Eighth-grade setter leads powerhouse North Broward Prep girls’ volleyball team

Volleyball standout Emma Luehrs hasn’t broken any furniture – yet.

A 5-foot-11 setter, Luehrs plays way beyond her years as an eighth-grader starting for the top-ranked Class 4A team in the state, the North Broward Prep Eagles (19-2), who playing in their district playoffs this week as they look to make a push for the school’s first state title in the sport.

Luehrs is so dedicated to her sport that she practices with the Eagles; she practices with Tribe Volleyball (club team); she takes private lessons with setter guru Sebastian Pedraza; and she practices in her driveway, with her father, Robert.

“I train at least two hours every day before school in our driveway,” said Luehrs, 14. “If it’s raining, we put up a net in the hallway of our house.

“I’ve come close to breaking stuff … but not yet. My mom (Taralyn) doesn’t mind as long as I’m having fun.”

Luehrs, an only child who has been playing volleyball since age 8, is having a blast.

Two years ago, she led Tribe Volleyball to the 12-under USAV national championship in Dallas. They beat the hometown team, Dallas Skyline, in the final.

“They had 4,000 fans rooting for them, and we had 400,” Luehrs said. “We had a perfect team. It was so much fun that I wish I could go back and revisit that moment.”

Luehrs had some good moments last year, too, while playing for North Broward Prep.

She started the season as a reserve, but when starting setter Destiny Wiggins suffered an ACL knee injury, Luehrs stepped in and finished the year with 573 assists.

With her work this season, Luehrs has already surpassed 1,000 career assists, and she’s done it in large part because she has four college-bound players to feed the ball to in 5-8 junior Jayda Palumbo (Villanova); 5-9 senior Dasia Johnson (Maryland-Baltimore County); 5-11 senior Yasmin Dias Tonon (Bentley University); and 6-2 senior Layni Tobias (Queens).

Johnson and Dias Tonon each have more than 200 kills this season.

Brian Coughenour, who is in his first season as North Broward Prep’s coach, said Luehrs’ secret to success is her accuracy.

“Emma’s set location is among the best I’ve ever coached,” Coughenour said. “She puts the ball in the same location every time, and consistency is the No. 1 word in volleyball.”

That accuracy surely comes from all that practice, which is why Luehrs’ father bought 60 volleyballs, two carts and two target nets for those home workouts.

In addition, Luehrs also watches countless volleyball videos of her own performances as well as other games.

“I want to see what they’re doing that I’m not doing,” Luehrs said. “When I watch our games, how am I interacting with my teammates? Am I celebrating them enough? Am I encouraging them? Am I distributing the ball correctly?”

By rule, Luehrs can’t be recruited until June of her sophomore year. But as long as she continues to progress, Luehrs should become a Division I college player, according to Coughenour.

“Her hands are legit,” the coach said. “She’s also an efficient jump-server. She needs to continue to work on defense, blocking and attacking.”

North Broward Prep’s 14-player roster includes eight seniors and two juniors, and Coughenour has been impressed with Luehrs’ willingness to take feedback from those veterans.

“Our seniors are demanding excellence from her,” Coughenour said.

The Eagles last and only time they made it to a state championship match was in 2010, losing in four sets to Tampa’s Berkeley Prep.

Last season, North Broward Prep lost in the regional finals to Miami’s Mater Lakes. Since then, however, the Eagles added Johnson and Tobias as transfers. In addition, Wiggins is now healthy and contributing as a libero. In fact, Wiggins broke North Broward Prep’s single-game digs record with 31 on August 26 against Kings Academy.

On offense, though, it’s Luehrs who runs the show, and she doesn’t act her age.

“She’s an old soul,” Robert Luehrs said of his daughter. “She read 14 books last summer. I think she prefers hanging out with older kids.”

Luehrs is also humble.

“I’m really blessed to have amazing coaches and teammates,” she said. “I’ve learned so much from them.”

Palumbo, one of those older teammates, said Luehrs is all about volleyball.

“Everyone can tell how hard she works,” Palumbo said. “I only realize how young she is when I see Emma with her yellow middle-school badge.”