Petoskey volleyball doesn't have the same kind of height they've had. Emma Mitas helps make up for that with her ability to rise above the net.
PETOSKEY — The Petoskey volleyball team doesn’t have a whole lot of height around the court like previous seasons.
So, they know they’ve got to be strategic and creative in how they attack.
It also helps having Emma Mitas back playing well above the net.
What Mitas lacks in height, she makes up for plenty in her ability to get vertical.
“We lost a lot of height this year, so I think my jump really helps the team a lot,” Mitas said.
Mitas and other teammates got to put their new team on display Thursday, Aug. 21 during a season-opening hosted invite.
Rotating around the court, Mitas found success and kills, even from the back row.
“I think I bring some competitiveness to the team and just ability to help other girls,” Mitas said. “Back row, I love talking to all the girls and helping them out, then front row, helping that height that we lost.”
Petoskey found success right away, breaking in a pretty new lineup that’s replacing four starters from a year ago.
Mitas knows it’ll take time to mesh around the court, but she’s excited to be back out there with the team.
“It’s going to take a minute to connect with everyone, but I think by the end of the season we’ll be good,” she said. “It feels great to get back into volleyball. We had to cancel some of our camps we were going to (this summer), so it feels good being back and getting back into it.”
For those who have followed Petoskey athletics of late, the Mitas name is already pretty well known, for a couple reasons.
There’s of course been her all-state track athlete brother, Sam, who holds multiple school records in the sport and recently joined the Grand Valley State University track and field program.
But Emma has more than carried the Mitas family name herself.
She’s part of multiple track and field sprinting records in track and her explosiveness has certainly translated to the volleyball court.
Although very different, the two sports help each other in a way.
“It’s different directions of force,” Mitas said. “In track you’re moving forward and volleyball you’re jumping up, but they both use the same training. So it’s nice having training for volleyball, because you’re also helping track.”
Last season, Mitas showed her complete game, recording 165 kills, 195 digs, 21 aces and 29 blocks as an outside hitter.
While she’ll be one of the leaders for Petoskey this season, she’ll also let others take on that role as well, like seniors Katie Parker and Sarah Simonis.
Mitas has her own way of leading, one that involves playing well beyond her 5-foot-7 frame.
She’s got goals of potentially playing at the next level, though as far as on the court, grabbing league wins and another district title is where the focus lies, particularly on getting past the likes of Traverse City West and Central.
“We do want to beat the Traverse City teams,” she said. “Those are always some great competition games. It’s always great playing them, so that’s one of the goals. Then just to become a team together.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey's Emma Mitas playing well above the net for Northmen volleyball
Category: General Sports
