Emma Franzen '21 Recruiting Profile

I am the sixth child in my family, a rarity these days. I may be the baby of the family, but it has made me the competitive, tough-minded, fearless, able to get along with any kind of person. My parents and siblings are all ambitious, whether it is playing bags while camping, swimming against one another, or setting high goals academically; there are two doctors in the family, one studying to be a doctor, and two who graduated with honors from college. All of them have influenced me into who I am today ... a student-athlete who wants to study medicine and play volleyball.

My freshmen year, I transferred into a different high school district; therefore, causing me to sit out due to IHSA rules. It was excruciating watching the games from the sidelines. I did not realize how much I loved the sport until I couldn’t play it. The varsity team, made it to the regional championship, but fell short. I knew I could have made an impact if I would have been able to play. I wanted to put forward more effort and work harder to make the varsity team. I wanted to help them win that championship. This last season, our starters consisted of five returning seniors and myself, a sophomore. We won 20 games, placed second in our county tournament and won the regional championship, which our school had not done in 19 years.

Currently, as the lone returning starter for my high school team, I will have the responsibility of leading our team in a rebuilding year. I am excited for this challenge, as well as, honored that my coach has entrusted me with this task. I began as a setter, but have become more of an all-around player. I am currently working on my hitting skills to be much more of an asset on our team. With this versatility and leadership skills, I know I can have an immediate impact for your program.