CALEDONIA — During a practice last week in preparation for their playoff quarterfinal matchup, Caledonia volleyball received some extraordinary but unsurprising news.
The Mississippi High School Activities Association and Mississippi Association of Coaches announced their inaugural Miss Volleyball award winners, with Cavaliers senior libero Emma McKee named the Class 4A winner.
“I really didn’t expect it to be me,” McKee said. “I didn’t discount myself, but I really didn’t expect to be named. Everything I do, I don’t do it for awards or trying to get recognition. I just love to play the game. … I was surprised. I really didn’t know what to say.”
McKee has been an integral part of Caledonia volleyball for the past several years, especially in the last two, a pair of seasons that included district titles and the program’s first-ever state championship.
The team leader in digs and one of the top digs leaders in all of 4A, she’s amassed quite the resume since 2021.
A two-time All-Division selection, two-time All-State selection and state championship All-Tournament Team selection in 2022, McKee has been key to the Cavs’ success.
“Some of the things we were interviewed about the other day, it’s her volleyball IQ, her knowledge of the sport, her going above and beyond,” head coach Samantha Brooks said. “… She’s not one to be loud, in your face on the court. She’s more of a lead by example type player. She puts in extra and her peers, they see it.”
McKee and her senior teammates had to take on leadership roles this season as Caledonia dealt with significant roster turnover due to graduation.
She already has an outsized influence on the court – as libero, arguably the most important position on the floor for any volleyball team – but took on additional leadership responsibilities off the court, too.
McKee said she worked hard in the offseason to make sure she was fully prepared for what was to come this season.
“Of course, I did feel like I needed to step up as a senior, but I think all of the seniors, we did a great job holding a leadership role, especially for the younger players,” McKee said. “I wanted to be someone younger players could look up to, even freshmen and sophomores. It felt good to be able to inspire them.”
Despite a state championship in 2022, her senior sendoff was an emotional but, ultimately, unfulfilled one, as Caledonia’s 2023 season ended last week in the quarterfinals.
While it might be the end of McKee’s story at Caledonia, for the new wave of players coming through the program, her accomplishments set a benchmark for excellence that could inspire continued success.
“Emma’s quote in her yearbook was something to the effect of, ‘Don’t do things because people are watching you. Do them for you,’” Brooks said. “… She’s a role model. I think the girls would possibly want to win this award in the future, but it’s more likely for them to just want to be like Emma.”
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