Franklin volleyball star Sophia Chacon signs with UTEP

Franklin volleyball star Sophia Chacon signed with UTEP Monday afternoon at a ceremony at the Franklin High School library.

Chacon, who played setter with the Cougars, helped lead her team to a bidistrict title this past season under legendary head coach Flo Valdez, whom Chacon thanked profusely during her signing ceremony.

“Honestly, I’ve been so blessed with the opportunity I’ve had, especially under Coach Valdez. She’s a legend,” said Chacon. “And her coaching style has made me into a better leader and a better person all-around.”

As for why she picked UTEP, Chacon says it’s another coach who got her attention.

The new man in charge of the Miners is Ben Wallis. As fate would have it, Wallis was a former coach at Franklin about two decades ago.

Chacon says his style of coaching is what convinced her UTEP was the place to be going forward.

“It was definitely a hard [choice]. I was between UTEP, Odessa College, and a school in Georgia called Valdosta. And I noticed or I heard about Ben Wallis becoming the new coach at UTEP, and it just made that decision so much easier. I’ve seen him coach before. And he seems to have the potential and the love for the game that he makes me want to play even more.”