BY DAVID RODISH GILLETTE NEWS RECORD SPORTS EDITOR

Gillette College's volleyball team has had an up and down start to the season. At 5-7, the Pronghorns have competed in three tournaments, going 1-3 in two of them and 3-1 in the third.

Even though as a team they're below .500, the Pronghorns are establishing one of the best defenses in the NJCAA. In the team's five wins, the common theme has been its back line, and that stems from the Pronghorns' libero Francesca Gazani.

In a 3-2 win over Lake Region State College, the freshman from Utah recorded 41 digs in a game. Machin said its an extremely rare number to see, one she knows she never hit when she was playing.

Gazani has been good all season long — she has stayed in the NJCAA's top five in digs all season — but the past two weeks have shown a much more confident player, which has made a noticeable difference.

Machin said that leading up to the second McCook tournament, she noticed Gazani becoming more vocal. That was the missing piece for Gazani. She isn't always "sweet Franny" which Machin loves.

"That's nice off the court, but on the court it's like come on. You can't be that nice all the time," Machin said.

In the team's first tournament, Gazani had to libero the entire weekend. She was a little hesitant, and Machin said she didn't "own the position" like she knows she could.

Gazani has separated herself, but the entire back line has been the strength of the team. Daliana Garcia and Fabiola Acety both have over 100 digs in the season. Libero Valerie Rodriguez is at 99.

Their play has been key, but it's also their vocal leadership. Coach Julia Machin said that the back line will sometimes make the team repeat a drill, even when Machin is satisfied with how the team ran it.

"They're incredibly hard workers, and they have the personality for it," Machin said. "We give our hitters a lot of opportunities by being able to pick up so many balls. We give them three, four, five chances to put the ball away sometimes."

Gazani has a total of 218 digs and averages 5.59 per set. Gazani believes that it's just part of her duties as the libero. She thinks of it like she is expected to be the team's best defensive player and to make those plays. Machin says Gazani doesn't realize how special she is to be able to make some of those plays.

"She's the most humble person possible," Machin said. "Even when she's having the game of her life, she's apologizing for not getting the perfect receive pass."

The Pronghorns have a lot of team-centric, humble players. But Gazani's humility is rare. She doesn't care about her numbers, only the final score. When she thinks back to that game where she recorded 41 digs, what she remembers most is how she felt the team came together. Her favorite memory of it is that they played their most cohesive game.

Gazani gets emotional thinking about her journey to Gillette. She transferred to a new high school her senior year, and three games into her final season was forced to the sideline after the Utah High School Athletics Association discovered she was living outside of the school's boundaries. Her future in the sport seemed in doubt.

"That was my lowest point — I transferred there to play, then I just wasn't able to," she said. "It gets me emotional, but that's okay. I'm here, and I've got all the support I need."

The experience of not knowing her playing future is what makes Gazani play the way she does. She goes out every game like it's her last time ever on the court.

Machin saw what Gazani was capable of and wanted to make sure she was a Pronghorn. In her high school tape, Machin saw Gazani make mature reads. She said some of those were plays she hasn't seen a high school player make in a long time. She would call Gazani's dad weekly in an effort to bring her to Gillette.

"Even if she doesn't quite finish a play, some of the things she was off on weren't very big, and they're pretty correctable," Machin said. "Some of her hustle plays are just crazy. The balls she is able to save you would not think anyone could get a finger on, and they'd come up perfect."

Once Machin started talking to Gazani, she knew she had to have her, and so far, the results have been what Machin was hoping for

The Pronghorns' offense still needs work, and it might take some time for that end to become more consistent. But in the meantime, the Pronghorns will remain competitive and win games, thanks to the back line led by Gazani.

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