NEW ORLEANS – Texas State setter Emily DeWalt, in the midst of her fifth year with the Bobcats, has already rewritten the record books both at her institution and within the Sun Belt Conference.
This past weekend against South Alabama, DeWalt became the Sun Belt Conference’s all-time career leader in assists with 5,705, which also made her the first setter in Sun Belt history to reach 5,700 career assists. She ranks second on the NCAA’s all-time career active leaders list for assists and is one of only two active players in NCAA volleyball (all divisions) with more than 5,700 assists. Additionally, she ranks second on the NCAA’s active career matches played list with 153, behind teammate Janell Fitzgerald’s 154.
DeWalt is a four-time Sun Belt Conference Setter of the Year and was the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. She has won the league’s Setter of the Week accolade 23 times.
DeWalt has also battled through significant injuries during the course of her career.
Read more about that here.
On Monday, she reflected on her many career achievements in the below Q&A.
Q: What does it mean to you to be the Sun Belt’s all-time career assists leader?
Emily DeWalt: “It’s very humbling. I came in as a freshman not knowing if I’d even get on the court. I worked really hard to get on the court and the last four-and-a-half years has been awesome. It’s crazy to see all the people I’m up there with, and it’s not done overnight. Amara Anderson from Troy is up there too, so it’s cool to see people that I’ve played against be up there in assists also. It’s awesome that we’ve been able to help the Sun Belt reach a new level.”
Q: You’re from Helotes, Texas, in the Northwest San Antonio area. How special is it to be playing for Texas State so close to home?
Emily DeWalt: “In the recruiting process, I knew I wanted to play somewhere where my family would be able to see me play. To be here an hour up the road is awesome. My parents and grandparents are able to come to the matches, and they travel with us a lot of the time as well.”
Q: How meaningful is it to you to be one of the best players in Texas State history?
Emily DeWalt: “It’s honestly hard to put into words. It’s really, really cool. I didn’t come from a super athletic family. My parents didn’t play college sports. It’s really cool to be able to leave here and have something to pass on to my kids later on – to say I played Texas State and all of the things I did, it’s really cool to think about.”
Q: You’ve battled through a lot of injuries to continue playing volleyball at Texas State. A lot of players maybe wouldn’t have continued to fight through. What has kept you going through all the injuries?
Emily DeWalt: “Honestly just the love of the sport. I love volleyball so much. I started playing softball and then playing basketball. Then I reached volleyball and I fell in love immediately. It has kept me going. As soon as I talked to my doctor last year and was told I could have surgery and come back, I knew I was going to come back and play. The belief from everyone around me is really awesome. I have a great support system in all my decisions.”
Q: How did you first start playing volleyball?
Emily DeWalt: “It’s kind of funny. I always say that my mom told me that I was going to hate it. She told me that I would hurt my arms, but I wanted to try it anyway. That’s what pushed me to do it. When I played softball, everyone was up an age group so everybody played before me. I was excited to start volleyball. I’ve been fortunate to have amazing coaches. One of my really good friends at Texas A&M [Allison Fields], her mom [Donna Fields] is the softball coach at St. Mary’s in San Antonio. She coached our CYO team. Having that support system helped me fall in love with volleyball even more.”
Q: You and Janell Fitzgerald are the NCAA’s two active all-time leaders in career matches played. What has it been like playing with Janell for these last five years and helping Texas State be successful together?
Emily DeWalt: “I think it’s been really awesome. I came in with a huge freshman class, we’ve been here and grown up together. We’ve all changed so much. Not just Janell and I, but also Jill [Slaughter] and Lauren [Teske]. Just to see how we’ve changed from our freshman year and matured together.”
Q: Your sister Amy also plays college volleyball at Midwestern State. What has it been like to share that experience of playing college volleyball with her?
Emily DeWalt: “It’s awesome. Growing up, I’ve always been older so you think about when is she going to reach that level where you can understand each other? Being at the collegiate level, you understand how taxing each other’s schedules are. It can be exhausting and mentally draining. To have someone to talk to at the end of the day who knows what you’re going through, it’s something I really cherish.”
Q: What do you hope your legacy at Texas State will be?
Emily DeWalt: “Personally I just hope that I’ve left a hard-working legacy. We had a coaching change halfway through my time here and I never saw a decrease in work-ethic. Not just me personally, but our entire class has shown the underclassmen what it’s like to be in a winning program and what it takes to win championships. It’s not easy but if you work hard, it will definitely be worth it.”