Columbus East’s Addison Emery passes the ball against Bloomington North Aug. 15, 2023 at Columbus East.
The Republic file photo
Addison Emery’s senior volleyball season hasn’t gone the way she had hoped, but the Columbus East defensive specialist is happy to be back on the court.
Emery sustained a dislocated kneecap during the Olympians’ home win against Shelbyville on Sept. 9. She missed the next nine games, all of which East lost.
“It was tough because it’s my senior season, and I always want to be on the court with my best friends,” Emery said. “They’re my second family. They’ve supported me throughout this whole injury, and I’m just grateful that I can be back on the court.”
Emery came back on senior night Oct. 1 and helped the Olympians take Bloomington South to five sets. East fell to Columbus North in its next game before snapping an 11-game losing streak with a four-set win at Madison.
“She definitely is one of our top servers, and her passing skills, we missed it when she was not there,” East coach Alison Eagleman said. “The other girls stepped up, but it is nice having her back in the rotation and being able to be in serve-receive.”
This wasn’t the first time Emery had dislocated her kneecap.
“So I’m pretty used to it, honestly, coming back from an injury,” Emery said. “I’m just happy to be back. It’s pretty healthy right now. Obviously with a dislocated knee, there’s always structural damage, but for right now, I’m perfectly fine, and I’m just ready to play.”
Addison Emery
Emery said she doesn’t feel a lot of pain when she is playing.
“It’s a very mental thing,” Emery said. “There’s not really much pain to it. It’s mostly mental. I just play through it because I want to be out there.”
Emery, who has been serving and playing left back, leads the Olympians in digs per set (3.0) and aces per set (0.5). Perhaps as important, she’s been a leader in the back row.
“She talks more,” Eagleman said. “She seems to be able to bring the team together and lift them up when we need it.”
Despite the injury, Emery is considering playing volleyball in college. She plans to participate showcase in November and plans to undergo surgery in late November.
East finished the regular season with a 4-27 record.
“It’s not the way we wanted the season to go, honestly,” Emery said. “But we’re just staying together as a team, fighting over and over again to win. Toward these last few weeks of the season, we’ve been playing better as a team. We’ve had less mistakes as a team, and all of us have been playing together.”
One of the four teams the Olympians beat will be their opponent in today’s sectional semifinals. East will play East Central (10-21) at 11 a.m. today at East Central. A win would put the Olympians in today’s 6 p.m. sectional final.
“It’s exciting having a team that we’ve already beaten, but we can’t let that affect how we play,” Emery said. “We’re just going to have to play our game.”
