The Spire

Courtney McKeen ’27

Sports Editor

Last week’s Hilton Garden Inn Crusader of the Week was Emma Sorensen of the Holy Cross Women’s Volleyball Team. Although she is only a first-year, she has quickly become one of the top players on the team. 

As an outside hitter, Sorensen led the team in points (108.5), points per set (3.29), kills (96), kills per set (2.91), and total attempts (272). She is also second on the team in hitting percentage (.206) at the time this article was written. Sorensen has appeared in all 10 of the Crusaders’ matches so far, starting in eight of them, as of Sept. 16. 

Before arriving at Holy Cross, Sorensen played three seasons of Varsity volleyball at her Ursuline Academy in Dallas, Texas, serving as a team captain and earning numerous accolades that brought her to the Division I level. 

She first started playing volleyball because of a cousin that she looked up to, but later fell in love with the sport, the people, and the way that it “pushed her to be a better person.” By the time she was a sophomore in high school, she realized that she wanted to push herself higher and play in college. 

Once Sorensen had her goal in mind, she knew that she would have to put in hard work to achieve that goal, saying “from that moment, I worked hard at pursuing that dream and putting in work every day to make it a reality.” 

Sorensen attributes a lot of her success to her family, saying that they have been “the biggest support system throughout my volleyball career, both before coming to Holy Cross, and since I’ve been here. My parents, sister, and brother have always been there to cheer me on, encourage me, and help me push through challenges, whether it be overcoming mental blocks or just reminding me to believe in myself. Their constant support has made all the difference in my journey.”

Eventually the hard work paid off and brought her to the Division I level at Holy Cross. She chose Holy Cross for the beautiful campus, rigorous academics, and the close knit nature of the volleyball team, stating that they “were so welcoming and genuine, which made me instantly feel like I could be part of their family.” 

While Sorensen is now 1500 miles away from home, she also said that her teammates and coaches have made it so much easier to adjust to college play, manage the academic workload, and transition to college. She says that “having teammates and coaches who are so welcoming and supportive has made this experience a lot less overwhelming and more fun and exciting.”

Off the court, Sorensen is majoring in biology, and hopes to enter the medical field. She has a passion for helping others, which she discovered because of the support she has received from medical staff who have helped her with volleyball related injuries over the course of her athletic career. 

While her time at Holy Cross is just beginning, Sorensen has already begun to make a mark on the volleyball program. Although the team is 3-7 at this point in the season, Sorensen is hopeful for what’s to come. She told The Spire that she is excited to “be part of rebuilding this program into a competitive team.” 

She also stated that a “culture of hard work, resilience, and success” is something that she is motivated to contribute to in order “to keep pushing [her]self and [her] teammates to reach new levels.” 

With two-thirds of their season still ahead of them, Sorensen and the volleyball team are sure to have lots of exciting gameplay in the coming months. They faced off against Stonehill in the Cousy Cup this past Wednesday, and look ahead to plenty of Patriot League matchups, including a trip to Maryland where they will face off against Loyola (Md.) tonight at 6 p.m. in Baltimore and Navy tomorrow at 4 p.m. in Annapolis. 

Featured image courtesy of @hcrossvb on Instagram

Copy Edited by Sophia Mariani ’26