Dave Rubio has never had much success recruiting players from the state of Texas. Sophomore setter Emery Herman was the exception.
The longtime UA coach “said that he had never really gotten a Texas kid before,” Herman said. “I never even thought about Arizona. I’ve never known anyone to go to Arizona.”
Herman decided to give the UA a chance, taking an unofficial visit before “falling in love” with the program and ultimately committing to the Wildcats.
“The coaches were just awesome,” Herman said. “They were super nice, super welcoming.”
Arizona’s sophomore setter and the Wildcats host No. 14 UCLA Friday at 8 p.m. before facing off against USC on Sunday at 1 p.m. After starting strong, the UA (11-6, 3-3) has lost three straight matches and fallen to seventh place in the Pac-12.
It wasn’t just the Wildcats’ coaching staff that attracted Herman to Arizona from Georgetown, Texas, a town 25 miles north of Austin. Former teammate Paige Whipple took Herman under her wing even before she came to Tucson. The two became best friends.
“She was just awesome to me,” Herman said.
Whipple being the older of the two, Herman said she and Whipple had a “mother and daughter relationship.”
“I could go to her anytime I was ever frustrated with how I was playing or how just we were doing as a team,” Herman said. “If I was ever overwhelmed with setting, I could always just come to her and talk to her and she could help me get through that kind of thing.”
Herman has an added responsibility, in part because of the position she plays. Rubio calls setters the quarterbacks of the offense, given they have to make correct reads and pass the ball to the right teammates. Rubio often says that while any player can set the ball, not every player can be a setter.
“It’s the ability to recognize who’s the best person to set based on the pass, based on who the blockers are on the other side and then being able to get your feet there and set the ball in a position that’s attackable,” Rubio said.
The right setter has a feel for on-court chemistry, too. Herman studies and pays close attention to all of her teammates’ tendencies so that she can make the right kind of pass at the right time.
“Seeing what they do normally everyday and practicing how they are in games whether that varies or not between games and practices,” Herman said. “Everyday, you’re paying attention just watching what they do.”
Those relationships with her teammates are built off the court as well.
“There’s a lot of time that we spend off the court together and we’ve been blessed with such an amazing team,” Herman said. “Everyone’s great, we all get along. We all hang out outside of practice and games. It’s been really good for our team chemistry. We have a really great team chemistry and that definitely helps on the court.”
The team bonding comes very easily to Herman, in part because of the recruiting class that arrived at Arizona alongside her. Herman says she and the rest of the Wildcats’ sophomore class share the same experiences.
“That definitely helps because we’re all kind of going through the same thing,” Herman said. “We’re all trying to build it up together and stay together, do everything for each other so I think it helps that we all came together.”
The Wildcats will face a major challenge starting with Friday’s match against the Bruins (12-2, 5-1). Rubio calls UCLA outside hitter Mac May “the best player in the conference.”
“They’re really complete, older and physical,” Rubio said. “They got everything they need. They’re a national championship-level team.”
USC is an experienced team, something Arizona has struggled with all season.
“We’re playing all these teams that, not only do they have the super seniors, but this is a one year you can go over the scholarship count, too,” Rubio said. “Not only do they get to have the super seniors, but they they’ve recruited graduate kids to come in, too. It’s a completely unfair playing field at this point from them to us.”
Rubio believes his team is “equally as good” but “not as experienced yet.” He says he only way to compete against the older teams in the conference is to build up that experience in matches.
“We’re in a cycle right now where we’re playing really, really old teams that are really, really good,’ Rubio said. “The question is, can we elevate and try to catch up? Can we close the gap between them and us?”
