Durant’s mighty volleyball team got a whole lot younger in the offseason, and one of the younger players to take on a leadership role is sophomore Emma Rustenberghe. The outside hitter put in a lot of work in the offseason, and coach Brittany Wilson is excited for what her future holds.
How have you all been handling the changes for this season?
Very good. I think we’re going to have a good season, honestly. We’re all motivated to get to where we want to get to.
What were you working on this summer?
Honestly, a lot of passing. Serve/receive, definitely. I’ve been hitting pretty well, so it’s just the serve/receive that I’ve needed to work on.
How far would you say you’ve come since the offseason started?
Really far. I’ve had a lot of support from all of my teammates and, especially, coach Wilson.
What do you expect for this season?
I just expect that we try our hardest. I don’t expect awesome wins, or great kills — just going as hard as we can try would be awesome.
You’re definitely playing a larger role for this team than many other sophomores in the county are for theirs. What’s that like?
It’s very stressful but, at the same time, I have a lot of people that are helping and encouraging me to get through what I need to get through. I have a great group of girls.
How long have you been playing volleyball?
Three years. This will be my fourth. I started at the YMCA rec league and played there for about a year, and then I went to a club team. I played on two different club teams.
Any other sports?
I used to play soccer, but not anymore. I am not a runner.
What are your other hobbies?
I hang out with friends, and I also do art a lot. I like to do drawings more than ceramics. I don’t do impressionism, I do more realistic things. People, and I’ve actually drawn fruit a lot, ironically. Not that I eat that much of it, but I draw a lot of it. I’ve been drawing for three years, I think.
What are your favorite movies?
I honestly really like the “Hunger Games” series. I started reading the books but never got the time to finish them, in between volleyball and school.
It sounds like those are your favorite books, too, correct?
Yes!
What about TV?
I really like the “Vampire Diaries.” I watched “Secret Life of the American Teenager” for a while. I like criminal shows, like police reports, stuff like that, “48 Hours.”
Favorite music?
Mostly rap and hip-hop. My favorite artist is probably Drake. I don’t know, I just like his voice. And, he’s extremely attractive.
What’s your favorite food?
Pizza. Cheese pizza, or everything. I go from one extreme to the next. I like Pizza Hut, personally, but that’s just me.
If you could be either rich or famous, what would you pick?
Probably rich, so that I could help other people. I like to do animal work, and I like to work with elderly people, too.