Emma Halter reflects on winning second straight NCAA volleyball national championship
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It has been a special week for University of Texas volleyball’s Emma Halter.
The sophomore libero is back home in central Indiana for the holidays after helping Texas capture the national championship this past Sunday.
“It kind of didn’t really sink in until about a couple days after,” Halter said. “And I woke up feeling super emotional and just so grateful for another opportunity to compete and then win a national championship. Not many people get to do it.”
The No. 5 Longhorns beat No. 1 Nebraska in three sets to win the championship on Sunday.
This was Halter’s second NCAA national title. The Longhorns also won the title in 2022.
“Going back-to-back and with the best people in the world is more than I ever could have imagined,” said Halter.
Halter finished with nine digs and six assists in the win over the Cornhuskers. Her play in the Final Four helped her earn Final Four All-Tournament Team honors.
Shortly after the match was over, she remembers going up to her older sister, Courtney, and giving her a big hug. Courtney played volleyball at IUPUI from 2013-16.
“My sister was the one that started playing volleyball outside with me when I was two years old,” Halter said. “I ran up to her and gave her the biggest hug. She’s the person that has taught me almost everything I know. She taught me how to work hard and to never, ever, ever settle or be satisfied.”
Halter graduated from Roncalli High School in 2022. She told WISH-TV NEWS 8 Sports’ Andrew Chernoff that she learned a lot during her time at Roncalli that has helped her at the next level.
“Coming in as a freshman at Roncalli, I had to step into big shoes as well,” Halter said. “I was a freshman libero on varsity, and everyone was older than me, and I had to figure out how I was going to navigate talking to the older girls.”
She’s clearly navigating well to this day, and her performance on the court shows that.
“My (Texas) coaches were just relentless in making me better,” Halter said. “Every single day, they were telling me things I could correct, things I could do better.”
Halter received numerous accolades during her time at Roncalli. She was the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Indiana and was also named a 2021 Max Preps First Team Preseason All-American.
Click on the video above to watch Chernoff’s full conversation with Halter.