heights.

Sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher) led PSC (11-14, 2-4 ISCC) with 14 kills, a .440 hitting percentage (14-3-25) and five blocks. Freshman outside hitter Krista Glidewell (Griffith, Ind. H.S.) contributed a .400 hitting percentage (4-0-10) and four blocks, while sophomore setter Jenny Ensign (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) finished with 24 assists.

Sophomore middle hitter Mandy Sera (Illinois Lutheran H.S.) was the most effective server as she accounted for four of the team’s 10 aces.

September 29, 2007
PIONEERS GO 1-1 AT WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER
Two highly-competitive matches, which were both decided in five games, ended in a 1-1 split for the Prairie State College volleyball team Saturday at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

PSC opened play with a 30-26, 10-30, 31-29, 24-30, 15-13 victory over Lakeland College JV before dropping the nightcap to Whitewater JV 30-17, 24-30, 27-30, 30-19, 15-5. With the 1-1 outing, the Pioneers are now 10-14 for the season.

In the Lakeland win, sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.) recorded a double-double, finishing with 20 kills and 21 digs. She also served three aces. Likewise, sophomore libero Eva Garcia (T.F. North H.S.) had three aces to go along with a match-high 26 digs.

Other highlights included sophomore setter Jenny Ensign’s (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) 33 assists, sophomore middle hitter Mandy Sera’s (Illinois Lutheran H.S.) seven blocks and freshman defensive specialist Leticia Fuentes’ (Steger) 10 digs.

Franczyk followed with another double-double in the nightcap, totaling 12 kills and 16 digs. Freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.) had 12 kills as well as four blocks.

Garcia duplicated her dig-effort from the opener, collecting 26 from his spot in the back row.

Ensign and sophomore setter/outside hitter Kali Cienkus (Manteno H.S.) both had 13 assists. Sophomore outside hitter Alisa Shortell, meanwhile, accumulated 11 digs.

September 27, 2007
PRAIRIE STATE RECORDS SIXTH SWEEP OF THE SEASON
When the Prairie State College volleyball team downed Indiana University Northwest 30-24, 30-18, 30-26 Thursday in Chicago Heights, it marked the sixth time this season that the Pioneers, owners of a 9-13 record, swept the opposition.

PSC’s team totals included a .410 hitting percentage (43-11-78) and 16 aces. Those figures are the Pioneers’ second highest this season, ranking behind the .429 hitting efficiency and 18 aces against Triton College on Sept. 1.

The trio consisting of sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.), freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.) and freshman outside hitter Krista Glidewell (Griffith, Ind. H.S.) combined for 31 kills and a .446 hitting percentage. Francczyk supplied 11 kills and hit .421, while Franklin and Glidewell both had 10 kills and hitting percentages of .471 and .450, respectively.

Providing the sets to the hitters was sophomore Jennifer Ensign (Hobart, Ind. H.S.), who had 34 assists.

Along with her contributions as a hitter, Franczyk served a team-high six aces.

The win upped Prairie State’s record to 8-12.

September 20, 2007
PRAIRIE STATE WINS IN FIVE GAMES FOR FIRST TIMEK
For the first time in its brief two-year history, the Prairie State College volleyball team recorded a five-game victory as it rallied to defeat Rock Valley College, ranked No. 3 in the NJCAA Division III national poll, 25-30, 34-32, 14-30, 30-25, 15-11 Tuesday evening in Chicago Heights.

The Pioneers, 0-4 in five-game matches in their inaugural campaign last fall, trailed the final contest 4-0 but went on an 11-2 run en route to winning 15-11.

Sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.) and freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.) each had career-best totals for kills, finishing with 20 and 16, respectively. Franczyk also established an all-time high after registering eight aces.

Likewise, sophomore setter Jennifer Ensign’s (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) 46 assists and freshman libero Leticia Fuentes’ (Steger) 32 digs were their top collegiate marks.

Other highlights for PSC (7-12) included Franklin’s three blocks, Franczyk’s 18 digs and sophomore outside hitter Blake Johnson’s (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) 17 digs.

September 18, 2007
PSC DEFEATED IN FOUR GAMES
A quick start by the Prairie State College volleyball team didn’t hold up as the Pioneers lost 30-28, 30-15, 31-33, 30-17 to Elgin Community College in an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference match Tuesday night in Chicago Heights.

PSC opened up leads of 7-1 and 13-5 in Game 1, but the hosts couldn’t sustain those advantages. Elgin went ahead for the first time at 27-26, and after a tie at 27, went in front 28-27 to retain the lead for good.

The Spartans’ surge to close out the opener continued in Game 2 as they jumped out to a 12-4 lead en route to their 30-15 victory. However, Prairie State rebounded with a 33-31 win in Game 3 after erasing a 26-22 deficit.

Elgin prevented a decisive Game 5 when it triumphed 30-17 in the fourth contest.

Freshman outside hitter Krista Glidewell (Griffith, Ind. H.S.) had a team-best seven kills, while freshman libero Leticia Fuentes (Steger) recorded a career-high 36 digs. Sophomore outside hitters Kali Cienkus (Manteno H.S.) and Blake Johnson (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) both netted 11 digs.

Sophomore setter Jennifer Ensign (Hobart, Ind. H.S.), who dished out 13 assists, totaled five blocks, as did freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.).

September 14-15, 2007
PONEERS COMPETE AT MARSHALLTOWN TOURNAMENT
Facing predominantly four-year schools, the Prairie State College volleyball team went 0-5 at the Marshalltown Community College Tournament on Friday and Saturday in Marshalltown, Iowa.

PSC lost 30-27, 30-21 to Graceland College JV; 30-24, 30-24 to Central College JV, which is ranked No. 20 in the latest NCAA Division III national poll; and 30-22, 30-21 to Coe College JV on Friday. In the final two matches Saturday, the Pioneers suffered a 30-27, 18-30, 18-16 setback to Mount Mercy College JV before losing 30-16, 30-22 to Marshalltown.

Sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.) led Prairie State (6-11) with 29 kills. She also had 33 digs, which ranked second on the team behind sophomore libero Eva Garcia’s (T.F. North H.S.) 45.

Along with her outstanding defensive play, Garcia topped the PSC charts with five aces.

Freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.) blocked a team-high nine shots to go along with 23 kills on the offensive end. Sophomore setter Jennifer Ensign (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) also was a main contributor offensively as she had 68 assists and four aces.

September 12, 2007
PRAIRIE STATE WINS FIRST CONFERENCE MATCH
Numerous players were instrumental in the Prairie State College volleyball team’s 30-27, 30-26, 30-26 victory over Waubonsee Community College on Wednesday in Sugar Grove.

Sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.) posted a double-double, finishing with a team-best 13 digs along with 11 kills. She also led the Pioneers, who improved to 6-6 overall and 1-2 in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference, with three aces.

Also putting up lofting hitting totals were freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.) and freshman outside hitter Krista Glidewell (Griffith, Ind. H.S.) Franklin had 14 kills and a .387 hitting percentage, while Glidewell totaled 10 kills and a .474 hitting percentage.

Franklin also excelled defensively as she recorded six blocks.

Sophomore libero Eva Garcia (T.F. North H.S.) was second among her teammates with 11 digs.

September 10, 2007
PSC HAS LITTLE DIFFICULTY WITH MILWAUKEE TECH
Offense helped pave the way for the Prairie State College volleyball team's 3-0 sweep over Milwaukee Area Technical College on Monday in Milwaukee.

PSC hit .382 (38-9-76) as a team to power it to a 30-19, 30-15, 30-11 win. The victory improves the Pioneers to 5-6 for the season.

Sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.), freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.) and sophomore middle hitter Mandy Sera (Illinois Lutheran H.S.) had 10, nine and eight kills, respectively. Franklin owned a .750 hitting percentage, while Sera tallied a .636 mark.

Franczyk led Prairie State with 14 digs and five aces.

Sophomore Alissa Shortell (Rich South H.S.) excelled in her role as the setter, finishing with 32 assists.

September 8, 2007
PIONEERS DEFEAT NATIONALLY RANKED TEAM; FINISH TOURNEY 1-2
Nationally ranked Community College of Rhode Island was the Prairie State College volleyball team's first test at the South Suburban College Tournament on Saturday in South Holland. PSC passed with flying colors, defeating the No. 21 Knights 30-24, 30-25 after hitting .324 as a team.

The Pioneers, however, dropped their next two bouts in pool play as they lost 30-28, 30-29 to Sauk Valley Community College and 30-18, 30-16 to Black Hawk College to conclude the tournament with a 1-2 record.

Freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.) and sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.) led the Prairie State (4-6) offense in the three matches. Franklin totaled 22 kills and a ..525 hitting percentage (22-1-40), and Franczyk accumulated 18 kills.

Sophomore setter Jennifer Ensign (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) was tops on the team with 47 assists and four aces.

Sophomore libero Eva Garcia's (T.F. North H.S.) 42 digs and sophomore middle hitter Mandy Sera's (Illinois Lutheran H.S.) six blocks keyed the defensive effort.

September 6, 2007
PRAIRIE STATE COMPETITIVE IN SETBACK
Although the Prairie State College women’s volleyball team was defeated in three games by Oakton Community College on Thursday in Chicago Heights, the Pioneers could have very easily walked away as the victor.

But strong finishes by the visiting Raiders enabled them to hold off PSC and earn a 30-28, 30-25, 30-27 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference win. The loss drops Prairie State to 3-4 overall and 0-2 in the league standings.

Oakton ended Game 1 on a 3-1 run and the middle contest on a 5-1 spurt before closing out the match by scoring two of the last three points in the finale.

Back-row defense was the Pioneers’ strongest asset in the match as four players reached double figures in digs: sophomore libero Eva Garcia (T.F. North H.S.) (29), sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.) (18), freshman defensive specialist Leticia Fuentes (Steger) (13) and sophomore setter Jennifer Ensign (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) (10).

Franczyk served a team-high three aces and Ensign assisted on 28 kills.

Freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.) led PSC with 11 kills and three blocks.

September 1, 2007
PSC COASTS PAST TRITON IN THREE-GAME SWEEP
It took just 57 minutes for the Prairie State College volleyball team to register a convincing 30-14, 30-11, 30-8 sweep over Triton College on Saturday in Chicago Heights.

A .429 team hitting percentage coupled with 18 aces enabled the Pioneers to even their overall mark at 3-3.

Sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.) accounted for 14 of PSC's 44 kills. She also led the team with a .750 hitting percentage (14-2-16).

Freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.) and sophomore middle hitter Mandy Sera (Illinois Lutheran H.S.) totaled nine and eight kills, respectively.

Sera also had four aces, which was one behind freshman defensive specialist Leticia Fuentes' (Steger) team-best tally of five.

Sophomore setter Jennifer Ensign (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) compiled 39 assists and three aces, while sophomore libero Eva Garcia (T.F. North H.S.) topped the defenders with seven digs.

August 30, 2007
PSC DROPS CONFERENCER OPENER
Five days after losing to McHenry County College at the Kankakee Community College Tournament, the Prairie State College volleyball team came up short once again against the Fighting Scots, losing 30-24, 30-16, 30-24 Thursday in Chicago Heights.

With the loss, the Pioneers moved to 2-3 on the season and 0-1 in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference.

Freshman middle hitter Crystal Franklin (Thornton H.S.) led PSC with seven kills and three blocks, while sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.) had a team-best 14 digs along with six kills.

Sophomore setter Jenny Ensign (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) contributed 17 assists and three aces to the offense, and sophomore libero Eva Garcia (T.F. North H.S.) helped anchor the defense with 10 digs.

August 24-25, 2007
PIONEERS FINISH 2-2 AT KANKAKEE TOURNAMENT
In a promising start to the 2007 season, the Prairie State College volleyball team opened the campaign with a pair of wins Friday, defeating Joliet Junior College 30-28, 33-31, 24-30, 30-25 and Mott Community College 30-17, 30-24, 30-22. 

But the Pioneers’ results weren’t as favorable Saturday as they lost 30-24, 30-13, 30-21 to McHenry County College and 30-18, 30-18, 30-23 to host Kankakee.

Sophomore libero Eva Garcia (T.F. North H.S.) earned a spot on the all-tournament team after leading PSC with 102 digs in 13 games (7.8 digs per game). 

Sophomore outside hitter Rhea Franczyk (Beecher H.S.) topped the Prairie State charts with 36 kills and 12 aces, while sophomore middle hitter Mandy Sera (Illinois Lutheran H.S.) had a team-best 15 blocks.  Sophomore setter Jenny Ensign (Hobart, Ind. H.S.) dished out 85 assists.

Head Coach:  Scott Sheets
Phone: 708/709-7845

Athletic Director: Robert Fairbank
Office: 708/709-3950