ROGERS — Emily Alderson was one of top offensive players for the Rogers Heritage volleyball team, but she will likely play a bigger role on defense in college.
The 5-foot-8 outside hitter will shift to a defensive specialist role at Ouachita Baptist in the fall. She signed a national letter of intent to play for the Lady Tigers at a ceremony Wednesday at Heritage.
But Heritage volleyball coach Sarah Miser said that won’t be a problem for Alderson, who was one of the team’s top passers throughout her career. She is also the first volleyball signee in Heritage’s history.
“I think OBU is a good fit for her,” Miser said. “Emily is one of the smartest players we have. She probably had one of the strongest arms we’ve had at Heritage as far as being able to put the ball down. But she was also our top serve receiver for three years.”
Alderson, who was a three-year starter and earned all-conference honors once, was also a standout in the classroom with a 4.17 grade-point average and ranked in the top 10 in her class. She also scored a 33 on the ACT.
She chose OBU over Missouri State and Central Arkansas.
Alderson said her choice was final, after visiting the Arkadelphia campus last summer. But she’s also excited about the chance for playing time soon.
“I feel like the smaller school is better for me,” Alderson said. “I wanted to go to school there anyway. Volleyball is like icing on the cake.”
However, Miser said OBU coach Danny Prescott showed a real interest in Alderson in the fall.
“She came to our team camp for a couple of days to watch her play,” Miser said. “She’s going to be great for their program.”