WOODBURY — Senior Emma Jackson has been a great athlete at Nonnewaug since her freshman year. But her senior year is when Jackson made history, becoming the first volleyball player in school history to hit 1,000 career assists Nov. 6 during her Class M state tournament second-round win against Harford Public. 

“It didn’t actually happen during the game. It was actually the very last point of the match,” Jackson said. “I didn’t even realize that until after we did high-fives and said ‘good job’ to the other team. My mom came out with a piece of paper that said ‘1,000 assists.’”

Jackson has been working hard since her freshman year to get to where she is today. 

“It just felt really good because I’ve been working hard on it for the past few years and trying to get better,” Jackson adds. “It was a really great feeling.“

Head coach Marty Malaspina believes Jackson was a huge help this season and a great leader for the incoming freshmen.

“I think Emma leads by example and she’s very aware of how she’s doing and what she needs to work on,” Malaspina adds. “I think she leads in that way.”

Malaspina was impressed with how far Jackson came from her freshman year and believes she grew dramatically.

“She grew incredibly,” Malaspina adds. “She was debating playing soccer freshman year but decided on volleyball. [She] really has just gotten better every year and has been huge for us this year.”

Ava Rickenbach, a sophomore on the volleyball team, looks up to Jackson as a leader, captain, and one of her closest friends. 

“It’s been really amazing,” Rickenbach said. “She’s a really great teammate to have. She always encourages everyone in the team and she’s also just an amazing setter.”

The Chiefs’ season, during which they won the Berkshire League championship, came to an end Nov. 8 with a 3-0 loss to Granby in the Class M quarterfinals.

Jackson ended her career with 1,014 assists, setting the program’s all-time record.