ASHLAND, Va. — Whether she is playing volleyball or living her life, Emma’s mantra is that if you don’t believe that you can do it, others won’t believe you either. Emma also believes that success and happiness come from being confident, working hard, and having fun!

She heavily relies on her faith to stay focused while managing sports, a 4.26 GPA, additional hobbies, and time with family and friends. In addition to playing on Patrick Henry’s volleyball team, Emma also plays for one of the top volleyball clubs in the tri-cities – XZone 16 Premier.

Discover how Emma uses the lessons she is learning from sports to guide her in all aspects of life and in her future.  Emma, we can’t wait to see where life will take you!

Q&A 

What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?

Emma Hutto: I want to become the best player and teammate I can be. I hope to become a starter on my high school volleyball team. It would be amazing to play in college.

What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?

Hutto: The biggest challenge to this sport is working as a team. It is not a sport that one person can carry. It is a team effort, there is no way to win without coming together and working as a team. I try to be kind, uplifting, and supportive to my teammates, and bond with them so we can play better on the court.

What was the best advice you were ever given?

Hutto: The best advice I was ever given was to forget about the scoreboard, the mistakes, and focus on the current point. You can’t go back in the past and change things, but you can focus and take control of this point.

What do you love about your sport?

Hutto: I love how fast-paced volleyball is, you are always on your toes and there is never a dull moment. I also love how team-oriented it is, it can’t just be one person making the point. You have the passer, setter, and hitter contributing to it.

Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?

Hutto: I eat a healthy meal, listen to music to hype myself up, keep a positive attitude, let go of whatever is happening outside of the sport, and focus on the court instead.

What do you like to do outside of your sport?

Hutto: Outside of volleyball, I enjoy music; I am in the show choir, I play guitar, ukulele, as well as piano. I also enjoy reading and writing. I try to spend time with my friends and family as much as I can.

What has being a member of a team taught you?

Hutto: Teamwork and communication are two important skills I have learned from being part of a team. The difference between a good team and a bad team is that one works as a team. The others are just individual players.

What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?

Hutto: The best advice I’ve received from a coach is to ignore the scoreboard. It doesn’t matter what points you have already lost or won. What matters is the point that is right in front of you, focus on winning that point, forget about the other points that have already happened.

Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.

Hutto: I made the mistake of letting another team intimidate me; if you live in fear you won’t be able to rise above and become great. You have to keep a positive attitude, ignore the score, focus on the current point, and believe in yourself. It is so very important to have confidence.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Hutto: As with anything, if you don’t believe that you can do it, others won’t believe it either. Be confident, work hard, and have fun.

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