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West Grand senior standout Emma DeSanti, center, poses for photos with her coaches and parents after signing to play volleyball for Black Hills State University in South Dakota on Wednesday in Kremmling.
Eli Pace / epace@skyhinews.com
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Flanked by her coaches, classmates and parents, West Grand senior Emma DeSanti signed a letter of intent to play volleyball for the Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota.
The signing ceremony Wednesday in Kremmling marked a milestone for DeSanti, whose coaches and parents said she has wanted to play at the next level for years now. For DeSanti, the scholarship to join the Black Hills Yellow Jackets was just the ticket.
“I just love the school,” she said. “Educationally, they are a good fit for me.”
DeSanti explained she hopes to go into an entrepreneurial study and was impressed by Black Hills’ business program.
“This has been her goal for about three years now, and to watch it start to happen has been very rewarding,” said Michele DeSanti, Emma’s mom.
Inside the West Grand gym, Emma DeSanti posed for photos with her family, then her coaches and later her classmates. After the photos had all been taken, West Grand volleyball coach Kim Bodemann described Black Hills’ volleyball program as a strong, close-knit group that works much like a family.
She would know. DeSanti’s signing is the first for the Mustangs volleyball program’s since Peyton Bodemann decided to join the Black Hills squad three years ago. Having coached DeSanti and with a daughter on the team, Bodemann said she thinks DeSanti could step into a big role very early.
“She’s got a chance to play there,” West Grand volleyball coach Scott Terryberry agreed. “(Black Hills) could be really good next year.”
Given that DeSanti signed with Black Hills, Mustangs fans could see her on the court again in near future. Black Hills plays in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and regularly faces a handful of Colorado schools.
“They are in this area all the time, so we can go see her all the time,” Terryberry said. “It will be short road trips.”
This season, DeSanti helped the Mustangs finish 23-6, 11-1 in the West Slope League while winning regionals and making the state tournament. In doing so, DeSanti was named the Mustangs’ Player of the Year and the Western Slope League’s Co-Player of the Year, in addition to being selected to play in the Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports Class 2A All-State Volleyball game.
Also, DeSanti just made another all-state list, this time presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps. If you ask her parents though, the best part of this season wasn’t all the stats and awards their daughter racked up; it was the teamwork they saw on the court.