I wrote about Hutchins back in early March after watching her compete during the club campaign. She was standing out in the middle of the net as an impactful two-way performer. Power was the name of her game as she brought down the hammer with a heavy right-handed swing. Long arms and leaping ability led to an effective block. She showed a good feel for match flow and being the right place at the right time. Hutchins has taken a step forward this fall as one of just two sophomores contributing for an Ankeny varsity with realistic aspirations of winning a state title after reaching the semifinals a year ago. Hutchins has a bright future in this game unless she opts for basketball, where she helped the Hawks reach the state tournament as a freshman last winter.

Hutchins is a dominant middle who uses every inch of her height to be assertive at the net. Hutchins rejects her opposing hitters like it’s nothing by utilizing stellar timing and a big reach. Offensively, Emerson works hard in transition, is explosive in her approach, and shows off a heavy arm. We can expect Hutchins to be a strong contributor to the Ankeny crew this fall.

It’s fun stumbling on volleyball players for the first time even through you feel like you should have known more about them sooner. That was the case with Hutchins, who played up and helped the host program’s 16-1 Premier team finish second in the Gold Bracket at the 2026 Impact Invite. The freshman even left the tournament for Ankeny’s basketball practice preparing for state on Sunday and came back for the championship match. Hutchins is every bit of the 6-foot-1 at which she’s listed on the roster. Long arms, explosion off of the court and leaping ability make for an intimidating, two-way presence in the middle of the net. Hutchins gets on top of the ball and flashes a big arm on the attack. Her timing in throwing up the block leads to rejections and alters a lot of opposing swings.

Hutchins is a strong, athletic middle who brings power and stability to the court. She uses her height and speed well to be a strong player in both attacking and blocking situations. Offensively, she is able to terminate with force, and defensively she presents a consistent, steady block through good positioning and timing. Her consistency and physicality make her a dependable player for this highly success team.