St. Clair College Department of Athletics and women’s volleyball sign three top recruits Jordyn Pranger, Andie Suthers and Kiana Gelissen to Letters of Intent for the 2017-18 season
Jordyn, (feature photo) a 5’10” left side hitter, is from London where she attends Midway High School. She has played for Forest City volleyball club for 5 years. Jordyn is very excited to come to St. Clair next fall. “I decided to commit to the Saints because of the Early Childhood Education program. The program is everything that I am looking for, both in the classroom and on the court as a Saint. School is my top priority and getting to play the sport I love is a bonus for me.”
Head Coach Jimmy El-Turk (feature photo) is glad to have Jordyn on board. “We are very thrilled to add Jordyn to our team next season. Jordyn was an athlete that we started recruiting last season and was our top priority this year knowing that we needed to add a left side with good ball control, high volleyball IQ, and most importantly some offence from the left side of the floor. We are looking forward to having Jordyn on our campus and enhancing our training environment each day with her competitiveness.”
Andie Suthers is coming to St. Clair after graduating from the University of Windsor and playing 2 seasons there. The 6’1” middle previously attended Belle River High School prior to going to the University. Andie cannot wait to start her career as a Saint. “St. Clair College was an easy choice for me because the school has the program that will compliment my university degree, and is specific to my career goals. I’m especially excited to become a Saint and play for the women’s volleyball team. The school offers state of the art athletic facilities, dedicated and passionate coaching staff, and a talented, cohesive team. It’s exciting to be part of a program that is now competing for championships.”
“Andie reached out to me last season letting me know that she was planning on attending St. Clair to study Police Foundations and it was a no brainer to bring her on board. Her size, athleticism, and university experience will help us perform on the court and add a lot of valuable depth to the middle. Off the court, she is going to fit right in to our team culture with her selflessness and team first approach, ” stated El-Turk.
Kiana Gelissen, a 6’2” middle from Lasalle, will be joining the Saints after graduating and playing from Sandwich Secondary. Gelissen is looking forward to becoming a Saint. “I’ve decided to study at St. Clair because I’ve heard they have a great academic establishment and educational programs, but also to play volleyball. I am very excited to play volleyball next season because I would like to improve my individual game and looking forward to creating everlasting bonds with the rest of my teammates.”
Coach El-Turk is excited to add more size to his roster. “Adding Kiana to our roster was a last minute surprise. Her coach at Sandwich, Chris Johns, as well as our assistant coach, Stephanie Wilson were very instrumental in getting Kiana on our radar. After speaking with her, I was very pleased with her positivity and her willingness to want to get better. She will add a lot of size in the middle for us and we hope with a full years worth of training in our gym, her skills and reading cues will improve to contribute to our program down the road.”
In addition to the three signings, the Saints are looking forward to adding Hanna Stewart for next season as well. Stewart from Woodstock, played this past season at the University of Windsor and is going into her second year of the Concurrent Early Childhood Education Program. In the second year of this program she will be attending St. Clair for the entire year then returning to the University for years three and four.
St. Clair finished the regular season with a record of 12-6 in the OCAA West Division and 3rd place. The Saints hosted the OCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship and narrowly missed out on a medal finishing in 4th place in the province.
The St. Clair College men’s volleyball program has signed Chatham’s Trevor Everitt to a Letter of Intent for the 2017-18 school year.
Everitt, a 6’5″ left side hitter, who has been a key component of many OFSAA Chatham-Kent Secondary School teams, felt that St. Clair was the best fit for him both on and off the court. Trevor also has an extensive amount of experience at the club level with the Chatham Ballhawks and with the Ontario Volleyball Association Region 3 program.
“It feels good to finally commit with to the Saints,” said Everitt. “Over the last couple years I felt like St. Clair was the school for me. When practicing with the team over the summer the coaches and players were outstanding and the sport and recreation management program is perfect for me. Right then I knew that St. Clair was for me as I could get my 3 year diploma but also play the game I love.”
St. Clair is getting a quality player, and person, who will immediately help their program and Saints head coach Rob Lynch is very excited to add Everitt to the team. “Trevor is a versatile player as he has played left side, right side, and middle. He will be a valued member of our roster moving forward and is a quality individual on and off the court.”
Everitt has demonstrated his love for the game off the court as well, as he’s taken on a coaching role this past year with the Ballhawks program, giving back the same support to other athletes he feels he’s received to this point in his life.
This past season the Saints narrowly missed the OCAA playoffs due to a tiebreaker in their standings, finishing the year with a 9-9 record and tied for 5th place.