Draft Prospect Profile: S Emma Grome

Grome never settles, and it has made her one of the SEC's best

Kentucky setter Emma Grome has had nothing but success at the SEC level. Her Wildcats have enjoyed nearly a decade of continuous top-flight setter play as she has done the improbable and capably filled the shoes of her predecessor, four time All-American Madison Lilley. Grome isn’t just fueled by instincts and passion, though. She’s the variety of high-level athlete who functions best with a constant flow of information and is unafraid to make tweaks to maximize her game at any point.

“I really focus on just honing my skills in any way I can,” she told me. “My biggest thing is, when I get instruction in a game, I want to know how to fix it in the moment, technically. I don't want any, like, ‘Oh you're fine, you got it.’ I want to know what I've done wrong and how I can fix it, that kind of stuff. ‘I don't know, do you have anything specific?’”

Grome refuses to get stuck in a rut, and her eagerness to make adjustments midgame has served her well. In her three years starting at Kentucky, she’s only lost a three set match nine times, including just one such loss during her freshman season. That’s a remarkable degree of game-to-game competitive consistency not often seen across an entire college career. For instance, she discussed ways that she’s able to stay unpredictable on the court.

“One of the easiest ways to not be as predictable is to have hitters like I do because I can spray the ball anywhere I want and I know that we're going to get a good swing out of it,” said Grome. “Sometimes if I'm really in a good flow during a game, I don't really have to think about it as much, but there are some times that I'll try to throw some tricks in there. I mean, as a setter, you want to be in what we call a neutral position, so you’re taking the ball from the same spot no matter if you're setting it outside middle or right side. But there's also a little lean back and set out and different things you can do to try to fake out the other middle, and it's always fun.”

“The best thing you can hear as a setter is, like, an ‘Oh shit!’ on the other side of the net,” she finished slyly.

Making tweaks while games are ongoing is an essential part of why Grome has been successful, but the biggest changes happen during the offseason. It should be no surprise Grome, who will try anything to get better, has put considerable effort into introducing a new style of footwork to her repertoire.

“Over your time as an athlete and as a setter, I guess you just try to pick things up from other people and take what you like and make it your own. I feel like, in a way, I have my own gameplay style, just as, like, every other setter has something that they do a little bit different,” Grome said.

She likes the added dimension it brings her game, but it still doesn’t always come naturally to her.

“Right/left footwork is something that's typically used more in men's volleyball, but that's something that I've been trying on certain passes this spring. It took me a little bit to get used to it but I definitely like it a little bit more now. You get to a certain point in your career where you've been doing things for 15 years, so it's muscle memory just to revert to your old ways,” she explained.

But instead of getting frustrated when she sometimes forgets to use her news skills in the heat of the moment, she sees it as an opportunity to get the kind of technical feedback from her coaches that she values — “You could have used right/left there versus, like, a typical step hop or one-footed set that I would normally do.”

Awards voters have had no choice but take note of her dominance in one of the best leagues out there. Grome has led all Power Five conferences in assists per set twice and her expansive trophy case includes wins as the SEC Freshman of the Year, SEC Player of the Year, two AVCA All-American teams. Grome cautioned me not to take what she’s done for granted, though.

“People think it might come naturally or it might be easy, but a lot of hard work goes into that and it's years of doing everything you can to get 1% better every day and it's also about who's around you on your team,” she said. “I mean, I wouldn't be able to do any of the things that I could do if we didn't have passers that could pass to me or hitters that could get the kill because I'm truly not the one scoring the point in most situations. Just don't overlook that. Don't overlook the training and the people that I have surrounding me.”

Grome told me she believes what will set her apart this season will be the skills secondary to setting. Ever in pursuit of personal improvement, her goal during the upcoming season is to prove herself as a defensive player. I asked her what she expects out of herself defensively, getting this explanation.

“Setters are notoriously known for not being great at defense but I don't want to fit that stereotype. And then, obviously, at 5'9, I'm not going to be a massive blocker but my goal is to not get tooled and just do my job as a blocker, take up as much space as I can. The biggest thing would just be staying alert at all times in the back row. Like, I know I'm quick, I know I could get to any ball that's around me. It's just a matter of getting stopped and in the right position so I can move to that ball instead of being caught moving or on my heels,” she said.

Beyond this year, it’s tough to know what will come next for Grome. There’s probably no question that she can play professionally at some level, but if or when she decides to take that leap is still up in the air. She acknowledged how fortunate she is to have multiple paths that she could take going forward, and said that she’ll have to evaluate which option seems best once the year ends.

“For a while, I was considering taking a fifth year of beach. For a while I thought maybe I wouldn't, but now I'm kind of considering that again. And then, at some point I would love to get into the professional volleyball side, whether that be overseas or here. I would love to stay here, personally, with all the new pro leagues that are starting, but you never know how that's gonna work because there's a lot of people that are trying to get into that. There's a lot of older people coming back to join it,” she said carefully.

With few roster spots available for setters, why should a stateside team invest in Grome? I asked her, and she reiterated the way her athletic ability allows her to thrive in any situation.

“My speed and athleticism is gonna help me at the next level wherever I end up, so I guess that would be my superpower because I know that no matter where the ball is I'm very confident that I'll be able to get there and make a good set from that spot,” she said.

Some quotes have been lightly altered for clarity. To read the full transcript of my interview with Grome, click here. To watch full games, click here and here.