Kimberly senior Emma Jensen poses for a picture Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2020, with the second place state volleyball trophy her team won this season at Kimberly High School in Kimberly. Jensen signed her letter of intent to play volleyball at the College of Southern Idaho.
Kimberly senior Emma Jensen hugs her father, Lance Jensen, after signing a ceremonial letter of intent to play volleyball with the College of Southern Idaho on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2020, at Kimberly High School in Kimberly.
KIMBERLY — Despite her success, including a second place finish at the state tournament this past season, Kimberly senior Emma Jensen wasn’t sure if she would continue playing volleyball after high school.
But her passion for the sport was too much to ignore.
“I love volleyball,” she said. “I want to keep playing.”
Jensen signed her letter of intent to play with the College of Southern Idaho. Having grown up attending the CSI volleyball camps since the sixth grade, Jensen is excited to finally play with the team.
“Being offered to play with them is a really big deal,” she said.
CSI wasn’t the only option Jensen had for volleyball, but it was her top pick. Initially she wanted to move farther away — to branch out and meet more people — but she couldn’t turn down the opportunity of playing with CSI.
“They have 12 national championships,” she said. “If I wanted to play for one of the best, I had to stay here.”
Jensen finished this season with 30 aces, 258 kills, 106 digs and 20 blocks. Head coach Lawrence Pfefferle said Jensen led the team in hitting all three years she’s been on varsity.
Looking forward, Pfefferle is excited to see how far Jensen will go. He believes adapting to college play will be a bit of an adjustment for her, but it is an obstacle he knows she will overcome.
“She’s got a lot of natural ability that she hasn’t even tapped into yet,” Pfefferle said. “She’s going to work hard and she’s going to have some success.”
Jensen plans on studying to become a physical therapist assistant while in college. She isn’t sure what her plan is after CSI, but at the moment that doesn’t matter.
She’s just thankful for the chance to play with a team she admires.
