As the volleyball team begins the second half of district play, they are undefeated having only lost one set to College Station and sweeping the rest, senior Emily Hubacek serves as a leader on the team. As Emily looks to her collegiate career where she will play at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, she stays focused on the task at hand as the team works to place first in district and go deep into the playoffs.
Emily started playing volleyball in the seventh grade when she tried out for the middle school volleyball team. She made the A team, and later decided to play with a city club team.
“Playing for club is different because high school is all ages from freshman to seniors, but club is just our own age group,” Emily said.
Emily’s passion doesn’t lie solely in volleyball as she plans to earn a degree in the teaching field while playing in college.
“In college, I plan on majoring in early child development because I want to be a preschool teacher,” Emily said. “That’s why Corpus is perfect for me, because they have a great elementary school program.”
Texas A&M Corpus Christi wasn’t the only school she expressed interest in, but it was the only one she felt most comfortable attending.
“I was looking at a few other schools,” Emily said. “One was Mid-Western State and the other Wichita Falls, but what I liked about Corpus was that it felt more like home I really got that home-sense.”
Emily won’t sign with the Texas A&M Corpus Christi volleyball team until November, and she anticipates the event with excitement as well as nerves.
“I’m really excited to play at the next level,” Emily said. “It’s going to be a whole different perspective. Instead of playing with girls that are my age like now, these are going to be girls in their twenties, who are bigger, and jump higher so we’ll see how that goes.”
Emily has her whole team, her family, and friends, and a coach, who support her and will continue to support her when she moves up to the next level of college volleyball. Head volleyball coach, Ashley Davis, is a true fan of Emily and her abilities, on and off the court.
“I think Emily has always just exemplified really good character,” Davis said. “Emily’s character is so strong it allows her to improve academically and it allows her to improve on the volleyball court. I think the biggest thing that I’ve seen her improve in is her confidence,” Davis said. “Emily’s ability, it’s just really taken her to the next level this season.”
Emily’s coach isn’t the only person in school who supports her; her friend and teammate Maddie Luera is proud of the opportunity she has just received. Emily is a great leader and is looked up to by many on the team.
“Emily’s actions lead people,” Maddie said. “Her physical ability to put the ball down makes her a great player. She brings a refreshing energy to practice, whenever we’re all down, she brings everybody up.”
