The silver lining of a difficult situation has helped junior outside hitter Emma Phillips get her volleyball career back on track for St. Charles East.
Phillips missed all of last season with a back injury, which is obviously a big obstacle to overcome. But on the other side and thriving this year, she realizes how much the injury returned her joy.
“I really wanted to make this season count because I know how it felt to watch my team,” Phillips said. “All of them have welcomed me back and they’re always had great energy.
“It took a lot, but I had to look at the positive side of it. Now, I realize how much I love volleyball.”
The 5-foot-8 Phillips has certainly made good on her promise to make this season count.
She was at it again in Tuesday’s convincing 25-22, 25-14 DuKane Conference win over Batavia, putting put down a match-high 14 kills to give her 200 on the season. She also served two aces.
Scarlett Dickerson, Francesca Fevold and Gianna Gjokaj added three kills apiece for the Saints (20-7, 4-2). Morgan Raiser and Sophie Wojtkiewicz each had six kills for the Bulldogs (16-11, 2-4).
St. Charles East coach Jessa Henry, new to the program, has witnessed Phillips’ development.
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“I think watching her fall in love with the game and find her footing without injury weighing on her has been awesome,” Henry said. “She’s so sassy. She owns the court, and it’s so fun to watch.”
Not only that, she packs a punch on the outside. Despite being only 5-8, Phillips has been St. Charles East’s hammer in what has been a resurgent season for once-powerful program.
“I’ve just known that I’m undersized since I started playing volleyball,” Phillips said. “Working on my jumping, especially, is important.”
Phillips put together some dominant stretches Tuesday.
She had three kills and an ace as St. Charles East built an 8-5 lead in the first game. In the second game, she had four straight kills as the Saints took to a 9-3 lead and forced a timeout.
“We definitely had a lot more people here than we usually do, so as a team we knew that we had to bring a bunch of energy,” Phillips said. “I think we played great as a team. It was fun.”
Batavia has hit a rough patch of late, going 4-5 in its past nine matches. The Bulldogs had a chance to steal the first game, but once that slipped away, St. Charles East took off.
“We didn’t play well,” Batavia coach Tom Berry said. “We didn’t show up. We’ve been in a little bit of a funk the last two weeks. We’re working through some things. I’m not worried about it.
“I think we’re a very talented team and I think we have the senior leadership to bounce back.”
Speaking of bouncing back, the Saints have been looking for stability after legendary coach Jennie Kull retired following the 2022 season. The Saints finished fourth that year in Class 4A.
Three losing seasons under two coaches followed until Henry arrived this season.
“I used to watch when I was little,” Phillips said of the days when St. Charles East dominated. “To bring that back is so fun. I know we all have tons of fun doing it together.”
The positive vibes from Phillips are a big part of the turnaround this fall, according to Henry.
“I think it’s been a lot of joy,” Henry said. “I think the girls in the past year had a hard time finding their love for volleyball again. That’s something I get told from our teachers.
“The girls come in so excited to play volleyball.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.