Hawks Leaning on Lino

PALATINE, Ill. – Throughout much of his high school running career, Jhoan Lino (León, Guanajuato/Streamwood) battled tendonitis in his left leg near his knee.

Since coming to Harper in the fall of 2012, he has battled plantar fasciitis but is still making a big impact for both the men's cross country and track and field teams. The sophomore is once again an integral part of the Hawks' cross country team this year again as they approach nationals, and he has been named the seventh Harper College Athlete of the Week for the 2013-14 school year.

Even while Lino was at Streamwood High School, he knew he wanted to compete at the collegiate level. According to him, Harper has given him that perfect opportunity to run while staying close to home.

Last year, Lino was the fifth runner for the national champion Hawks, placing 27^th at the national meet.

This past spring he excelled on the track, taking fourth at nationals in the 1500m and running on the national championship-winning 4x800m squad.

This fall, he is filling the same role as the fifth man for a deep and talented squad.

"Everyone works hard, and it really pushes me," Lino said. "We all push each other and don't leave a guy behind."

According to head cross country coach Jim Macinder, Lino is an extremely talented and dedicated athlete.

"He's one of the finest athletes I've come across. He's one of those leaders by action, in the mold of (teammate Nick) Modlin," he said. "If he turned around and ran the race of his life at nationals and was our No. 1 guy, it wouldn't surprise me."

Lino thinks his team has a great shot to win a third consecutive national championship in just over a week in Northfield, Mass. He feels tough practices combined with several meets with four-year schools have made the team stronger.

Academically, Lino has already earned two N4C Academic All-Conference distinctions for maintaining a GPA above 3.0. After getting his Associate in Arts degree in May of 2014, he said he'd love to compete at a four-year school while potentially going into the medical field.

"I've always wanted to go to North Central College. I'd love to compete after Harper," he said. "I hope whichever school I decide to go to, it will be an amazing experience just like Harper."

Hawks Earn 30th Win in Playoff Opener

The Hawks move on to the Region IV Semifinals to take on Rock Valley. (Jim Cummins)

Box Score

PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College volleyball team earned a decisive three-set victory (25-7, 25-9, 25-12) over visiting Triton College in the Region IV Quarterfinals on Wednesday night to pick up their 30^th win of the season. With the win, the Hawks advance to the Region IV Semifinals on Saturday to take on defending national champion Rock Valley.

"We played well tonight. We also very much appreciate the family, friends, and fan support," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet. "It is a nice volleyball environment here at Harper College. I'm truly honored to be a part of it."

In the first set, the Hawks (30-20) jumped out to a 13-4 lead and extended it to 20-7 before winning 25-7. Alex Messner (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) led the Harper attack with five kills while Rebekah Hischke (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee Crown) added four kills on five attacks. Setter Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) contributed 12 assists.

After capturing the first set, Harper took an 11-7 lead in the second set and used an 8-0 run to extend it to 19-7. Katherine Milla (Honduras/CEAD Christian School) served an ace to win the set and also handed out nine assists to go along with three service aces. Melina Villaber (Chicago, Ill./Taft) provided a strong hitting presence, going 7-for-7 with five kills. Anna Lanier (Dominican Republic/Home School) had her serve working, going 7-for-8 with four aces.

The Hawks built a 17-7 lead in the third set and stretched it out to 23-10 behind some stellar serving from Veronica Dabrowski (Mount Prospect, Ill./Rolling Meadows) (7-for-8, four aces). Outside hitter Alyse Kolner (Crystal Lake, Ill./Marion Central), who played middle in the third set, went 8-for-10 hitting with five kills. Setter Valerie Bazemore(Houston, Tex./Keller) tallied 12 assists in the match clincher.

Dabrowski led the Hawks with 10 kills in her final home match.

"The players have absolutely been model citizens all year long. This will be a difficult team to say goodbye to at the end of the season," Vilsoet said. "But their accomplishments these past two years were amazingly successful. Two 30-win seasons and two fifth place finishes in the coaches' poll. Nice job!"

If the Hawks defeat Rock Valley on Saturday morning, they will take on the winner of the DuPage/Madison match for the Region IV Championship at 1 PM. The winner of the Region IV Championship will advance to the NJCAA National Championship in Rochester, Minn.

Baseball Banding Together for Movember

Yfantis and Becker will be growing moustaches for Movember.

PALATINE, Ill. – Harper baseball coaches and players are banding together for an annual tradition known as "Movember".

During the month of November, they will grow moustaches for the entire month to raise money and awareness of prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

"Everybody likes a moustache," said sophomore pitcher Steven Yfantis (Prospect Heights, Ill./Wheeling). "We really want to promote men's health because a lot of people really don't know prostate cancer is one of the leading cancers in men."

Officially, five Harper baseball players and assistant coach Todd Zasadil have committed to Movember. To view their team page, click here.

Hawks Come up Short against Triton

Harper's season ended with a 2-0 defeat against Triton. (Jim Cummins)

Box Score

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. – Despite a valiant effort by the Harper College men's soccer team to knock off top-seeded Triton College, the Hawks' season ended with a 2-0 defeat in the Region IV Semifinals on Wednesday afternoon at the Schwaben Athletic Club.

On a cold and blustery afternoon, the Hawks (3-9) struggled to maintain possession of the ball in the game's first 15 minutes but played sound defense to keep the game scoreless.

Harper finally applied pressure to the Trojan defense and nearly got on the board first. Aldo Figueroa (Wheeling, Ill./Buffalo Grove) sent a beautiful cross to the center of the box for a streaking Luis Vargas (Palatine, Ill./Palatine)but could not connect as the ball rolled past.

The Trojans (11-1-1) struck first in the 18^th minute on a turnover in the Harper zone. Midfielder Ruben Chavez capitalized on the mistake, drilling a shot into the lower left corner of the net, beating Hawks goalkeeper Sean Cox (Schaumburg, Ill./Conant) for a 1-0 lead.

Triton carried over the momentum with crisp passing, keeping the ball away from the Hawks for much of the rest of the half. In the 38^th minute, Triton's Gustavo Sandoval sent a ball into the penalty area, and Pierre Day headed it past Cox to give the Trojans a 2-0 edge heading into halftime.

The Hawks cleaned up their passing in the second half and had some scoring chances to show for it. Harper put four shots on goal in the second half, including two by midfielder Ryan Murphy (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg). Kevin Engebretsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Conant) also had a prime chance but was shut down.

The Trojans outshot the Hawks 14-5 in the game. In his final game for Harper, sophomore goalkeeper Sean Cox (Schaumburg, Ill./Conant) made 13 saves in a losing effort.

Triton moves on to the Region IV Championship on Saturday to take on second-seeded Joliet, who beat Madison 1-0 on Wednesday to advance to the title game.

Hawks End Regular Season on High Note at Kankakee

Peterson (4) and Messner (10) played big roles in the wins over Kankakee and Lewis and Clark. (Jim Cummins)

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

KANKAKEE, Ill. – The Harper College volleyball team finished the regular season strong, winning matches against Kankakee Community College and Lewis and Clark Community College at the Kankakee Trimatch on Saturday.

Harper vs. Kankakee Community College

The Hawks (29-20) beat a strong Kankakee squad in four sets on Saturday morning (25-17, 25-14, 18-25, 25-18).

In the first set, Harper maintained control throughout, holding leads of 8-5, 15-10, 18-11 and 22-15 before picking up the victory. Outside hitter Alex Messner (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) played a strong set with four kills and four digs while setter Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) directed the offense with 10 assists and added four digs.

The Hawks carried over the strong play into the second set, building a lead of 19-12 on their way to a relatively easy victory. Messner contributed six more kills and five digs while Murphy had 15 assists in the win.

Harper dug itself into a 19-10 hole and used strong serving to cut the deficit to 22-18 but could not pull out the win. Sophomores Veronica Dabrowski (Mount Prospect, Ill./Rolling Meadows) (four kills) and Kelly Spychala (Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove) (seven digs) led the Hawks statistically.

Looking to close out the match in the fourth set, the Hawks built a 15-10 lead and went on to win comfortably. Spychala once again displayed her defensive excellence with 13 digs while Messner, Melina Villaber (Chicago, Ill./Taft) and Morgan Peterson (Roselle, Ill./Conant ) each had three kills.

"We played virtually a perfect match. I didn't ruin it by talking to them during timeouts and between games," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet. "I watched some of the best volleyball from the best seat in the house. This proves that coaching happens at practices, not during the matches."

Messner (13 kills, 18 digs) and Murphy (11 digs, 42 assists) both tallied double-doubles in the victory. Dabrowski put down 10 kills to go with a team-high four service aces. Peterson was 20-for-20 hitting with seven kills and also a perfect 17-for-17 serving. Spychala continued to add to her nation-leading digs total with 27 more digs.

Harper vs. Lewis and Clark Community College

After a well-played match against Kankakee, the Hawks started off slow against Lewis and Clark but rebounded nicely for a four-set win to end the regular season (17-25, 25-8, 25-19, 25-19).

Harper struggled in the first set, falling behind 13-9 and 22-17 before losing. Outside hitter Alyse Kolner (Crystal Lake, Ill./Marion Central) paced the Hawks with three kills and four digs.

Harper made some adjustments in the second set, and they paid off with a blowout victory. Peterson was a perfect 6-for-6 serving with an ace in the win. The Hawks won a tight third set as Messner caught fire with five kills and 8-for-8 serving with an ace.

In the final set of the regular season, the Hawks held leads of 4-1, 11-6, 14-18, and 20-15 en route to victory.

For the match, Peterson and Messner led Harper with 11 kills apiece. Defensively, Dabrowski (16 digs) and Spychala (15 digs) provided a lift while Murphy notched her sixth consecutive double-double (11 digs, 41 assists) to end the regular season.

Playoff Time

The Harper volleyball team opens postseason play with a Region IV Quarterfinals match at home on Wednesday against Triton at 6 PM. If the Hawks win, they will move on to face either Rock Valley or Milwaukee on Saturday morning in the Region IV Semifinals.

If Harper was to win that match, they would move on to face the winner of No. 1 Madison vs. Joliet/DuPage in the Region IV Championship at 1 PM on Saturday, with a berth to nationals on the line.

Dabrowski Dominating in Second Year

PALATINE, Ill. – Harper sophomore volleyball player Veronica Dabrowski (Mount Prospect, Ill./Rolling Meadows)possesses all the attributes of a volleyball player. She's tall, strong, mobile, coordinated, skilled, experienced, coachable, smart and possesses a great vertical jump.

As Dabrowski is playing the final stretch of her Harper volleyball career, she continues to show off her repertoire of skills while being an exemplary teammate. Dabrowski is at or near the top of several NJCAA statistical reasons and has been named the sixth Harper College Athlete of the Week for the 2013-14 school year.

A natural outside hitter, Dabrowski has played middle hitter for much of the year because the Hawks had a need at the position. 

"Clearly, she is playing not only for herself, but for the team's success," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet. "She puts the team's goals above her own goals and has elevated our team to be able to defeat other very strong teams such as D1 Kaskaskia and D1 John A. Logan."

She has improved majorly in her two years with the Hawks, becoming a well-rounded player with her hard-hitting, smart tipping and blocking and two lethal types of serves – a booming jump serve with topspin and a jump-float that can hit all spots on the opponents' court.

Vilsoet's confidence in her is apparent, as she leads the nation in matches played (46) and sets (151), sitting out only seven sets this year. She is third in the nation in total kills (427) and total attacks (1138) and is also fourth in the NJCAA with 94.5 blocks. Her hitting efficiency, which was 21.5% in 2012, is at 24.3% in 2013. Finally, Dabrowski ranks second in the NJCAA for with 584.5 points, a stat that combines kills, blocks and aces.

While her stats have been off the charts in the 2013 season, Dabrowski brings more to her team than what a box score shows.

"She is friends with everyone on the team. She makes everyone around her feel at ease," Vilsoet said. "She laughs with the rest of the team, keeping us all in a good frame of mind. She is part of a team dynamic that is just outstanding."

Dabrowski thinks her team has come a long way from its 12-14 start to the season. Since that point, the Hawks have gone 15-6 and are ranked

No. 5 in the nation.  

"We struggled with consistency early on. However, we are a lot more consistent now, and it's exciting to see the improvement," she said.

The team that will likely stand in the way on the Hawks' path to nationals is No. 1 Madison College. The WolfPack is 28-3 and has won 15 matches in a row. The Hawks have come up short in all three matches against Madison this season. Vilsoet believes if Dabrowski plays well, Harper has a strong chance of finally knocking off Madison.

Dabrowski will get her Associate in Science degree in May and most likely move on to the University of Illinois in the fall of 2014. She has strong family ties to U of I, as her older brother and sister both graduated from there. She plans to major in kinesiology and would someday like to work in health care. Dabrowski  is exploring the fields of physical therapy and sports medicine to see what she'd like to focus on.

As for her volleyball career, Vilsoet believes Dabrowski could play at many four-year schools and offered his insight on U of I.

"If she makes the U of I team, that would be a dream fulfilled. But if she plays club volleyball there, that will satisfy her, too," Vilsoet said.

While Dabrowski isn't actively pursuing other four-year schools as possible destinations to continue her volleyball career, she said she wouldn't rule it out if the opportunity seemed promising.

"It sounds very appealing, and I would definitely consider it and think it's an option," she said.

When she leaves Harper, Vilsoet knows Dabrowski and her fellow sophomores will be tough to replace.

"Veronica is part of the best sophomore leadership we've had here to date," he said. "When the sophomores graduate, there will be a major hole in our team to fill with new players."

Hawks Handle MCC in Straight Sets

Outside hitter Rebekah Hischke had a team-high nine kills and added 10 digs in the win. (Jim Cummins)

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. – The Harper College volleyball team earned a road sweep of McHenry County College on Thursday night (25-20, 25-23, 25-22).

The Hawks (27-20) trailed 11-7 and 16-13 in the first set but made a comeback to tie the match at 20-20.Rebekah Hischke (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee Crown)'s strong serving proved to be the difference, and she won the final point on an ace to win the set.

Harper carried over the late surge into the second set, building a lead of 15-8. The Hawks led 23-16 but struggled to finish the game. They finally closed it out to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

In the third set, the Hawks trailed 13-10 before pulling ahead 22-20. After the Scots tied it at 22-22, Harper won the final three points to take the match.

"MCC's libero Liz Simonelli was all over the place," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet. "That, combined with 30 Harper hitting/serving errors made these scores pretty close."

Hischke played a solid all-around match, totaling a team-high nine kills to go with 10 digs and three service aces. Setter Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) recorded her fourth straight double-double with 15 digs and a team-high 25 assists. Alyse Kolner (Crystal Lake, Ill./Marion Central) tallied a season-high 17 digs in the win.

The Hawks wrap up regular season play on Saturday in Kankakee with matches against Kankakee Community College and Lewis and Clark Community College.