Athlete Spotlight: Emily Reul

Over halfway through the season, one University of West Georgia Volleyball player finds herself atop the Gulf South Conference with 293.5 total points and No. 14 in all of division two in points per set.

Junior Emily Reul, captain and outside hitter for the UWG’s Volleyball team, also leads the Gulf South Conference with 266 total kills and is tenth in digs with 175.  Reul’s performance has helped boost the Wolves to a 10-9 start after two seasons with less than ten total wins.

“A lot of hard work has gotten us to this point,” said Reul.  “We had a rough two seasons the last two years, and that was motivation for this year to go all out.”

Volleyball has been a piece of Reul’s life since she was introduced to the sport as a child when her dad took her to watch games at a local school. At the age of ten, Reul began playing and developing her skills with a local club team.  In high school, Reul played both club and high school ball, winning honors such as San Andreas League MVP, First Team All-League player and a member of the all Sun-team.  After contacting many schools in the southeast, Reul made contact with UWG and decided to sign with the Wolves.

“She was recommended by a well-known division two volleyball coach from Cal State San Bernardino,” said Head Volleyball Coach Gary Lee.  “I watched probably less than 30 seconds of a recruiting video and I knew we had to go after her.”

Reul made the trip from San Bernardino CA to UWG in 2010 and began her development as a collegiate volleyball player.

“My first year I was just a player, I did not have anything to do with being a captain or behind the scenes work,” said Reul.  “Last year I started my transition into a co-captain and then this past spring I took on being the only captain.”

“In the beginning, she was struggling with skills in her own head, she was overanalyzing things,” said Lee.  “This year she is ready to go and has had a lot of great suggestions to propel the program to where it is today.”

Lee’s coaching and game experience have assisted Reul with developing her skills by exploiting her strengths and improving upon her weaknesses.  With one year left, Lee looks to continue developing and improving Reul’s abilities.

“Coming in passing and defense were her downside, now they are up there with her attacking skills,” said Lee.  “Now we are working on blocking so she will be the complete package.”

As Reul, a biology major, moves toward graduation, volleyball remains a piece of her future, even if it is not playing.

“I would definitely like to coach,” said Reul.  “I probably will not coach college but maybe a side job coaching youth.”

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