Orem • If Emma Mangum of Corner Canyon High had put all of her athletic interests in a list, it would have included almost everything under the sun a few years ago.
But the different sports were crossed off one by one as potential long-lasting ventures.
After Mangum and her Chargers’ teammates moved into the Class 5A volleyball state semifinals Friday, she said simply that she wasn’t any good at things like tennis or pickleball, which she played “a lot,” although she enjoyed the competition.
“I like playing all sports,” she said.
The 6-foot-4 Mangum even said her height didn’t necessarily mean she was cut out for basketball.
“Oh no, I’m so bad at that,” she said.
Finally, just as she was getting ready to enter Corner Canyon as a sophomore, Mangum spun the wheel one more time because another sport wasn’t working out.
“I was really bad at soccer,” said Mangum, who decided to try volleyball instead during that fall.
The needle stuck this time.
Mangum scored 165 kills last year as she mostly patrolled the right side of the net, helping Corner Canyon reach the Class 4A championship match before falling to Bountiful.
And the Chargers are heading in that direction again, at least into a rematch against the Braves in a Class 5A state semifinal Saturday.
Corner Canyon swept Viewmont in Friday’s first round before overcoming Wasatch in a four-set quarterfinal win.
“I think we can win state this year. We just have to go out as a team, which we’ve been doing this tournament,” said Mangum, who led her team with 13 kills in the win over Wasatch. “I’m super proud of our team so far.”
Mangum was instrumental at times against the Wasps, helping Corner Canyon get back on track in tough spots during a match that was closely contested through the first three sets.
With the score tied 12-12 in the third set, Mangum had kills on two of the next three points to give Corner Canyon a cushion it wouldn’t relinquish.
“She was ready. She had her intensity up, she had that look in her eyes,” Corner Canyon coach Mindy Wilder said. “She wanted it, and the girls turned to her.”
Mangum plans to play at Southern Utah University next year, and she wants to get an early start. She plans to graduate from Corner Canyon next month.
For now, Wilder said that SUU hasn’t said how they intend to use Magnum. Wilder likes to use her both in the middle and at opposite-side hitter, and even from the left-side hitting spot in a pinch.
“We just switch her around where we need her,” Wilder said. “She’s an great blocker and to have a middle that can put down that many kills, that’s incredible.”