Emily Holterhaus has proven her dominance on the volleyball court throughout her time here being a Panther, but now the basketball court is calling her name. Yes, you heard the right, the UNI volleyball standout is now taking her talents to the basketball court to join the Panther women’s basketball team this season. 

Just a couple days after the team finished up their volleyball season at the NCAA Tournament, Holterhaus reached out to women’s basketball coach Tanya Warren about becoming a practice player for the women’s basketball team as a way to keep staying active and keeping up with her lifestyle. Little did Holterhaus know, it was going to turn into so much more. 

Right off the bat Warren had wanted Holterhaus to join the team to add some depth to a hurting roster at the time. 

“I had only went to two practices in a row, and at both practices she had asked me to join the team,” Holterhaus said. 

She had not considered the offer until the second practice in which she called her family after to let them know of the situation and her thoughts. And later that night she had made it official. 

When asked about what it was like to play another college sport at a D1 level she said, “It’s been fun, but it has been challenging in a lot of ways too.” 

She explained with basketball she has to remember and cover a lot more plays than with volleyball. Holterhaus does have a basketball background as she played all throughout high school, so some things have made their way back to her to help her out. 

Holterhaus jumped in with the team halfway through the season, while having to quickly pick up on basketball and transition from volleyball. She was able to get two weeks in to recover before jumping right back in. 

Holterhaus said transitioning from volleyball to basketball was pretty simple, due to the overall routines of the sports, as they go through plays, offense and defense to prepare for the game. 

“I would say it’s pretty similar, game days kind of feel similar as they do to volleyball games.”  

She continued, “Game days kind of feel similar as they do to volleyball games,” she said.

Volleyball has helped her manage her time well when it comes to school, sports and other activities that she be involved in. 

“Time management is a big thing for a college sport, you learn a lot about communication and how important that is,” She explained. 

She said she was able to use the skills she learned from volleyball, such as time management and organization, to help her routine, and she often gets stuff done on bus rides. 

The first person Emily called after committing to the basketball team was her dad, as he had coached her since she was in third grade. 

“My dad was very excited for me, but also very concerned at the same time,” She said.

Little did she know at the time, but something bigger was going on that Emily did not know about. Heading home and having two weeks off over winter break was crucial, as her boyfriend at the time, Tate, was planning to propose to her during that time. 

Emily’s dad was very relieved once she was able to confirm that she had gotten the time off for those two weeks. At that time, Emily’s boyfriend, now fiancé, proposed to her. So now the planning begins for Emily and Tate as they look to start their new journey together as Emily continues on her new basketball journey. 

Starting as a practice player for the team has blossomed into so much more for her. You can catch Holterhaus on the court for the next month and-a-half with the basketball team to play in a sport she thought was going to help her “just to stay active and healthy.”