Senior Emily Martin, libero for the varsity girls volleyball team, has been playing volleyball since the sixth grade.
Some of the many reasons Martin enjoys volleyball are the good workout it provides and the opportunity to be around people from every grade level. One of the reasons she pushes herself so hard is her cousin, a baseball player at University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine).
“He has always taught me how to be good in sports, really be competitive,” Martin said.
A favorite pre-game tradition she participates in as a varsity volleyball player is the “dance tunnel,” where players line up to form a tunnel by seniority, with each of them performing a different type of dance as they go down the line.
While many of her teammates listen to music to get hyped up before a big game, Martin has a unique way of handling the pregame butterflies.
“I need to calm myself down,” Martin said. “I’d say I’m the only one on my team who won’t listen to music before a game, who just needs a calm brain.”
Outside of volleyball, Martin enjoys cooking and baking for her sister, as well as taking her dogs, Daisy and Mazzy, out on walks. In regards to music, her favorite artists to listen to are Frank Ocean and SZA.
Throughout her volleyball journey, Martin has had many setbacks and challenges, including getting a concussion before senior night. This forced her to sit it out, which, although it was disappointing for her, she was still able to find a bright side to.
“That was sad, but [volleyball] is always fun,” she said. “Honestly, I can just cheer for my teammates, and that’s really fun too.”
Another challenge she has faced was playing 6A teams that are out of La Salle’s typical 5A league. Something that has helped her overcome this issue were Martin’s teammates.
“We play 6A teams because that’s kind of where we’re at in volleyball, and it’s definitely a struggle compared to the teams we normally play,” Martin said. “I’d say my teammates have really helped me push through the struggle of being in my head, just being unsure of myself.”
Along with playing for La Salle’s volleyball program, she has also played club volleyball. She enjoys club volleyball because her teammates are the same age as her, allowing a specific community around her to form, but her overall favorite is high school volleyball because of the special bond formed between people in different grades facing the same struggles.
If there was one thing she could say to herself as a freshman, Martin said she would tell herself to have “confidence in myself and believe in my abilities and my competitiveness.”
She looks forward to college, hopefully at UC Irvine where she can join her cousin who plays baseball. While there, she plans to study Spanish and accomplish a masters in education, as well as playing some intramural volleyball in her free time so she can have some fun with the sport she loves.
