This season may be over for the Eastern volleyball team; however, one of the familiar faces from this year that will be returning next year is sophomore outside hitter Emily Franklin.

Franklin played her freshman year at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, and then transferred to Eastern to be closer to her family in Oregon, Wis.

Originally, Franklin committed to Stephen F. Austin because she said she wanted to experience life away from her family.

“I wanted to just experience life on my own and get out of Wisconsin,” Franklin said. “If I didn’t do it then, I probably wouldn’t get another chance to do it.”

Franklin said the experience of being so far away made her want to move closer to her family and friends.

“After I went there (Texas), it was a distance. I realized I did miss my family and my boyfriend a lot more. I just wanted to be closer,” Franklin said. “One of my best friends (a sophomore middle hitter Stephanie Arnold) goes here. We went to the same high school, and I was still four and a half hours away from home. I looked at a few different schools, but I decided to pick this one.”

Franklin has several pets at home, including four cats and a rabbit. She said the numerous pets are not chaotic as much as they are just a part of life.

“I love pets. I love animals. I love being outdoors. We don’t live on a farm, but most of my family does,” Franklin said. “It’s not hectic, it’s just normal.”

In addition to her athletic talents, Franklin also plays piano.

“I played (piano) since I was about 7 up until I was about 14, then I stopped to focus on sports, then I took it up again my junior year (of high school),” Franklin said. “I’ve done sports since I was in about first grade.”

Franklin’s also draws and plays video games.

“I’m just a girl who likes to do everything,” Franklin said. “I like to be outdoors, I love to do any sport, I like to draw and I love video games.”

Franklin said she loves to draw in her spare time, and has her own sketchbook.

She said she loves video games and plays on a variety of consoles.

“I have the Wii, the Nintendo 64 and I play Xbox with my boyfriend,” Franklin said. “I just love to do a lot of everything.”

Brad Kupiec can be reached at 581-7944 or bmkupiec@eiu.edu.

Emily Franklin, a sophomore outside hitter, enjoys playing piano and drawing as well as volleyball. (Jordan Boner

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