Burns' Emma Norris proved she was no one-year wonder

Nov. 25—Emma Norris was haunted by a nagging possibility when the volleyball season started.

"I thought, 'What if last year was just my year, and I never reach that point again? What if that was just a one-time deal,'" the Burns senior said. "What I did my junior year raised expectations for me. I had the most varsity experience of anyone on our team when the season started.

"I had to be what I was last year and potentially more because I was supposed to be a leader and make sure girls were up on themselves."

What Norris did during her junior campaign was post 422 kills, 299 digs and 57 blocks to help the Broncs get back to the state tournament for the first time since 2014. She earned All-Class 3A honors for her efforts.

It didn't take long for Norris to shake her self-doubt.

"Once we got into things, got some matches under our belts and got a more normal rotation, I was confident again," she said. "I found what I was looking for. It was my normal play from last year, as well as me being more of a leader."

The 6-footer had better numbers in some areas than she did as a junior, finishing her final season in orange and black with 330 kills, 356 digs and 65 blocks, all team highs, to help the Lady Broncs go 25-13-2 and claim the Class 2A state championship. It was Burns' first volleyball state title since 1992.

In the process, Norris rewrote the Broncs' record books, and was voted Class 2A Southeast District player of the year. She also signed with NCAA Division II Chadron State College in Nebraska.

Norris can add another honor to her mantle — WyoSports' inaugural Laramie County volleyball player of the year.

First-year Broncs coach Anndee McKinney also spent four seasons as an assistant in Burns. Norris always had the potential to do what she did over the past two falls, McKinney said. She also had the work ethic necessary to tap into that potential.

"When I first started coaching her, she came out when she rotated into the back row," McKinney said. "Now, she's one of the best defensive players in the state. Her ability to lead, remain calm and not freak out in high-pressure situations has come a ridiculously long way.

"Her game has grown substantially during her high school career. She plays at a much higher level."

Norris was a six-rotation player through her eighth-grade year. However, the speed and power of the high school level frequently left her a half-step behind. When she did get to the ball, her passes didn't leave Burns' setters with many options.

"I wasn't ready for the harder-hit balls and harder serves," Norris said. "My goal was to be able to play all the way around because it meant more time on the court. Serving, passing and defense in the back row are really important.

"I kept working and got better, but I couldn't stop working, because nothing is guaranteed. The libero is always there to come in and help players who are struggling. I wanted to make sure I was a player who never needed help. I wanted to be a strong passer that was dependable, and whose teammates and coaches knew could get the job done."

Norris spent her off-seasons working on her lateral agility, learning to read hitters and finding ways to make the most of well-struck balls that weren't the easiest to reach. She put those efforts into practice during club tournaments.

Norris wanted to beat the Colorado teams they faced during the winter and the Wyoming squads they saw in the spring, but club volleyball didn't carry the pressure of conference seeding and state tournament berths. It was a relatively stress-free environment in which she could hone her skills.

"There were game points we wanted to win, but there weren't as many do-or-die situations as there are in high school," Norris said. "Being able to relax while I worked on what I needed to helped a lot."

Norris started seeing the back row a lot more during her sophomore season. She was thrust into a six-rotation role as a junior and thrived.

"We lost some of our better passers to graduation, so we needed her back there," McKinney said. "She was ready to take on that role because she saw harder hitters and faster swingers playing club ball. If she was going to be a college player, she was going to have to get good in the back row."

Norris expressed a desire to continue her career past high school to McKinney and former coach Shelle Rostad during her sophomore campaign. Much of her improvement can be traced back to that goal.

Norris tested her vertical jump during her junior year, and checked in at 19 inches. She needed to greatly improve upon that mark if she was going to play anything other than the back row in college. McKinney also is Burns' weights teacher, and Norris' class time started being centered around increasing her vertical.

"We did jump training just about every day," McKinney said. "We worked throughout the school year and into the summer. The last time we checked, her vertical was up to 26 inches. She still has room to improve, and will only get better in college."

Increasing her vertical gave Norris a plethora of weapons in her arsenal. She was able to get on top of balls she used to have to tip over the net. Balls that used to be hit into the net or the block started going over and around blockers.

"I was able to adjust to off-balls better, because I was in the air longer," Norris said.

Norris finished her Broncs career with 903 kills and 162 blocks, both school records. The 422 kills she posted as a junior is Burns' single-season record. She also tallied 705 digs.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a greater sign of her improvement than Burns' 3-1 win over Greybull in the first round of the 2A state tournament. She had 26 kills and 24 digs that night.

"We set her the ball when she was in the back row, we set her in the front row, and she got to every ball when the rest of us were struggling," McKinney said. "If it hadn't been for Emma stepping up, we wouldn't have won that game. She was the in-control, solid one when the other kids got nervous."

But Norris' biggest contributions to the Broncs can't be measured statistically.

Volleyball is a sport that requires a lot of communication, and Norris had a bad habit of getting quiet and going into a shell when she was having a poor practice or an off-game. She describes it as being in her own bubble on her own island. Norris worked just as hard at breaking that habit as she did at improving as a passer or increasing her vertical.

"We couldn't afford for her to go into a shell when she wasn't playing her best," McKinney said. "She matured a lot during her career. She started talking and encouraging her teammates and giving them confidence.

"She also figured out that she was one of the best players in the state, and that she could work herself out of a bad night if she just kept playing hard. She became a pillar of our program."

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.