On Campus: Richmond-Burton grad Ali Frantti grows as Penn State volleyball player, student

As a freshman at Penn State, Ali Frantti took part in three losses all season.

In the Nittany Lions’ first five matches this season, they lost three times.

“The thing about our team is we’ve never played with each other before,” said Frantti, a junior outside hitter and Richmond-Burton graduate from Spring Grove. “It’s all new people playing all new positions. We started the year off a little shaky. But we’ve worked out the kinks.”

With eight first-year players on the roster, Penn State has ironed out its troubles quickly.

The 10th-ranked Lions (14-3) have won 12 consecutive matches and are off to a 6-0 start in the Big Ten Conference.

Last week, Frantti posted her second double-double of the season with 13 kills and 13 digs in a 3-2 victory against previous No. 1 Minnesota.

“It’s a huge confidence booster,” Frantti said. “Right now, our chemistry has definitely clicked.”

After leading the team in kills (391) and winning national freshman of the year for a national championship team in 2014, Frantti ranked third on the team in kills last season. This season, she is third in kills again but is contributing 1.68 digs a set and has improved her overall game.

“Freshman year, I came in and I was a real offensive player,” Frantti said. “I didn’t have to worry about the back row because we had such stars back there. My defense has definitely picked up, as well as my passing. If I make a great pass, I take that to heart. We couldn’t do what we do without a great pass. Whatever the team needs, I’m there.”

Frantti said contributing in different ways has been part of her evolution as a player.

“You have to be adaptable to be successful,” she said. “It’s cool that I get to experience different roles. Our team is winning, and that’s the most rewarding thing. Whatever role I have, as long as our team is winning, that’s all I care about.”

Now in her third season, Frantti also is enjoying growth away from the court, where she is finding harmony between volleyball and being a student on a vibrant college campus.

“I’m such a competitor,” she said. “When I don’t have a good practice or I have a bad game, it honestly does affect the rest of my day. My biggest goal this year was to separate volleyball from my everyday life.

“Once I get into the gym, it’s just volleyball,” she said. “Once I leave the gym, it’s all about everything else. It’s finding that balance. Everybody can relate to that. Every year, I feel like I’m getting wiser.”

Part of her role this season is in a leadership capacity, she said, helping young players and being an example with her work habits.

“You have to embrace each new opportunity,” she said. “I feel like the veteran now. When I see younger players going through a hard time, or if they ever need somebody to lean on, I’m always there for them.”

North Dakota rebound: After an 0-2 start, North Dakota's football team has bounced back with four consecutive wins and a No. 22 ranking this week in the STATS FCS poll.

Junior defensive end Brandon Dranka (Huntley) ranks second on the team with four tackles for loss. He also has one of the team’s 11 sacks this season. He has started every game this season. Dranka is part of a defensive unit that ranks second in points allowed (21.7 a game) in the Big Sky Conference.

Cary-Grove grad Kyle Norberg, the team’s starting fullback, has helped the Fighting Hawks to their first 3-0 start in the Big Sky since joining the league in 2012. North Dakota ranks third in the league in rushing offense at 216 yards a game.

CCIW award collector: Delaney Pruitt, a sophomore forward/midfielder at D-III Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, was selected Tuesday as the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin women's soccer Offensive Player of the Week.

Pruitt, a Johnsburg grad, had four goals in two victories for the Pioneers (9-3-1). The highlight was a hat trick in a 3-0 victory against St. Norbert. She added a goal in the 86th minute of a 3-1 conference win against Wheaton.

Pruitt leads the conference in goals (10), points (24) and game-winning goals (four).

Mainstay at Mankato: Huntley grad Abby Nordeen has started every match this season and leads the D-II Minnesota State-Mankato women's soccer team with 898 minutes played.

A junior midfielder, Nordeen has helped the Mavericks (7-3-1) to a 6-2 start in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. MSU has outscored opponents 30-9 this season.

Cary-Grove grad Korey Kronforst, a four-year standout for the Mavericks as a player, is serving as a graduate assistant coach this season.

Golden Bear shines bright: Ryan McKee, a senior tackle, leads all defensive linemen for D-II Concordia University, St. Paul's football team with 27 tackles this season.

A Marian Central grad from McHenry, McKee has started every game for the Golden Bears (2-4), compiling 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a blocked kick. He had a season-high seven tackles Sept. 17 in a 52-49 loss to Minnesota-Duluth.

• Barry Bottino writes a weekly column about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and follow @BarryOnCampus on Twitter.