Highland grad has solid freshman year in volleyball, basketball at Grinnell College
Highland graduate Emmy Nyquist took her volleyball and basketball talents to Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, last fall and she was quite glad she made that move after leaving HHS.
“I really liked it,” Nyquist said of her first year at Grinnell. “The teams were really good, the coaches were super great and really nice and it was a lot of fun.”
On the volleyball court, Nyquist stepped in and, in limited action, was a solid contributor.
“I think that it was a big growing season for me because there was a really good libero ahead of me (sophomore Peyton Lowery) so I didn’t get to play as much as I hoped, but I got in a little bit I think I will just keep getting better at practice,” Nyquist said.
Defense was Nyquist’s strong suit, as she recorded 117 digs.
“I really take pride in my defense and try to keep getting that better as much as possible,” Nyquist said.
Nyquist did not concern herself with having huge individual matches stat-wise during the season but definitely reveled in having a role in helping the club go 26-5, win the Midwest Conference Tournament, and advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament last November.
“As a team, I think it was really great that we beat Cornell (College) which hasn’t happen in a while and we won the conference (tournament) and got to go to the NCAA Tournament, so that was really cool,” Nyquist said.
After the volleyball season, it was right into basketball for Nyquist, who played point and shooting guard at Highland.
She threw herself into playing with the Pioneers basketball team and reveled in the experience of Division III basketball.
“That was super fun too,” Nyquist said. “That team a was great (to be with) also and I got to play a lot more than in volleyball, so that was fun. We had a pretty good season compared to what they had been having and our team is pretty close.”
Nyquist was active in the backcourt for the Pioneers as she logged an average of 24 minutes per game in Grinnell’s 25-game season this winter.
Her stat lines were relatively pedestrian most of the season, but a Feb. 15 game against St. Norbert College seemed to help Nyquist loosen up and believe she belonged on the court.
Nyquist erupted for a team-leading and season-high 15 points and seven rebounds. That game helped show she could score the basketball and give an offensive boost to the team.
“That felt pretty good and I think I proved to myself and others what I can do (scoring) and I just kind of started looking for my shot more,” Nyquist said. “It felt pretty nice.”
Sports life post-coronavirus, future goals for Highland standout
Since the Pioneers basketball season ended in late February, Nyquist has been focusing on wrapping her general education classes online at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic and she has been getting weekly workout instructions from Grinnell volleyball coach Eric Ragan and Pioneers basketball coach Dana Harrold to keep her focused as she begins to prepare for next year as a sophomore.
“They are constantly checking in and asking how we’re doing and giving us updates from Grinnell,” Nyquist said.
Nyquist has a couple of simple goals in mind for her sophomore year at Grinnell.
“Well for sports I just want to come in and keep having fun and hopefully contribute to the team a lot and then just hopefully keep doing well in classes,” Nyquist said.