GOOD TIME OFF BREAK WORTHWHILE FOR MASTER'S SENIOR.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer

NEWHALL - Rosemary Franklin spent a year from volleyball, something she hadn't experienced since grade school in Ukiah.

But as the daughter of a longtime coach, she wouldn't have traded what she did in place of spiking and digging for The Master's College. Franklin decided to use her redshirt year in 2002 to work on campus in the dorms.

It was a similar path her father Ken took when he was a college athlete. Ken Franklin took a year off from playing football at UC Santa Barbara to be a resident assistant. Like father, like daughter, Franklin decided to return for one final season for the Mustangs.

But it wasn't an easy transition.

``I (went) out of my comfort zone,'' Franklin said. ``And a lot of it was hard, either things I hadn't really thought about before. And there's something that comes with playing a sport your whole life. You kind of identify yourself with that. I felt like my identity was taken away. It made me learn that I'm not just a volleyball player.''

Franklin was in charge of a wing in the on-campus resident hall at The Master's. She worked with freshmen and underclass students, listening to their problems, sitting in on Bible study meetings with them and sharing her stories as a young student-athlete.

Being a fourth-year senior, Franklin found her own previous existence at a small, Christian school such as The Master's invaluable when discussing the ups and downs of college life.

``We talked a lot about what we'd learned in our personal time,'' Franklin said. ``Because sometimes, it's hard here. We just get so much stuff, from chapel, from church and Bible classes. You're trying to process it and you have no outlet to even articulate sometimes from what you learned.''

Funny thing is, the R.A. was getting as much out of it as the dorm resident seeking her expertise. Franklin is outgoing but isn't the most talkative person in groups. She doesn't consider herself shy, but many times she doesn't verbalize what she's thinking.

But Franklin also had such a positive experience entering The Master's from her Northern California hometown, it made it easy to share her thoughts.

However, she also longed to get back on the court. Last fall was her first without volleyball in a long time. But her dad, who has coached for 30 years at the college and high-school levels, encouraged Rosemary to not play volleyball.

She planned to return this season regardless. But when Beth Avila, a former Mustangs' standout and fellow Ukiah product, was named the Mustangs' new coach, it made for a no-brainer decision for Franklin.

Franklin, who leads the Mustangs in kills and ranks second in digs, also made her presence known with the students she looked after in the dorms every day. But she remains a volleyball player.

``It's a good reminder for me to love what I'm doing,'' she said.

Chris Cocoles, [phone]

chris.cocoles(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Rosemary Franklin took a year off from volleyball to be a resident assistant in The Master's dorms.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer