The Volleyball Interview: Emma Grunkemeyer

Photo Credit: Emma Grunkemeyer, #13 above

This is the seventh article in the series The Volleyball Interview, highlighting influential high school Nebraska volleyball players of all ages and levels to get to know them on and off the court on deeper level.

Emma Grunkemeyer is a junior at Millard North High School. She has 79 kills this year with a hitting percentage of .299 and ranked second in the Prep Dig Nebraska Class of 2019 rankings. Here is my interview with Emma:

What are you looking forward to most in attending Iowa after high school?

“I am looking forward to being a part of the Hawkeye culture and meeting really great people while I play volleyball!”

What is your favorite thing about playing volleyball?

“My favorite thing is being able to be with my teammates everyday as we all work hard and improve together.”

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

“I love to full on jam with my teammates and have lots of laughs to get me excited to play!”

What are your nicknames on the team?

“Most of the girls on my team call me Grunk because there is usually another Emma on the team and it stuck.”

What is your favorite team to play and why?

“I love to play Marian because their outsides force me to focus on my blocking in order to be effective and their constant energy challenges us to keep our energy high throughout the match. “

What is your favorite subject in school?

“I generally love math. It is all really cut and dry which makes sense to me.”

What are you considering your college major to be?

“I have absolutely no idea what I will be majoring in so I hope I figure that out soon.”

What is your biggest fear?

“I have a super irrational fear of downward escalators. I don’t know why, they just scare me.”

What is your most embarrassing moment in volleyball?

“I have a lot of embarrassing moments, but my most recent was last season when I full on face planted in the middle of the court during the game.”

What is your happiest moment in volleyball?

“My happiest moment would be last year when my school team won the state championship. It was such a crazy rush of emotions and the satisfaction that all our hard work played off.”

What is your favorite off the court activity and why?

“I love to eat food outside. There is something about being outdoors that makes me super happy, then the food just adds to the joy.”

Who is the toughest player or team you will play this season?

“The toughest team we will play is Marian because they have a lot of really talented hitters and passers all 6 rotations.”

What team do you want to beat most this season and why?

“I really want to beat Marian and Papio because they challenge us and it’s fun to play good teams and win.”