By Marisa Papagelis and Kaitlyn Corcoran

Emma Smallcomb is a sophomore at Westborough High School, and a member of the WHS Varsity Volleyball Team. Smallcomb was the only freshman to make Varsity in last year’s 2014 season, and she now begins her second season of high school volleyball and her sixth year on a club team.

Last year, in the playoffs, the team made it to the district finals. “The team was good; we made it to district finals and weren’t expecting that because we had lost 12 seniors the year before. They didn’t think we were going to be good, but we ended up proving them wrong.” Smallcomb explained.

When asked about her experience as a freshman on Varsity, Smallcomb says, “I thought it was going to be hard because there were 5 seniors and juniors combined that played the same position as me, and I played over them, so I thought it was going to be kind of miserable taking seniors spots. However, they ended up being the nicest people I have ever met and they were all really supportive even though I played over them.”

When asked why she loves volleyball so much Smallcomb claims,  “I like that it’s a team sport and it can’t just be one person that hogs the ball all the time like other sports. You have to work as a team in order to succeed. It really is true that the team is only as good as their weakest player, because volleyball involves everybody.”

Smallcomb grew up playing the sport of volleyball because her mother played throughout college and after college in the national championship. Volleyball has always been a big part of her life.

Smallcomb can play most of the positions in volleyball: she plays setter and libero on her club team, she is playing setter this high school season, and last high school season she was a hitter.

Volleyball consumes much of Smallcomb’s life. During the high school season she practices every day for three hours. For club, she practices three times a week for three hours each, and she has either a tournament or a six hour practice each weekend. In her free time, Smallcomb enjoys playing lacrosse.

Smallcomb’s biggest role model is her high school coach, Mr. Anderson. “He has taught me so much. For example, he taught me that volleyball isn’t about how good you are, it’s about your mental capacity and about how good you are to your teammates.

When asked about the upcoming season, Smallcomb says the goal is to make it far in the tournament. “I think that with the skill that we have we should be good and we should go far in the tournament.”

Smallcomb hopes to continue to play volleyball competitively after high school. She believes that playing in college is definitely a possibility and something she would like to pursue.