Emily Caldwell 

As the sun sets over Groveland and the South Lake High volleyball courts clear, Emily Caldwell is once again the last one packing up. 

The senior right-side hitter, for eight years and counting, has built her life around volleyball, but her story stretches far beyond the court.

Emily is more than an outstanding athlete; she’s a scholar, leader, sister and dreamer with a precise vision of her future. She balances spikes and sets with knowledge and science as she prepares for a career not many high school athletes consider—forensic pathology.

“I’ve always been interested in the health field,” Emily says. “But when I found out what a forensic pathologist does, solving the mystery of how someone died, it just clicked. I would get to discover something about a person that no one else knows yet. That fascinated me.”

Her path to volleyball began humbly when introduced to the sport by a friend in fifth grade. She began playing at the Clermont

Recreation Center before joining ST7 Volleyball (12U), her first club experience She quickly moved up the ranks, playing with Top Select during her 14U through 16U years before finishing her club career with American Athletic Club out of Tavares.

Last year, she and her American Athletic teammates—all hailing from Lake County—won the 18U National Championship in Salt Lake City. “We went to four qualifiers and kept coming so close,” Emily says. “We finally got in after another team moved up and winning it all out there was so emotional. It’s one of the best memories I have.”

Inside the gym, Emily is a versatile powerhouse. For her club team, she dominates the net as a right-side hitter. For South Lake High, she adapts, playing outside hitter, setting, or wherever her coach Tom Wagenhauser needs. Her flexibility, she says, is one of her strongest assets. “I’m a front row player, but I’ve learned to be whatever the team needs. That’s part of being a leader.”

And a leader she is, especially in the classroom and across campus. A part of South Lake High’s Cambridge AICE program since freshman year, Emily is on track to graduate with a Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarship. She holds an impressive 5.1 unweighted GPA and takes college-level courses while juggling the demands of volleyball and extracurriculars like Student Government and Varsity Club.

“Balancing everything isn’t easy,” she admits. “But I’ve always had tough classes. I study on the way to tournaments. On nights when I don’t have homework, I analyze my game film to see how I can improve. It’s about slowly climbing the ladder, bit by bit.”

Emily loves reading — especially romance novels — and spending time outdoors with her family. They are a tight-knit group: her biggest role model is her mom Christina, a former collegiate softball player. As for Emily’s younger siblings Taylor and Maddie: “We’re best friends and we’re always doing something together,” she says. “Whether it’s paddleboarding, wakeboarding, or just hanging out by the lake, we’re always active.”

That support system has given her a strong drive to reach higher. Inspired by her mother’s example of balancing sports and academics, Emily has carved her own path, one that may not include college volleyball. For now, she’s focused on academics, eyeing schools like UF Health, UCF and Florida Gulf Coast University as she plans for a future in medicine.

Still, volleyball remains her passion. “I love feeling the electric energy of a home volleyball match with the student section on their feet. You get to play with some of your best friends on the court,” she says. “It’s amazing.”

As her senior year begins, Emily is reflecting more and more on how far she’s come and who’s following in her footsteps. “I look at the younger girls coming in and think, ‘That was me just a couple of years ago.’ Now I get to be a leader. I’ve loved my previous three years at South Lake. I’ve made lifelong friends through the AICE program and volleyball team.”

Emily is soaking in every moment, each practice, each exam, each chapter of her memoir-in-the-making. She knows her time as a high school athlete is coming to an end, but her future is limitless.

“I have 13 or 14 more years of school ahead of me, but I’m excited,” Emily says. “I’ve always known I wanted to be a doctor. Now, I know what kind and I’m ready to go for it.”

Photos: Nicole Hamel