By Derrick Smith

Team chemistry plays a big role in any success that the team has. If the team works well together, that will usually lead to better play on the field. Emma Dowdell says that she and her teammates work very well together and that has made her high school career so enjoyable.

“My team this year is such a fun group of girls to get to play with,” she said. “We’re in it together. This is a really special team and they have made my senior year one to remember. Getting to play volleyball with these girls and making relationships has definitely been a highlight of my career.”
Emma, who is a senior, attends Clinton High School She plays libero for the volleyball team, a sport she first started playing in the fifth grade.

There have been people that have had an influence on her, but she says that there are a couple of people that have made a lasting impression on her.

“My mom and grandmothers are three women who make it easy to look up to,” she said. “They carry themselves with self-respect and radiate love. I can only hope to be like them when I get older.”
Dowdell says that being a successful athlete takes more than just physical work to become the best you can be.

“Along with being present in practice every day to get better, it takes a mentality,” she said. “Being an energetic leader every time I step on the court, and working hard even when it’s difficult. My teammates make that easy.”

As a student in the classroom, Emma says that while she has had numerous teachers, there is one that stands out as her favorite.

“Ms. Donley was my eighth-grade English teacher,” she said. “She ultimately taught me how to write correctly. She was also an emblem of dedication in the classroom which inspired me to take my schoolwork seriously.”

Outside of sports, Dowdell is a member of the National Honor Society and also serves as the senior class vice president.