Franck headed to Iowa

CEDAR RAPIDS - After visiting with the volleyball players and coaching staff at the University of Iowa, Paige Franck was impressed.

After visiting the dental school, 'That was icing on the cake,” she said.

A diverse junior, Franck confirmed Friday morning that she has committed with the Hawkeyes. She'll join the team in the fall of 2017 as a defensive sepcialist and back-up setter.

'I love the girls. I love Coach Bond (Shymansky). And the fact that they offer such a good dental school - I want to be an orthodontist ... I'll get a great education and get to play volleyball.”

Franck's decision gives the Cougars four Division-I volleyball commitments.

Seniors Anna Fluent, Brinley Milbrath and Macy Anderson have committed to Loyola (Ill.), Illinois State and Nebraska-Omaha, respectively.

Libero Tianna Drahn will play softball at Northern Iowa.

On a team stacked with talent, Franck is perhaps the most diverse player, and one of the most valuable. She is third on the team in kills (2.35 per set), second in aces (18) and second in digs (2.45 per set).

'Paige is a remarkable athlete and an exceptional volleyball player,” Cedar Rapids Kennedy volleyball coach Michelle Goodall said. 'She is well rounded and can play any position well. She's driven and focused and smart in her play, and her communication skills make others around her better too.”

The Hawkeyes, long an afterthought in the Big Ten, have made progress under Shymansky, in his second year. Iowa is 10-5 this season.

'He has that fire,” Franck said. 'He wants to make that program successful.”

Class 5A sixth-ranked Kennedy is 17-6 and has wrapped up at least a share of the MVC Valley Division championship, the school's first since 2006.

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