LSU sand volleyball’s Emma Hiller has a calm and warm demeanor during conversation.
But when she lines up on one side of the net along with a partner for the Tigers, the sophomore’s competitive fire comes alive.
It’s a will to win instilled by those closest to her: a large family including six former Division I student-athletes — Hiller was literally born to be an athlete.
“It’s hard for me to pinpoint a specific moment because all I can really remember is growing up around sports,” Hiller said.
Her mother’s family, the Fitzgerald’s, had an uncle become a Tulane Hall of Famer as a baseball and basketball player, one cousin become a two-time All-American indoor volleyball player at Wisconsin and current coach at Georgia, a second cousin become a two-time All-Southeastern Conference indoor volleyball player at Florida, a third cousin played basketball at Ole Miss and a fourth cousin played baseball at Tennessee.
Hiller also has a cousin, on her father’s side, who played baseball at LSU for a year.
“Honestly, my dad’s side of the family is just as competitive as my mom’s side of the family,” Hiller said. “[It’s] probably more of a height factor, too, because my mom’s side of the family is so much taller, but they’re all really athletic.”
Hiller’s immediate family, though, is what inspired her to compete at a high level. She recalled long car trips to watch her older brother, Matthew, or sister, Brydie, play sports in high schools.
The Baton Rouge native first remembers being introduced to volleyball when she would play with Brydie in their home’s driveway. Brydie tended to hit the balls hard at Emma, but this only fueled Emma’s fire to play the sport.
“It wasn’t even a question of whether I would do it or not,” Emma said. “I have to, and I have to be good because [Brydie] is. I just wanted to automatically be at that level.”
Emma played high school indoor volleyball at St. Joseph’s Academy, where she was a member of 2009 Division I state championship team in her freshman year. Despite a partial posterior cruciate ligament tear she sustained at a young age, she continued to play through her sophomore year before her team was eliminated in the state playoffs.
“I knew I had torn it midway season sophomore year, and then I finished playing on it,” Emma said. “I played in the [playoff defeat] because we were struggling. At that point, it was [completely] torn, and it was painful.”
Emma had a successful recovery after surgery and played her final two years for the Redstickers. She received the 2012 Louisiana Volleyball Coaches Association Kathy Trosclair Memorial Award for overcoming adversity and finished with three consecutive All-District Honorable Mention honors.
After graduating from St. Joseph’s, Emma considered pursuing indoor volleyball at Division II and Division III schools but ultimately decided to focus on a future career in apparel design at LSU.
“[Emma] came to [LSU] because she loved the school,” said LSU sand volleyball coach Russell Brock. “She’s passionate about it. She wanted to be a Tiger. Purple and gold runs through her veins.”
In the fall of last year, Emma discovered the athletic department was offering open tryouts for a new sand volleyball team.
It was a style of volleyball she played in high school that supplemented her indoor game in a league at Mango’s Outdoor Volleyball Complex, LSU’s current home surface.
“It was really just luck, and I was really grateful to get that opportunity,” Emma said on making the team after walking on. “But at the same time, I was kind of thrown into [collegiate sand volleyball]. It was a drastic change [from high school indoor volleyball], but I was ready for it.”
Emma knew there would be struggles in the first year of the program’s history, but she and the other first three members were committed to working hard.
“I was never recruited. We were never necessarily wanted,” Emma said. “No school was looking for us.”
That attitude allowed her to make history when Emma and then-freshman Katarina Raicevic notched a 2-0 victory over University of Louisiana-Monroe in the Tigers first ever match for the program. It was the energy of the match that made it special for Emma.
“I just remember we both worked so hard for that match,” Emma said. “We were both really excited to kick off, not only the first ever season and the first ever year, but it’s in the history books. It was nice to really fight for that win and fight for that first ever win for LSU.”
As returning sand-only players, Emma and junior Victoria Boraski have a leg up on some of their indoor counterparts, who have yet to join the sand team. As it stands, the team includes five freshmen and one sophomore transfer student.
Brock likes the work ethic and improvement he’s seen from his team in their first fall training season.
“We’re teaching technique. We’re getting everybody on the same page,” Brock said on the importance of training in the fall. “For Emma and ‘Vic’, who are returners, they know what that page is, which is really helpful, but they are even experiencing the fall training for the first time as well.”
As the fall team prepares for an offseason tournament this weekend, Brock likes the idea of having someone like Emma lead his team.
“I think that is what pretty much epitomizes Emma. She is not going to allow herself not to reach her potential,” Brock said. “She’s that example of going hard every play. When they’re in the weight room, she’s crushing it. When they’re running, she’s at the front of the pack. She’s always giving everything she’s got.”