Bonneville 2013 guard Emilie Volk picks Fresno State basketball

One of Utah's top senior girls' basketball players will be headed to the Mountain West to play her college basketball.

Emilie Volk, a 6-foot guard who plays for Bonneville and Salt Lake Metro, announced Saturday she's committed to Fresno State. Picking the Bulldogs over Utah State and Pepperdine, Volk said she just felt ready to make the call.

"It was really tough between the schools," she said. "Fresno - I really love the academics there, because I want to do physical therapy. And of course I love the coaches, the system they're going to run there, I loved the campus and I clicked with the team."

Notably, Fresno State is now coached by Reagan Pebley, who spent the last nine years building a program at Utah State. The former Aggies coach seems to still have some pull in Utah recruiting.

With Volk, the Bulldogs are getting a smooth combo guard who can handle, drive and shoot. Volk played her first two seasons at Christian Heritage, a 1A school, and dominated. She proved she could hang with better opponents last season, leading the Lakers in points and rebounds on her way to first team All State honors in Class 4A.

"It's crazy how fast time goes," Volk said. "It's been my parents, my coaches, God - it's a blessing to have come this far."

Bonneville should be in the thick of the basketball title chase this winter, but at the moment, Volk is concentrate on another athletic pursuit. She's a defender for the Lakers' soccer team, which last won state in 2010 and is leading Region 5. Volk says she's enjoyed getting back into a sport that she once gave up to play basketball.

That doesn't mean she's not still workshopping her game on the court.

"I can work on my dribbling, my 3-ball," she said. "There's always room for improvement."

— Kyle Goon

kgoon@sltrib.comTwitter: @kylegoon