NCSA caught up with volleyball standout Emily Lucas about her high school career and the opportunity to compete at the college level.
NCSA: What have you gained from playing sports in high school (teamwork, the importance of hard work)? How has it affected your life away from the game?
Lucas: Playing sports in high school has just been a continuation of earlier years. Conditioning and practice time has increased which has made me a better athlete. I've learned that teamwork and having fun are the two main elements in a successful season. Sports have always had a huge effect on my life. I've played volleyball, track, basketball, softball, and golf for as long as I can remember. I come from a sports loving family and town. I hardly ever think about anything other than sports, especially volleyball.
NCSA: Tell us a little bit about your high school coach. What is s/he like, what does s/he teach you, what’s the toughest part of working with him/her and what have you learned from them?
Lucas: Shandi Elsey is my high school coach. This will be her 3rd year coaching high school volleyball and she is learning along with us as the years progress. Probably the biggest think I've learned from my coach is to be a team leader. She counts on me to be a leader to all the girls on my team and to the girls on our junior varsity too (even though I'm the youngest by age on varsity).
NCSA: Who’s your role model and why?
Lucas: Well when wanting to become a coach...my role model would be my mom because she has worked hard over the years to get me to be the mental athlete that I am right now. My other role model would be my brother Andrew. He has pushed me hard over the years, no matter what it would be. Andrew has played a huge part in my life from just rollerblading down the street to the grade school, to peppering with me in volleyball.
NCSA: At what age did you start playing your sport? Have you ever had to choose between it and another sport or activity?
Lucas: I started playing volleyball, basketball, golf, and softball when I was about 8 years old and running track since I was about 9 years old. But since my mom was my older sister's volleyball coach, I got to practice with her team when I was in 1st grade and I would have been 6 years old. My freshman year I decided to play golf competitively along with volleyball. This year I will probably have to give up playing basketball because we have to travel so far for club and my school doesn't really support it. I haven't played softball for a couple of years, since my focus has been mainly on volleyball and track.
NCSA: What is your favorite and also what is your least favorite classes in school and why?
Lucas: My favorite class in school would be math, because I love working with numbers and figuring out formulas. My least favorite would have to be English or science.
NCSA: What are you looking for in a college? Do you have your heart set on a major, a certain size of school, type of student body?
Lucas: I do not have an intended major right now. I am thinking about maybe business and accounting because I love working with number. I would like to attend a DI college if possible. I come from a small town, but my brothers and sister have attended large universities so at this time, size and location isn't a concern.
