Bio

Mr. Mikes RDP Athlete of the Week for February 27, 2023

After multiple accolades this past weekend, libero Frankie Sandini is named this week’s Queens Athlete of the Week. Starting on Wednesday, Sandini was presented with the top liberos award in the ACAC South Division and was named to the All-Conference team. She would hit the court on Thursday night in a crucial match against the Keyano College Huskies where she would backstop the Queens defense with 18 digs on the way to a four-set victory.

This win gave the Queens the opportunity to compete for a medal, but it was an uphill battle as they would take on the Lakeland College Rustlers, who were the number one team in the ACAC and only dropped three sets during the regular season. It was a tough match all-around for the Polytechnic as they had trouble getting their offense going but Sandini did everything she could on defense, picking up 20 digs in the three-set loss and earning her the honour of being the player of the match.

In the bronze medal match that went to five sets against the Lethbridge College Kodiaks, she would pick up 22 digs and earned a bronze medal in the process as they defeated the Kodiaks. Later on in the evening, following the gold medal match, the West Vancouver native was named to the Tournament All-Star performance with a combined 60 digs which led all liberos in the tournament and averaged five digs per set.

Congratulations Frankie for all these accolades this past week. We look forward to what’s to come next season!

Fas Gas RDP Athlete of the Week for November 28, 2022

Libero Frankie Santini was a crucial acquisition for the Queens volleyball program this past off-season as they graduated two defensive specialists last season. Since the start of the season, she has received multiple player of the game honours and her efforts throughout the year so far have not gone unnoticed as she is named this week's Female Athlete of the Week. She was a key player in the success of the Queens back-to-back victories against the Lethbridge College Kodiaks, who were sitting first in the South Division coming into this past weekend.

She picked up a total of 17 digs and 45 receptions in the two games against the Kodiaks. In one rally on Friday night, she dug up four desperation digs for her team to keep them in the rally and ultimately, win the point. Santini was all over the court on Friday and Saturday as she was not going to give up on any ball no matter how far or where it was on the court even if it meant putting the body on the line. Head Coach Talbot had nothing but praise for his libero.

“We knew coming in that she was a very competitive player. She expects a lot from herself and has that eagerness to defend on every ball. When you got that kind of package and someone who’s willing to go crazy on every ball defensively then she gives herself the best chance to dig up the ball and continue the rally for her team.”

Santini and the Queens will look to continue their successes into the second semester and hopefully, into the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Championships in February hosted by Red Deer Polytechnic.