IMLAY CITY — More than a decade ago, after beating a 5-year-old Emma Keeping in the board game Candy Land, Jessica Keeping realized something about her daughter.
“She didn’t want to lose at anything — ever,” Jessica said. “I’m like, ‘You have to learn how to lose. Losing is a part of life. You can’t flip out and get mad at everybody.’ “
“It took me a long time (to learn that),” said Emma, who recently finished her senior season with the Imlay City High School volleyball team. “A really long time.”
“She just wanted to win at everything,” Jessica said. “That’s why she is where she is. She’s never given up on anything. Any challenge, she’s like, ‘Bring it on.’ “
As for Emma’s next challenge, it’s finally official.
The Imlay City setter signed her letter-of-intent to play volleyball for Wake Forest University on Wednesday, Nov. 12. She’ll join the team in January when she begins college.
“To have the contract signed, I can really focus on the next chapter,” Emma said. “(Wake Forest) has really high academics. That was a huge factor for me, because I know I’m going to be pushed and challenged academically.
“They’re also in a conference I wanted — the (Atlantic Coast Conference) is arguably the hardest volleyball conference. The competition, week in and week out, is insane. So, I know I’m going to be playing the best in the country for four years, which is all I ever wanted.”
For the past four years, Emma has been one of best high school players in Michigan.
Despite missing 87% (39 matches) of her sophomore season due to injury, she still finished her career with 1,267 kills, 1,055 aces, 681 digs, 181 aces and 132 blocks. In September, Emma was named one of the 10 finalists for the 2025 Michigan Miss Volleyball Award.
“She’s got a high volleyball IQ,” Imlay City coach Nicole Jones said. “She sees the court (well). She’s aggressive … a huge leader …. somebody that we look to make 99% of our offensive plays … a great defender. She’s been playing the game a really long time.”
In 2016, after watching beach volleyball during the Summer Olympics, Emma decided to give the sport a try.
“My mom signed me up for some (local) camps,” Emma said. “I wasn’t really serious about volleyball until seventh grade. That was kind of when I decided, like, ‘Hey, this is something I really want to do.’ My parents believed in me and supported me the whole way.”
She burst onto the high school scene as a freshman, not only as one of Imlay City’s top players, but eventually as all-conference and all-region selections.
In 2024, Emma’s junior season, she was named to the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association all-state first team for Division 2.
By the time she verbally committed to Wake Forest in August 2024, Emma had received dozens of scholarship offers from Division I schools. Wake Forest, however, was her top choice.
“It just checked all my boxes,” Emma said. “It’s the perfect location. It’s 10 hours from home. I love North Carolina. It’s a beautiful state, perfect climate … the state and the school in general had everything I was hoping for.”
“It’s amazing to see your kid’s dreams come true,” Jessica said. “I’ve seen the work (Emma has put in) when no one is around … she takes it seriously and is very focused. This is her passion.”
That passion goes beyond her own career.
“It’s been super important for me to represent athletes and young girls in Imlay City that aspire to play volleyball and other sports,” Emma said. “I’ve got to coach younger girls at camps and kind of bring an interest to volleyball in Imlay City.”
“She’s always been a leader,” Jones said. “But I think her voice was even more dominant this season. We were a young team coming in, not a ton of (returning players), and she really mentored a lot of them … (her teammates) felt that they could go to her with any kind of issues.”
As a senior, Emma led the Spartans to a 34-10-0 overall finish while totaling 50 aces, 496 kills, 43 blocks, 226 digs and 387 assists.
“I love showing people good volleyball and playing good teams,” Emma said. “So, I always love when there are packed gyms.”
There will be plenty of those in the ACC, where — with 17 other volleyball programs — nothing comes easy. Not with perennial national championship contenders like Stanford and Louisville in the mix.
And yet, Emma wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m really looking forward to the game, the challenge and the grind,” Emma said. “Whatever grind I’ve done in my life, I’ve loved so far.
“Honestly, I hope it gets harder. I do. I want it to be hard. I want the games to be hard. I want the practices and I want spring training to be really hard. I just can’t wait to push myself to my potential.”
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Imlay City’s Emma Keeping eager for ‘the grind’ at Wake Forest
Reporting by Brenden Welper, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
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