From the Streets of Laredo: Saluki Setter Emma Lade Ready to Make Some Noise

Editor's Note: Huge thanks to fellow Saluki Julie Kaiser for putting together this awesome feature as our guest author. We’re grateful for her time, energy, and eye for storytelling!

BY JULIE KAISER

Emma Lade’s first impression of Carbondale when she arrived on campus in January?

“It is a lot colder,” she said. “Being in Texas, especially where I was for the past few years, it was always warm.”

Lade wasted no time warming up to SIU in weight room workouts, making friends with new teammates and acclimating to student life as a biology major on campus.

The 5’9 senior setter transferred to SIU for the spring semester from Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas. She rejoins her former college coach Brittany Harry who recruited her in high school to play for International.

Originally a three-sport high school athlete from Howard Lake, Minn., Lade was a Minnesota Class A All-State point guard for Mayer Lutheran High School’s basketball team her senior year and an honorable mention junior year.

While she entertained childhood dreams of playing for “Geno” Auriemma at the University of Connecticut, she pivoted her junior year to wanting to play volleyball at a collegiate level. Senior year, she was named a Minnesota Class A All-State volleyball player.

After graduation, Lade moved to the Lone Star State to play for Coach Harry. She quickly made an impression her freshman year, notching 1,253 assists and earning 2022 Freshman of the Year conference honors.

Then came a 2023 Lone Star Conference Setter of the Year award and early in the 2024 season, she reached 3,000 career assists.

“Awards, they are cool, but I am more focused on the friendships,” Lade told the Laredo Morning Times in August 2024, ahead of her junior season. “I really am not that focused on myself because I want to see my teammates succeed. How can I help others get better? Because when we all get better, we all succeed.”

That can-do attitude is what new head coach Brittany Harry had in mind when she phoned Lade on December 23, 2024 with an invitation to join her at SIU and contribute to a new era in Saluki volleyball.

Harry had coached Lade for two seasons at International before moving to West Texas A&M and knew firsthand what the setter brings to the court.

“She came in for me as a freshman and did everything you would want,” Harry said of Lade. “She was the quarterback. No one was going to outwork her. She just operated at a higher level and led our team.”

That year, the Dustdevils enjoyed a turn-around season, going 23-8 overall and 13-3 in conference play before bowing out in the conference championship game. Fast forward three years, and a reunion is in place – this time with a program trying to regain relevance in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“Emma got to Carbondale before I did!” said Harry. “She really made a leap of faith – found an advisor, got an apartment, started classes.”

The move brought some tough moments as Lade navigated a completely new environment. But several teammates quickly became good friends and were there for her when she needed to talk.

Lade also relied on three longtime character traits to make the athletic jump from D2 to D1: positive energy, leadership and work ethic.

Her parents, Bobby and Peggy Lade, pushed the importance of always giving 110 percent and she has brought that approach to every sport she’s played. On campus, she goes to the gym with a purpose to improve her ability and build her relationships with the hitters and passers.

A dedicated work ethic is one thing she noticed immediately among her new teammates.

“The difference in this environment is the commitment,” she said. “The girls are always early. You aren’t after people to show up and get started working. It’s a different mindset for everyone. The pace – everyone wants to win games – and they are willing to put in the work. Everyone feeds off that energy, and that’s how we’ll continue to progress and get better.”

Lade admits to being initially nervous about making the transition to D1.

“At first you don’t think you can play with them,” Lade said. “But I have always played up. It helps me grow. I have to put in the extra ten percent every day I practice. It’s a totally different level now. Coach having the trust in me really helps a lot. Her confidence in me and all the girls really makes a difference.”

Lade prides herself on bringing an abundance of positive energy and encouragement both in practice and games. She is able to stay calm and maintain her composure when things take a crazy turn on the court. Harry runs a fast offense so a steady and consistent setter is vital for success.

“We don’t have the tallest girls touching 10 feet and higher,” Lade said. “A fast offense helps those smaller hitters because we don’t give 6’5 blockers extra time to get into place. A fast offense also gets our middles more involved, which means our pins have more pressure off them and that opens up their opportunities, too.”

A fast offense can’t engage without a solid defense. Lade is excited about the work the defense is putting in on serve receive and knows that effort will pay off. She also appreciates the upbeat energy coming from Jillian Shaneyfelt, a junior defensive specialist from Pickneyville, who transferred in from Tennessee Tech in 2024.

“Our defense is very, very scrappy,” Lade said. “They have been putting in the work, and this season that will pay off. Jillian brings so much energy, too, and together, we can bring more encouragement to the hitters. All around – that just helps the core of our team stay positive.”

One of Lade’s goals for the program is to attract an enthusiastic fan base and consistently pack Davies Gym for a loud, unstoppable home court advantage.

In the Missouri Valley Conference, she has her eye on perennial powerhouse University of Northern Iowa (UNI).

UNI went undefeated in conference play in 2024 with their third consecutive Missouri Valley Conference regular season/tournament championship combo. They also have made 26 appearances in the NCAA tournament.

Lade recognizes UNI is a big school with a winning tradition. But she also believes SIU can beat them.

“I want everyone else to believe that, too,” she said. “It takes a mindset switch. We always want to make it to the top. We are the underdog, but we can still overcome the stigma, and we can really prove it to them. We are going to change things starting now. You’re not just coming out of there with an easy game.”

Harry is excited about Lade’s role and the team’s unity as transfers, recruits and returners all come together for the 2025 season.

“Emma had to find her footing as a newbie this spring,” Harry said. “But I have never once gotten a single ounce of ego from this group of players. Their character is that they are very open – they just want to win. They noted that she was working her butt off, and she gained a lot of respect out of the gate. There really was no lapse.”

That unified approach could make an important difference.

“We all are really dedicated to it,” Lade said. “We have such a good group of girls. We are all checking in with each other all the time, which really helps the team dynamic. We truly want to change the culture to be positive – all of us, one together, right from the first pass.”

She is excited for the season to start, and wouldn’t you know it, the Salukis are headed to Texas.

The Dawgs open their season in Huntsville, Texas, at the Sam Houston State University Bearkat Invitational on Friday, August 29.