Learn more about Emily
Emily is a former Northwestern volleyball player and current sports broadcaster based in Chicago. She works for Big Ten Network as the primary volleyball analyst where she has called the top three most-watched regular season college volleyball matches of all time as well as the women’s sport attendance world record-setting volleyball match in front of 92,003 people. She doubles as BTN’s Digital Host where she has covered four NCAA Women’s Indoor Volleyball Championships, two CFB Playoff Semifinal games, the Women’s College World Series and much more! Emily is also a volleyball analyst for ESPN where she has called Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matches.
Emily also freelances for other outlets and organizations. She conducts and produces interviews for Nike with sponsored volleyball athletes for social media called the “Nike Hot Seat.” She commentates professional volleyball matches on VolleyballWorld during Volleyball National League each year where the top 16 national teams around the world compete. In the spring of 2021, she spent eight weeks in Dallas working as a Digital Host for Athletes Unlimited Professional Volleyball League covering the only pro women’s volleyball league in the U.S. She is also a frequent contributor to VolleyballMag.com.
Growing up in the college town of Bloomington, Indiana, sports became Emily’s whole life at a very young age. She used to follow her uncle, Dan Dakich, around IU’s Assembly Hall soaking up every bit of information she could about the world of collegiate sports. By the age of 10, Emily knew she wanted to work in sports media. She went on to play volleyball at Northwestern and pursue a journalism degree where she was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree. She also completed internships with Chicago Fire Soccer Club, Newsy and Big Ten Network.
Through her work, Emily has become passionate about breaking down the barriers for women in the sports media industry and destigmatizing mental health especially within athletics. In her spare time, Emily loves to travel around the country. And although she lives in the busy Windy City, coming from a family of rock climbers she loves any and all outdoor activities including hiking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, camping, bicycling and skiing!
