Emma Koppy is a freshman and this is her first year playing volleyball for La Salle. 

Koppy first started playing volleyball in third grade. Some of her first memories of playing volleyball was making a club volleyball team in sixth grade. 

Koppy plays right side hitter and middle box.

Before this year’s season started, Koppy played in the open gym in February to prepare for tryouts. During the off season, she does workouts at home along with passing the ball against a wall to herself. “Anytime I can touch a ball… I try to do that,” Koppy said.

She decided to play volleyball at La Salle because “I wanted to be able to play my favorite sport with people I also went to school with,” she said.

An upperclassman that Koppy looks up to is senior Maggie Gabrish.

“I saw her play one game when she was a freshman and seeing her as a senior it’s kind of crazy,” said Koppy. “I feel like she’s a good person to look up to because she [seems] like she’s really really into it and she seems like she really loves the sport… she really tries hard every single game and she [listens] to the coaches.”

One of her favorite memories was the last game of the season, “because it was the toughest game, but we pushed through as a team and we came together and we fought hard to win, and it was pretty cool,” she said.

Koppy said that volleyball has taught her to “work hard and to keep moving forward to get better.” 

Her favorite part of the sport is “during the games and you’re putting together everything [you] worked on during practice into the game,” Koppy said. “[It’s] the opportunity] to put together everything that you’ve ever learned and to just really try your very best.”

Koppy’s favorite accomplishment she made during her volleyball career was making the club team in sixth grade and making the La Salle volleyball team. 

As Koppy looks to the future, she does hope to play volleyball in college. During her time at La Salle she hopes to have “good relationships with [her] coaches… and [to] continue to try [her] best.”

Next year Koppy hopes to not beat herself up as much when she feels like she is not doing well and instead focus on what she can improve on.

Despite the difference because of the pandemic Koppy said her season was a good one. 

“It was one of the best seasons that I’ve ever had because my coaches were just so helpful, and they really taught me everything that I really needed to know,” Koppy said. “For how short the season was I learned so much and I got to play with some of my really good friends, and overall I just got to have a lot of fun.”