CMU volleyball senior Emily Wenglikowski poses with her family and Chippewa coach Mike Gawlik during Senior Night at McGuirk Arena.
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
Consummate Teammate, Leader
11/9/2018 4:48:00 PM | Volleyball
Senior Emily Wenglikowski bridges the gap, sets the tone
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – In some ways, Emily Wenglikowski is old school.
Wonderfully and refreshingly old school.
Wenglikowski is one of two seniors on the Central Michigan volleyball team, which closes its season this weekend with Mid-American Conference matches at Northern Illinois and at Western Michigan.
It brings to a close a season that will finish on the upswing regardless of what happens this weekend. The Chippewas have won four of their last five matches – the last two of which have been straight-set wins – after starting 0-9 in MAC play.
No, the final ledger won't include a championship; but in the end, there were major strides made and corners turned as the Chippewas are clearly on the path to being competitive and, perhaps, a contender in the MAC picture.
To a certain degree, Wenglikowski's career as a Chippewa mirrors that of the program during her four years in Mount Pleasant: Her name won't appear on any top-10 statistical lists and she's not likely to be remembered for an exceptionally difficult-to-handle serve or an explosive vertical leap.
But when the Chippewas finally get things turned around and contend for a league championship – and they're clearly headed that way with a young and improving core under third-year coach Mike Gawlik – they can look back and give some degree of credit to Wenglikowski, whose greatest contribution is much more intangible than anything that can be measured on a stat sheet.
"She's been a pretty selfless player for us," Gawlik said. "She had to fill a lot of needs for us. She's played in the front row, she's played in the back row, she's been libero, she's been a serving specialist for us."
In short, Wenglikowski has done what was asked of her, and, often, what wasn't asked. She was a preferred walk-on in 2015 out of Leo (Ind.) High School, enrolling at CMU where both her mother and maternal grandmother went to school. Both of Wenglikowski's parents are Mid-Michigan natives.
When Gawlik took over prior to Wenglikowski's sophomore year in 2016, she stuck with the program when such a move often precipitates major upheaval for student-athletes as a new coach brings different expectations and rules and begins to recruit talent befitting his or her system.
Wenglikowski and setter Marissa Grant have remained with the program from the six who comprised their recruiting class.
Adapting to and embracing the changes – for the good of the team and the good of the program – became part of Wenglikowski's DNA.
That was never lost on Gawlik.
"Like a Swiss Army knife, I think she filled that role for us for a long time," he said. "I think that's more a tribute to her skill set on the volleyball court, and who she is as a person. She was saying, 'How can I contribute and what do you need from me?'
"As things changed, sometimes that plan with Emily changed. She was always full-steam ahead, and whatever vision we had for her in that game, that match, that week. I think that takes a lot, that says a lot about her as a person and a leader. Leaders put the group first and Emily has done that."
Wenglikowski, who sports a 3.51 grade point average, eventually earned a scholarship by her junior year. She is a two-time Academic All-MAC selection – she's a lock to earn the honor for the third time when the team is named in a few weeks – who, while never becoming a star, was, unquestionably, the program's on-court glue as Gawlik's system took root.
Wenglikowski became a mother hen – a term she embraces – to younger teammates.
"I'm called mom a lot," Wenglikowski said. "I'm the one getting everyone on the right track. A lot of it is reminding people what shirts to wear, what to pack, like little stuff like that. Making sure everyone has a ride. Little mom stuff, like making sure that everyone is safe and together and on the right page with everything."
That team-first attitude – a refreshing conviction in an increasingly me-first society – perhaps sprung from the fact that Wenglikowski had to fight, scratch and claw for all she achieved on the court.
"Coming in as a walk-on, nothing was ever expected, so just that constant fight … I think that I kept a positive attitude because I knew that there was hopefully something in the end," she said. "Everyone is on the same page now. It just took a lot of growing and building. If it was me or someone else, somebody had to be like, 'Hey this is kind of how it is; this is how things are going.'
"And once you have that respect and that responsibility, everyone has a high standard everyone clicks."
Wonderfully and refreshingly old school.
Wenglikowski is one of two seniors on the Central Michigan volleyball team, which closes its season this weekend with Mid-American Conference matches at Northern Illinois and at Western Michigan.
It brings to a close a season that will finish on the upswing regardless of what happens this weekend. The Chippewas have won four of their last five matches – the last two of which have been straight-set wins – after starting 0-9 in MAC play.
No, the final ledger won't include a championship; but in the end, there were major strides made and corners turned as the Chippewas are clearly on the path to being competitive and, perhaps, a contender in the MAC picture.
To a certain degree, Wenglikowski's career as a Chippewa mirrors that of the program during her four years in Mount Pleasant: Her name won't appear on any top-10 statistical lists and she's not likely to be remembered for an exceptionally difficult-to-handle serve or an explosive vertical leap.
But when the Chippewas finally get things turned around and contend for a league championship – and they're clearly headed that way with a young and improving core under third-year coach Mike Gawlik – they can look back and give some degree of credit to Wenglikowski, whose greatest contribution is much more intangible than anything that can be measured on a stat sheet.
"She's been a pretty selfless player for us," Gawlik said. "She had to fill a lot of needs for us. She's played in the front row, she's played in the back row, she's been libero, she's been a serving specialist for us."
In short, Wenglikowski has done what was asked of her, and, often, what wasn't asked. She was a preferred walk-on in 2015 out of Leo (Ind.) High School, enrolling at CMU where both her mother and maternal grandmother went to school. Both of Wenglikowski's parents are Mid-Michigan natives.
When Gawlik took over prior to Wenglikowski's sophomore year in 2016, she stuck with the program when such a move often precipitates major upheaval for student-athletes as a new coach brings different expectations and rules and begins to recruit talent befitting his or her system.
Wenglikowski and setter Marissa Grant have remained with the program from the six who comprised their recruiting class.
Adapting to and embracing the changes – for the good of the team and the good of the program – became part of Wenglikowski's DNA.
That was never lost on Gawlik.
"Like a Swiss Army knife, I think she filled that role for us for a long time," he said. "I think that's more a tribute to her skill set on the volleyball court, and who she is as a person. She was saying, 'How can I contribute and what do you need from me?'
"As things changed, sometimes that plan with Emily changed. She was always full-steam ahead, and whatever vision we had for her in that game, that match, that week. I think that takes a lot, that says a lot about her as a person and a leader. Leaders put the group first and Emily has done that."
Wenglikowski, who sports a 3.51 grade point average, eventually earned a scholarship by her junior year. She is a two-time Academic All-MAC selection – she's a lock to earn the honor for the third time when the team is named in a few weeks – who, while never becoming a star, was, unquestionably, the program's on-court glue as Gawlik's system took root.
Wenglikowski became a mother hen – a term she embraces – to younger teammates.
"I'm called mom a lot," Wenglikowski said. "I'm the one getting everyone on the right track. A lot of it is reminding people what shirts to wear, what to pack, like little stuff like that. Making sure everyone has a ride. Little mom stuff, like making sure that everyone is safe and together and on the right page with everything."
That team-first attitude – a refreshing conviction in an increasingly me-first society – perhaps sprung from the fact that Wenglikowski had to fight, scratch and claw for all she achieved on the court.
"Coming in as a walk-on, nothing was ever expected, so just that constant fight … I think that I kept a positive attitude because I knew that there was hopefully something in the end," she said. "Everyone is on the same page now. It just took a lot of growing and building. If it was me or someone else, somebody had to be like, 'Hey this is kind of how it is; this is how things are going.'
"And once you have that respect and that responsibility, everyone has a high standard everyone clicks."
Players Mentioned
Setter
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