Player Spotlight: Emily Krolikowski

At the head of Centura’s 17-2 start is a 5’11” senior middle hitter, Emily Krolikowski. With 193 kills on the season, Krolikowski is swinging an impressive .402 hitting percentage. As a four-year starter for the Centurions, the standout has dramatically increased her stats each year she has stepped on the court, and as a result, has tallied 761 kills in her career.

Krolikowski began playing at a young age as her family has been involved in sports for as long as she can remember. She credits some of her interest to her sister, Casey Krolikowski, a left-side for Hastings College who is coming off of a national championship. Volleyball definitely runs in the family. Emily has decided to continue her career at Hastings College with her sister. When making the decision about whether to play or not, she said,

“It has always been my happy place and the volleyball court is where I have continually felt the most confident, so I have no doubt that I made the right decision to continue to play.”

Hastings College has always been Krolikowski’s dream as her parents actually met there years ago and she sees it as a great school. Playing with her older sister again will be a high point in the next stage of her career and she anticipates the opportunity to step on the court with someone she knows and loves!

Krolikowski has improved her game this season with more smart plays. Instead of going for smash after smash, she explains that trying to outsmart the defense and anticipating plays has helped her become a better attacker. In addition to bringing her skill to the Centura team, Emily feels she adds a sense of reliability as her relationships with her teammates are superb. Her energy and emotion on the court also prove to be a momentous factor for her team. In regards to her passion for the game, Emily said,

“I love showing emotion during the game, because there is no greater feeling than when you make a huge play and you simply feel all of your emotion from within your heart.”

The Centurions topped Kearney Catholic in three sets earlier in the season and Krolikowski said it has definitely been one of the highlights of the season. She said,

“I personally hadn’t ever beat KC in any sport before that match, so it was a pretty incredible feeling. On top of that, the win against Kearney Catholic was the first time Centura had beat them in 11 years, so obviously Centura Volleyball is making improvements, and that is something that I am very proud of.”

In the coming weeks, Emily looks forward to playing Sandy Creek. As the teams near the end of the season, Krolikowski feels both teams will be near their peak and playing some great volleyball, so it is bound to be a battle. It will be the last home game for the senior and she hopes to end her career on her home court with a win and a great memory. That will not be the last game for the Centurions, however, as the team has a definite shot at playing on the last day of the season in Lincoln. Centura is a top-five team in class C-2 without a doubt and can hang with any team in their class on any given day. Lincoln is starting to call their name!