Starting out high school trying out for a varsity team might not all be that scary. Emma Best (9) started her volleyball career at the age of six and hasn’t stopped since.

“I was really excited a little nervous and yet confident in myself. Realizing that there was going to be a lot of pressure on me made feel to push a little harder,” Best said.

This season there are a lot of new experiences for Best. She’s working on getting better with her skills and playing with some of the upperclassmen that have already committed to colleges. Best is one of the team’s starters and plays all around on the court.

“I play outside hitter and middle back in the back row, so I play ‘DS’ too,” according to Best.

“DS” is the defensive specialist whose purpose is to play back row for someone who mainly plays front row (usually a hitter). The team’s practice is everyday from 2:40 to about 5:45. Their games differ from home and away.

“I like the home games better because you are in your own gym and you feel all the fans energy and stuff but when you go to an away game it’s all their fans and you feel pressured because they have the home advantage so it’s better at home,” Best said.

Best has played club volleyball for many different clubs. After this season, Best will be playing with the team Michio out of Oak Lawn. She prefers to play club volleyball over school volleyball.

“I like club volleyball better because it is more competitive, you travel a lot more and you are with the team for a longer period of time so they become like your best friends,” Best said.

Best gave the advice to “always work hard because it will pay off in the end and even if you don’t expect it, it will still help you in the long run.” In the future she hopes to continue her volleyball career and play throughout college and end up hopefully playing for the USA national team.