Senior Emily Ramirez is now entering her fourth season as a defensive specialist for the UTSA Roadrunner volleyball team. After three seasons as libero, Ramirez has recorded 721 career digs for the ‘Runners.
“I’m from San Antonio, and when I was in high school, I was just looking at the options and really liked UTSA,” Ramirez said. “I liked the team. When I came to visit, it just felt right.”
Ramirez is a Multidisciplinary Studies major with focuses in criminal justice, sociology and psychology.
“I really love kids,” Ramirez said. “I come from a big family, so I have been around lots of kids my whole life. I’m not sure exactly what specifically I want to do yet, but definitely somewhere in the kid field.”
Her volleyball journey began in second grade. Ramirez played on multiple club teams, including the San Antonio Mavericks, Sting and Magic as well as her high school team. She has seen the court for over 20 of the 27 matches each season as a ‘Runner.
As a senior, Ramirez is closing out her career as a ‘Runner. She has continued to improve her record statistics and is a motivated, engaged member of the team.
“I’m kind of an adrenaline junkie,” Ramirez said. “I really like whenever, as a team, we’re playing really well, or if I’m playing really well and the long rallies and crazy saves. Stuff like that really gets me going.”
Before each game, Ramirez has pre-game rituals to get her focused and ready to take on each opponent. During the 2018 season, she played in 71 of the 105 sets the ‘Runners competed in.
“I listen to two songs, usually before every game, and before every set I have a prayer that me and my family say. It’s kind of our family prayer. Before each set, usually I’ll say that if I’m feeling a little nervous,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez has currently recorded 91 digs for the 2019 season, leading the team in defensive plays. Her season high for digs was 27 against Bradley University.
“All of us are really close, especially because we are a young team,” Ramirez said. “With a lot of new people, it can’t really work out sometimes, but I think that we get along really well.”
With her fourth and final season underway, Ramirez is dedicated to achieving the team goal of a winning season and competing in the Conference USA Championship. She has seen the court in all 20 sets played in the 2019 season, recording 12 service aces and 12 total points.
“It’s my last season, so I’m really going to put it all out there,” she said. “I’m looking forward to playing like it’s my last season because it is.”
