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Lindsey Hughes
BY LINDSEY HUGHES
Art Director
Emma Halcomb is a Tarleton State University student pursuing a master’s in marketing and dominating on the court and in the sand. Halcomb played on the women’s volleyball team for five seasons and is currently on her second season with the Tarleton Beach Volleyball team. She has played in 135 matches for the purple and white during her years on the women’s volleyball team since 2019.
Halcomb started her journey with the sport over 16 years ago at just eight years old. She says the reason she got into volleyball so young was her mother.
“My mom played volleyball in high school, and she kind of just threw me into it… I tried lots of different sports, and volleyball was the only one that stuck,” Halcomb said.
Halcomb graduated from Marcus High School in 2019, where she lettered two years on the varsity team. She also played club volleyball, where she was given her team’s Most Improved award. Halcomb credits her high school coaches for her decision to attend and play for Tarleton.
“Both of my high school coaches actually played here at Tarleton; that’s how I figured out what Tarleton was… I went to a game with them at TWU (Texas Woman’s University) in Denton, and I loved everything about them. I went to visit here in February of my senior year, and it just felt like home as soon as I stepped on campus,” Halcomb said.
Volleyball is a huge part of Halcomb’s life, which makes her day-to-day look a little different than the average student. Her days consist not just of classes, but of a lot of training as well.
Halcomb also travels pretty frequently for volleyball, meaning she has gotten very used to being on the go with her team.
“On travel days, it looks a little different. The past two weekends, we have left on Thursdays at 9 a.m., drove down to Kingsville, gotten to unload for about an hour, got some food, and then went to practice for an hour,” Halcomb said. “It really just depends on what type of day it is. But yeah, pretty busy I would say.”
Halcomb believes that her age plays a large role into her being a leader on the team. Halcombs experience and seniority on a team consisting mostly of underclassmen, automatically making her a role model to younger, up-and-coming players.
“Leading by example is really what I try to do. I try to really put my faith on display around my teammates… making sure I’m being a good person to them on and off the court,” Halcomb said.
Halcomb has been able to experience many things with her team over the past five seasons she’s played for Tarleton, from helping the purple and white advance to the NCAA Division II regional tournament in 2019 of her freshman year, to becoming the second player in Tarleton’s Division I history to notch 1000 career digs and many, many things in between.
During her sophomore seasons at Tarleton, Halcomb finished third-highest on the team with 177 digs in 2020 and finished third on the team in 2021 with 237 digs.
Junior year, Halcomb received the CSC All-District Academic award, as well as the Texan Iron Champ award and Texan award, which she was chosen for by former women’s volleyball coach Mary Schindler.
As a senior, Halcomb notched a career high of 431 digs, 68 assists, 14 service aces and a kill, as well as becoming the only player in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) to have a match of 30 or more digs.
While she has certainly collected many awards and experiences throughout her college volleyball career, Halcomb has a couple of favorite moments that stick with her closely.
“I would say my sophomore year, we beat TCU (Texas Christian University) twice, home and away, and that was just the coolest thing ever,” Halcomb said. “During our first season together last year, we beat SFA (Stephen F. Austin) in beach volleyball, and they are kind of Tarleton’s rival, so that was really cool.”
Off the court, Halcomb has a diverse set of interests and career goals, proving that you can be a star athlete and still have a life outside of your sport.
Halcomb is dedicated to immersing herself in the health world and loves to spend time with the Lord. After graduation, she has plans to continue her passion for health.
“The goal is to be a medical device sales rep. after volleyball… and then maybe something on the side like a fitness coach,” Halcomb said.
Halcomb is set to graduate in May 2025 and is excited to start the next phase of her life after college volleyball.
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