Getting to Know...Emily Stebbins
8/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Alabama Volleyball welcomes eight newcomers to the team this season, so we'll be chatting with all of them over the next few days. Our sixth newcomer is Emily Stebbins from Carmel, Ind.
How did you get your start playing volleyball?
"I've kind of been all over the place with sports. It took me a while before I found volleyball. It was one of those things where my mom signed me up for a simple camp and I fell in love with it."
What other sports were you playing?
"I did track, gymnastics, soccer, figure skating, cheerleading, tennis, everything really. I was a figure skater for a few years but volleyball was the one I truly stuck with. All the other sports were something I did for maybe a year and then moved on to another one but I started volleyball in third grade and kept with it."
Was playing in college a goal of yours?
"At that age, you don't even know about college yet! I didn't know it would take me this far, it was just the sport I enjoyed playing. When I received my first college letter from UCLA I thought, `Wow, I can really do this'".
What were your top choices for college and what led you to choose Alabama?
"My top three were probably Alabama, Duke and Ohio State. What stuck out to me about Alabama was the dynamic between each of the girls and also the team and the coaches. There's so much respect within those groups and that's very important to me. You can't win a national championship if you don't have respect for each other. I found a lot of that at Alabama."
What were your first impressions of the campus?
"It was like nothing I had ever seen before. Everyone mentions how clean and safe the facilities and campus are. You can actually go out and see Tuscaloosa, it's not like you can't step foot off campus. It's a safe area and clean community. It's just a great place to be."
Was there any concern going far away from home?
"I never really pursued a lot of schools too far away, like California. I looked at some schools on the east coast but when I found Alabama, it was the perfect school for me so distance didn't really matter."
What goals has the team set this season?
"Our goal is to win an SEC Championship. We want to go as far as we can in the NCAA Tournament. As great as it would be to win the SEC, that won't be good enough for us. We have to keep going as far as we can after that."
What has the adjustment to college life been like so far?
"Because I got here during the summer, the transition has been pretty smooth and I love it. The classes are shorter than they were for me in high school and everything's close enough that I'm on my bike most of the day."
What's the biggest tip you would give to any young aspiring volleyball players out there?
"Not to sound cliché but you have to practice and you have to be on top of everything. You have to be professional and you have to be serious about it. You can't just go to practice and screw around. You have to put your whole heart into it. You'll not only make yourself better but your team better and coaches see that. They see your hard work and that will pay off one day."
Previous "Getting to Know" Features:
01 - Leah Lawrence
02 - Brooke Feld
03 - Kat Hutson
04 - Bruna Evangelista
05 - Natalie Murision
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