ANDERSON — Both Jess Berlin and Kate McCollum, two seniors on the Anderson University volleyball team, can still tell you about the first time they met. It was move-in day for the incoming volleyball freshmen in the fall of 2006, and the two were introduced by their new head coach, Tami Miller.
“I remember being really intimidated by Jess,” said McCollum. “She looked like she was really good and really confident.” “I remember thinking that she was really ditsy,” Berlin said with a laugh. “It’s rubbed off on me, too.”
From that initial meeting over three years ago, a friendship evolved that has carried both athletes through a series of up-and-down moments over their college careers.
Berlin and McCollum arrived with a large freshman class that made a quick impact on the court.
“It was early during our freshman year when I realized that we’d had a lot of talent,” said Berlin.
“There were so many of us in the starting lineup that year,” McCollum added.
Berlin especially established herself on the court, earning the HCAC’s Freshman of the Year and First Team All-HCAC nominations that year, as the team went 24-9.
Then in their sophomore year, a rash of injuries hit the team, including Berlin and McCollum. Berlin missed a small amount of time with a sprained ankle. As soon as she returned to the lineup, McCollum had her season ended by a torn ACL.
“It was frustrating. I’m usually a high-energy, spirited person,” said McCollum. “I had to step back, take things slower and really watch what I was doing.”
“That year was bad,” recalled Berlin, who received another First Team All-HCAC selection that year. “Every time someone would get back from injury, another person would get hurt. It was just a mess.”
While knee injuries can ruin multiple seasons for athletes, McCollum rebounded nicely with what she called her best year in 2008, winning an All-HCAC Honorable Mention award. Berlin made her third appearance in the HCAC’s First Team that year.
With an injury-free 2008 season behind them, the Ravens prepared for the 2009 season, the senior campaign for the class that featured McCollum and Berlin.
The talent that was evident during their freshman year helped carry AU to a 9-4 record one month into the season.
But at a weekend tournament at Millikin University, that same knee injury that ended McCollum’s sophomore season found another victim.
“I started to get up and there was just no way that I could walk,” said Berlin. “By Sunday, I realized it was probably my ACL. Then on Monday the doctor ran a bunch of tests and confirmed it.”
The injury ended Berlin’s season and her career at AU.
“It was devastating,” said Berlin. “I was struggling with the fact that I was going to give up volleyball in November [once the season ended], not even thinking that I’d do it in September. I had a lot of thoughts of, ‘Why did this happen?’”
Her teammate and close friend was just as hurt by the news.
“It was horrible,” said McCollum. “I was already upset for her because I know how that injury felt for me. But it was even worse because this was her senior year.”
Needing someone to fill the hole left by Berlin’s injury, Miller looked to McCollum.
“Once Jess got hurt, that put Kate in a new role, and she’s stepped up in a huge way,” said Miller. “She plays the frontcourt and the backcourt now. She’s coming up huge in those situations for us.”
Berlin is scheduled for surgery in the middle of November to repair the knee, before rehabilitation can begin. She said McCollum has already been letting her know what the next few months will bring.
“I’ve prepared her for the rehab,” said McCollum. “With me, people were beating around the bush, saying ‘Oh, it’s going to be OK.’ I’ve already told Jess that it’s really going to hurt. I wish someone would’ve been that straightforward with me.”
While Berlin prepares for rehab, McCollum and the rest of the Ravens have one more regular season match on the schedule. They face Manchester tonight, then they’ll turn their attention toward the HCAC Tournament set for this weekend.
College Sports
Ravens Focus: Bonded by injuries
- College Sports
-
-
Wiles’ heart leads her to Hoosiers
Meghan Wiles took some time to explore her options, but she always kind of knew where she would end up.
She’s an IU girl.
Wiles, a Pendleton Heights senior, signed to play soccer at Indiana University on Feb. 1, the NCAA’s National Signing Day. Her parents, Tom and Mandy, both attended IU. -
Boilers get back on track with win
Robbie Hummel scored a season-high 27 points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds Sunday as Purdue snapped Northwestern’s three-game winning streak with an 87-77 victory.
-
W. Virginia women upset No. 2 Irish
Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said her team had it coming to them. “I thought we’ve been building up to this game now for a couple of weeks,” she said. “We just haven’t played well for a long time.” The second-ranked Irish almost played well enough Sunday, but West Virginia ended their 21-game winning streak with a 65-63 victory.
-
Prahalis lifts No. 10 OSU women past No. 16 Purdue
Samantha Prahalis, the only senior on Ohio State’s roster, has been through a lot of battles on the court. So it figured that when the No. 10 Buckeyes were badly in need of a bucket on Sunday against No. 16 Purdue, it was their most experienced player who supplied a dagger of a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left to pave the way to an 80-71 victory.
-
Ravens soar past Grizzlies
The Anderson University men’s basketball team has been in tournament mode for the past three weeks.
But the Ravens took a big step toward the actual postseason Saturday afternoon with a 79-65 victory against Franklin in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play. -
AU women fall to HCAC leaders
The Anderson University women’s basketball team lost to Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference leader Franklin College 68-43 on Saturday at O.C. Lewis Gymnasium on Senior Day.
-
No. 23 Hoosiers hurry past Illinois 84-71
Illinois played like a desperate team Thursday night. That didn’t matter to Indiana. Cody Zeller scored 22 points and Victor Oladipo and Christian Watford each had 18, igniting No. 23 Indiana’s late charge to get past the Fighting Illini 84-71.
-
Boilers honor Lewis at halftime against IU
Purdue basketball fans took time out Saturday in the middle of a heated rivalry game with Indiana to honor Anderson High School graduate Troy Lewis, whose No. 23 jersey hangs from the rafters at Mackey Arena.
-
Ravens down Bluffton, pick up win No. 100 for Slyder
The Anderson University men’s basketball team nearly blew a 15-point second-half lead, but hung on to defeat Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Bluffton University 70-67 on Saturday at Founders Hall in Bluffton, Ohio.
-
Indiana falls at Michigan
Tim Hardaway Jr.’s 3-pointer with 2:58 remaining helped the 23rd-ranked Wolverines hold off No. 20 Indiana 68-56 on Wednesday night.
- More College Sports Headlines
-
