Just minutes after San Benito swept San Ramon Valley Tuesday in
the first round of the CIF Nor-Cal State Volleyball Championships,
Emily Kortsen took just minutes to sign her National Letter of
Intent.
HOLLISTER
Just minutes after San Benito swept San Ramon Valley Tuesday in the first round of the CIF Nor-Cal State Volleyball Championships, Emily Kortsen took just minutes to sign her National Letter of Intent.
Staying true to a verbal commitment she made in April, Kortsen signed on to play volleyball next year at Utah State immediately following Tuesday night’s win, and provided an exclamation point on a San Benito sweep.
“They had been recruiting me for a while,” Kortsen said. “The coaches have been really awesome. I liked the area and after I visited it, I knew I wanted to go there.”
Kortsen also received a little help from a friend.
Setter Chelsea Fowles, who graduated from San Benito High School in 2007 and was co-MVP with Kortsen that year, signed on to play at Utah State last season.
And with both Lady ‘Balers competing on the Main Beach Volleyball Club team (Santa Cruz), the recruiting process was easy for all parties involved.
“They had seen me play because they were watching Chelsea. They started recruiting me later,” Kortsen said. “We’re always connected. We’re pretty much used to each other.
“The coaches (at Utah State) made it really easy. It wasn’t stressful or anything … It’s just nice to have it official now. It’s really cool.”
San Benito coach Dean Askanas said Kortsen is a very “coachable” player, and has all the attributes to make a smooth transition to the college level.
“She’s been a D-I level prospect since anyone laid eyes on her,” Askanas said. “She has the complete game and she has all the physical tools. She has the height. She’s a great hitter, great passer, great hands, plus, she’s mentally tough.”
Askanas added that with Utah State graduating their right outside hitter this year, the 6-foot-1 Lady ‘Baler will fit rather nicely into Utah State’s starting rotation.
“Emily is going to jump right in and take that spot and I know the coaches at Utah State are very excited about that,” Askanas said. “I think she’ll start right away.”
She’ll also be teamed up with Fowles, who earned freshmen of the year honors in the Western Athletic Conference this year, while the two will be a part of an up-and-coming volleyball program.
Utah State upset No. 10 Hawaii in their final regular season game this year, while coach Grayson DuBose was named WAC coach of the year after his Aggies finished in third place with an 11-5 record.
Said Askanas, “I think that program is on the rise.”
Kortsen was in talks with UC Irvine, Saint Mary’s and Utah Valley State College, where her sister Kaylie attended, but the college town of Logan with the rising volleyball program pushed it over the top for her.
And after she saw the improvement in Fowles, well, the decision was easy.
The two-time Tri-County Athletic League MVP has a long list of accolades to her name already, and with 522 kills this year after having 528 in 2006, she doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
Next year, she’ll be teaming up once again with Fowles.
“They played together for so long. They had a lot of success together,” Askanas said. “They had a great chemistry together and they’ll be a great tandem.”
