Will Cook County News

By Claude Martinez.

Prairie State College’s women’s volleyball program was discontinued on January 22, 2026, after the athletic department reported that the decision would benefit the remaining six sports programs.

After 20 seasons of women’s volleyball, the Lady Pioneers have already played their final match, which took place on October 29, 2025.

In the 2025–2026 season, the Pioneers finished with a 9–19 overall record and a 1–5 conference record, according to the Prairie State College website.

This end-of-season record was not the reason for the discontinuation of the program, according to Prairie State College Director of Athletics Joe Belcaster, who addressed the decision in a press release.

“Prairie State College takes tremendous pride in our student-athletes and in the tradition of Pioneers athletics,” PSC Director of Athletics, Joe Belcaster said. “We appreciate all of the hard work and dedication that our players and our head coach, Rebecca Larios have put into making the volleyball program a success.

“Unfortunately, this decision had to be made in order to help secure the long-term financial health of our institution.”

The press release added that “This move will allow PSC to focus on supporting its remaining six athletic programs at the highest levels.”

The remaining PSC programs are men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, and softball.

Looking back at the program’s history, the Pioneers’ best season came in 2011. That year, the team pulled away from the competition, winning the NJCAA Region 4 Championship and an Illinois Skyway Conference title.

Additionally, PSC produced two NJCAA All-Americans during the program’s run. Samantha Krilich earned the honor in 2009, followed by Jessica Stas in 2011.

The PSC press release concluded by stating, “The decision to discontinue volleyball will not impact currently enrolled student-athletes for the 2025–2026 academic year. The college will work closely with impacted students to ensure they have the necessary support and guidance regarding their academic and athletic futures.”

To read Prairie State College’s official press release, click here.

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