Post by GoBigRed on Apr 4, 2007 21:16:09 GMT -5
BY TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star
Wednesday, Apr 04, 2007 - 07:00:40 pm CDT
Christina Houghtelling, the player voted the best in all of college volleyball two seasons ago, is nervous.
She wonders what it will be like to play again, coming off three surgeries — two to fix her right shoulder and another to repair a knee — and a lost season where Houghtelling redshirted and Nebraska won a national championship.
She’s practicing again this spring, even scrimmaging with Nebraska’s starters, but it’s still a long road to life as normal for the Huskers’ senior outside hitter.
“Sometimes it’s kind of awkward or uncomfortable because they’re not used to seeing me out there, and I’m still adjusting to game speed and everything,” Houghtelling said before Nebraska’s workout Wednesday at the Coliseum.
“Once I started getting out there and playing with the team, of course, I expected a lot from myself, and sometimes I think I expect too much of myself for this point,” she added. “It’s been a long 10 months, that’s for sure.”
That layoff, which followed surgery to repair a torn labrum, officially ends in a big way Saturday, when Houghtelling is expected to play in Nebraska’s spring exhibition against Wichita State in North Platte.
Tickets for the 2 p.m. match have been sold out for weeks, but the Huskers, with nine players who have played in key roles in national championship matches the past two seasons, will take part in an autograph session that’s open to the public Friday evening.
With friends and family from nearby Cambridge helping to fill the gymnasium, Houghtelling said she expects to be more nervous than when she first stepped on the court for Nebraska in 2003.
“She’s doing well, but she’s not player-of-the-year caliber yet,” Nebraska coach John Cook said Wednesday in confirming that Houghtelling would play this weekend. “She’s got to build her confidence back up, so I think it’s important for her to be out there and play. It’s a process to come back from something like this.”
Houghtelling is essentially doing everything her teammates do. At “90 percent,” she sits out an occasional exercise and only rips a full swing when she has the benefit of a perfect set. The rest of the time, she’s expected to take something off her swing and work on her shots.
“I’m probably just going to be tipping a lot, which is something you don’t usually see from me,” Houghtelling said.
“August 1 is when I need to be back full-speed, and this spring, it’s just about getting back into things,” she added. “We just don’t want to go in and mess anything up that we’ve worked so long and hard for.”
Houghtelling first underwent surgery to repair her aching shoulder after the team returned from its training trip to Japan and China last spring. Once it was determined she would redshirt in the fall, the decision was made to go ahead with knee surgery.
When the shoulder didn’t heal as expected, doctors went in to “clean things up” following last season. Three months later, some soreness remains, but Houghtelling expects to be pain-free by the end of April.
In the meantime, Cook and others are keeping an eye on almost everything Houghtelling does.
“I’m kind of under their microscope with everything I do with my shoulder now,” she said. “Even if it’s just playing beach or carrying my book bag, they’re watching it.”
Since returning to practice this spring, Houghtelling has slowly regained her court awareness and relearning passing zones. She’s only beginning to lift overhead weights and will likely need the entire summer to get back to where she was strength-wise two seasons ago when her breakthrough year was capped by the player of the year award.
Houghtelling, however, says her thoughts aren’t on last year’s national championship or on All-America honors.
“I’m not going for any glory,” she said, “I just want to be out there and play. I missed that for a year, and it hurt a lot more than people imagine.”
Briefly
Former Husker Janae Dowling has resigned as an assistant to Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner (a former NU aide). Dowling, who will be married next month, is relocating to Fort Benning, Ga.
Wednesday, Apr 04, 2007 - 07:00:40 pm CDT
Christina Houghtelling, the player voted the best in all of college volleyball two seasons ago, is nervous.
She wonders what it will be like to play again, coming off three surgeries — two to fix her right shoulder and another to repair a knee — and a lost season where Houghtelling redshirted and Nebraska won a national championship.
She’s practicing again this spring, even scrimmaging with Nebraska’s starters, but it’s still a long road to life as normal for the Huskers’ senior outside hitter.
“Sometimes it’s kind of awkward or uncomfortable because they’re not used to seeing me out there, and I’m still adjusting to game speed and everything,” Houghtelling said before Nebraska’s workout Wednesday at the Coliseum.
“Once I started getting out there and playing with the team, of course, I expected a lot from myself, and sometimes I think I expect too much of myself for this point,” she added. “It’s been a long 10 months, that’s for sure.”
That layoff, which followed surgery to repair a torn labrum, officially ends in a big way Saturday, when Houghtelling is expected to play in Nebraska’s spring exhibition against Wichita State in North Platte.
Tickets for the 2 p.m. match have been sold out for weeks, but the Huskers, with nine players who have played in key roles in national championship matches the past two seasons, will take part in an autograph session that’s open to the public Friday evening.
With friends and family from nearby Cambridge helping to fill the gymnasium, Houghtelling said she expects to be more nervous than when she first stepped on the court for Nebraska in 2003.
“She’s doing well, but she’s not player-of-the-year caliber yet,” Nebraska coach John Cook said Wednesday in confirming that Houghtelling would play this weekend. “She’s got to build her confidence back up, so I think it’s important for her to be out there and play. It’s a process to come back from something like this.”
Houghtelling is essentially doing everything her teammates do. At “90 percent,” she sits out an occasional exercise and only rips a full swing when she has the benefit of a perfect set. The rest of the time, she’s expected to take something off her swing and work on her shots.
“I’m probably just going to be tipping a lot, which is something you don’t usually see from me,” Houghtelling said.
“August 1 is when I need to be back full-speed, and this spring, it’s just about getting back into things,” she added. “We just don’t want to go in and mess anything up that we’ve worked so long and hard for.”
Houghtelling first underwent surgery to repair her aching shoulder after the team returned from its training trip to Japan and China last spring. Once it was determined she would redshirt in the fall, the decision was made to go ahead with knee surgery.
When the shoulder didn’t heal as expected, doctors went in to “clean things up” following last season. Three months later, some soreness remains, but Houghtelling expects to be pain-free by the end of April.
In the meantime, Cook and others are keeping an eye on almost everything Houghtelling does.
“I’m kind of under their microscope with everything I do with my shoulder now,” she said. “Even if it’s just playing beach or carrying my book bag, they’re watching it.”
Since returning to practice this spring, Houghtelling has slowly regained her court awareness and relearning passing zones. She’s only beginning to lift overhead weights and will likely need the entire summer to get back to where she was strength-wise two seasons ago when her breakthrough year was capped by the player of the year award.
Houghtelling, however, says her thoughts aren’t on last year’s national championship or on All-America honors.
“I’m not going for any glory,” she said, “I just want to be out there and play. I missed that for a year, and it hurt a lot more than people imagine.”
Briefly
Former Husker Janae Dowling has resigned as an assistant to Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner (a former NU aide). Dowling, who will be married next month, is relocating to Fort Benning, Ga.
