‘It’s been my dream.’ Merced County volleyball standout excited to play at college level
Buhach Colony High School senior Emilly Melo has been playing volleyball since she was in elementary school. The Thunder libero isn’t ready to give up the sport she loves.
Melo will get a chance to play volleyball in college after recently signing her national letter of intent to play at Simpson University in Redding.
“It’s been my dream since I started playing in third grade,” Melo said. “I want to play volleyball forever. My main goal was to keep playing volleyball. I just love the sport so much.”
The nursing program and the location put Simpson University on the top of Melo’s list. The drive to Redding is close enough for her family to still see her play and for her to come back home to visit.
“They have an amazing nursing program and I think that’s what I’m going to major in,” she said. “I met the volleyball team and they were the kindest volleyball team I’ve met. They were very welcoming. They took us out for lunch and they showed us their dorm rooms.”
Melo, who has compiled a 4.4 GPA at Buhach Colony, had also drawn interest from other small schools across the country. She visited the University of Southwest in New Mexico. She also talked with Glenville State College in West Virginia, Ottawa University in Phoenix and Arizona Christian University.
“I like that Simpson is a small campus,” Melo said. “The student to professor ratio is like 17 to 1. I really like that I’ll get to know the professors since we’ll be on the road a lot with volleyball.”
Melo said the signing ceremony, which was held last week in the library at Buhach Colony, was an emotional moment for her.
“I cried like three times,” Melo said. “It’s the first time my travel coach has gone to a signing ceremony. That meant so much to me.”
Melo is excited for the next chapter in her life.
“I’m excited, but nervous at the same time,” she said. “I’ve taken college courses before, but taking seven at one time will be a challenge. I know the time is coming around the corner pretty quickly.”
