Injuring her finger halfway through the season was not how Emma Berthold imagined her last year on the KHS volleyball team to go. However, Berthold, senior, continued to support her team from the bench.

“She was really worked up since she couldn’t help us when we were losing,” Mary Catherine Brown, senior, said. “She gave good words of encouragement and supported everyone. That was her job and she embraced [it].”

Next year she will continue her volleyball career at Truman State University as a walk-on player. “Truman really stuck out to me because my friend plays there now [so I know] it’s a good school,” Berthold said. “[It’s] only a couple hours away from [Kirkwood] and it’s a higher level of volleyball play then other colleges.”

On and off the court Berthold, said she found ways to support her team. She cheers from the sideline and helps out at practice. “She’s always positive [and] happy too,” Brown said. “No matter if she makes a mistake or someone else makes a mistake, she shakes it off really easily.”

Throughout middle school Berthold played both softball and basketball. She started playing volleyball after losing interest in the two other sports. She continued playing after realizing she enjoyed volleyball’s high energy. “I wanted to try something different,” Berthold said. “It seemed like the right fit for me.”

After being moved up to swing varsity her sophomore year, Berthold wanted to keep improving her skill. She started spending more time in the gym conditioning and practicing on the court, while building up muscle memory. “I was always looking up to the older girls, I wanted to be as good as they were, [I was] pushing my skill level to be like theirs [and] constantly had the mindset of wanting to get better,” Berthold said.

Outside of KHS volleyball, Berthold plays for the volleyball club High Performance. This year, Nationals were held in New Orleans, where her team placed ninth out of 42 teams in the American division. “I think between our season and club season she changed as a volleyball player,” Julie Goodmann, girl’s volleyball head coach, said. “She found a passion in the sport and that was intriguing.”

After junior year, Berthold realized she wanted to play college volleyball, she applied to different colleges all around the nation. While at Truman, Berthold wants to go into business marketing and graphic design. Her goal is designing anything for any big or small company. “I love art,” Berthold said. “I’ve taken art all four years of high school. It’s my creative way to express myself.” Along with academics, Berthold hopes to improve on many aspects of the game while at Truman.

“Skill wise I want to be a smart player, push my skill even further, and make more friends,” Berthold said. “The value of a team [is] my favorite part about [volleyball].”