USUE welcomes new volleyball recruit, Emily Bender

This archived article was written by: Taina Soranzo

A Nevada native graduates early to join her sister in playing for the Eagles’ volleyball team.
Emily Bender is from Henderson, NV. One of the three players that joined the team.
Bender played for Coronado High School and helped win three state championships. In 2014 and 2015 she made it to the First team All-Conference, 2015 All-State Honorable Mention, 2013 All-Conference Honorable Mention, 2015 Defensive MVP of Coronado, and Four time MaxPreps Player of the Match. She is one of the nine new volleyball student-athletes joining the Utah State University Eastern team in 2016.
Why did she decide to come earlier to USUE, she said; “Senior year was super easy for me, and I felt like it was a waste of time to wait around for graduation, so I decided to take extra classes, and Coach Brittney Lee [USU Eastern’s volleyball] was helping a lot and made it easy for me to make the transition here.”
Bender has a winning track record and she believes that, “with each title, we had to get comfortable being uncomfortable if that makes sense. I’ve learned how to win and how to be in tight situations that you have to be clutch, I believe I can bring that for the team.”
Bender is excited about next season. She said, “Our team has a lot of potential next season and I can’t wait to contribute to the team.”
She is also excited because she will be playing with her sister. “That was one of the main reasons I committed to this school. It was such a cool and unique opportunity so it was almost impossible to pass up.
“The last time we played together, we won our first-state championship, and we have played together my whole life so I’m super comfortable with the way she plays. We have a lot of chemistry and I can’t wait to get back in the gym with her.”
The Bender sisters are one of the three-sibling duos on the team next season. The others are Allilia and Prim Feletoa, and Davia Bethers and Navi Lee.
About moving from Vegas to Price, Bender said; “it’s been such a weird transition. At first I hated it here. I really wanted to go home, but Price kind of grows on you and you find ways to make it fun.
“Vegas is so big and there is always something going on, so coming here, where the population is so small and where it’s such a quiet town, it was a hard change for me. I’ve never lived in such a small town. It’s cool that I get to experience something new and I’m excited to experience more of this school and town.”