Thompson takes court with All-Stars

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Emily Thompson had hopes of one day being selected to play in the Optimist All-Star Volleyball Series.

“I did when I was younger,” she said.

But as the Carrington High School graduate got older, she set her sights on higher goals like winning a state championship.

She accomplished that, winning the Class B state basketball championship her junior year at the Bismarck Civic Center. And now, she’ll knock down another pillar.

Thompson was selected to play for the east in the state’s annual volleyball matches against the best from the west. The series starts Monday at Fargo South High School and concludes with Tuesday’s matches at Bismarck Century. Both are slated for 7 pm.

Thompson, headed to the University of North Dakota for volleyball in the fall, said a look at the event’s rosters intrigued her.

“I think we’re really good,” said Thompson, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter. “I don’t know most of the Class A girls, but I think we have a lot of good talent on it. … I know all the Class B girls. It’ll be nice to have all the Class B girls there.”

A sprained ankle at a volleyball camp sidelined Thompson for a month during the school year, forcing her to miss a chunk of the basketball season. But not only has she fully recovered from the ankle injury, she can’t even say for sure which foot she hurt.

“I think it was my right one,” Thompson said. “It’s pretty much healed up now. I don’t have any problems with it.”

Good news for anyone starting a college sport in August.

“That will definitely help to be healthy,” Thompson said. “College is so competitive now. You have to always be at your best.”

Thompson’s best has helped Carrington to numerous accolades, none more important than the basketball title her team won in 2011. But she also said volleyball has been an important part of her life.

“We accomplished a lot in volleyball that none of the other Cardinals teams had done before,” she said. “Setting a lot of records and stuff.”

Getting back into the swing of things will be the toughest aspect, she said.

“I haven’t played much volleyball since school ended,” Thompson said. “I’ll probably be a little rusty, but I think everyone will be.

But much like high school, she still expects to win.

“I want to win because I’m competitive,” Thompson said. “We’ll just go in it just wanting to win and play together, and play as a team.”

Sun sports writer Chris Aarhus can be reached at (701) 952-8462 or by email at caarhus@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, carrington, volleyball, all-stars