Senior Mckenna Jones had the perfect season: she was starting setter on an undefeated team and had big goals to win a state championship, but then one misstep in a game set her season on a different course.

“At the Bergen game, there was an overpass really tight to the net, and I went up for a block and so did another girl, and she landed and then I ended up landing on her foot, and I sprained my ankle,” Jones said.

In that instant, the adrenaline surged, but the aftermath was overwhelming.

“I was kind of in shock,” Jones said. “I didn’t really know what was going on. My whole ankle went numb, and I was just freaking out. I thought it was broken because it hurts so bad.”

Luckily, she discovered it was just a sprained ankle, but that would mean 3 days a week of PT. In the meantime, the team needed a new setter, and freshman Morgan Long was able to temporarily fill in for Jones.

“I feel like it was nerve-wracking at first, just because I was nervous I wasn’t going to be good enough to continue our record and to make us stay and to help build that,” Long said. “And I didn’t know how long Kenna was going to be out for, and I was scared that she wouldn’t be back for her senior season. “

This change required some adjustments on the court.

“The most common challenge is just that Mckenna touches the ball every single time, so getting used to somebody new, in such a critical role, is tough. Morgan and Mckenna set the ball differently, so in a game where being in rhythm is so important, the hitters had to adjust. Morgan did a really good job getting the ball to girls, but it just takes some time to get the flow and tempo,” head coach Jodi Bierman said.

Even though there were adjustments to make, head coach Jodi Bierman noticed how the team worked to stay positive.

“Honestly, I think the team is so positive and such a tight group, it’s easy to just feed off of them. Sometimes we lacked energy, but this team is so easy to be positive about. I love coming to practices and watching all of our girls compete, so it’s really easy for the most part. Specifically with Kenna’s injury, we just kept moving forward. No use dwelling. We’re incredibly lucky that we had somebody who could step in. Not all teams have that. It was hard seeing Mckenna on the sidelines, but it was great that Morgan got important reps and the rest of the team could keep winning matches until she came back,” Bierman said.

The team’s positivity and kindness also helped Jones with her recovery.

“They’ve helped me so much. Right after the injury, they all texted me and they were praying for me, and they helped me a lot, like in school and even at practices,” Jones said. “There was also a lot of people who stepped up, like Morgan, she stepped up and took over my role, and she did really well at it.” 

After missing four full games, Jones was finally able to return to the court, but it was not without challenges.

“Some challenges I experienced after was there was just a lot of restriction on my ankle, and it was just really hard to move side to side. My defense was a little harder. I hadn’t had as many reps, so my setting was a little bit off. It was also, like, serving was really difficult because I jump serve,” Jones said. “I was super excited to be back into the game, but it was also a lot more difficult because I was in so much pain and there was so much restriction and I just hadn’t practiced or I hadn’t had a lot of reps in a while so my game was a little off.”

The way Jones battled through these challenges was a model to the team.

“I look up to probably Mckenna because Mckenna is obviously the position that I’m trying to fill after she graduates, and watching her in practice and trying to imitate the things that she does in practice is important. I want to fill her shoes the best I can,” Long said.

Jones’s reflection on her injury serves as a reminder that despite many challenges, she was still able to return to the court and accomplish the goal of qualifying for state.

“I just really pushed through it and tried my hardest to do what I could and it ended up being good towards the end,” Jones said.