HELENA — Carroll College’s women’s volleyball team has some new additions this season — well, sort of.
After missing most of last season for health reasons, redshirt juniors Hannah Schweikert and Liz Hueiser are set to return to the court for the Saints.
“It really just brings tears to your eyes to know that the work that really both of them have put in,” said Carroll head coach Moe Boyle. “But where they were and where they are now, you can’t even compare it.”
For Hueiser, her volleyball hiatus stemmed from an ongoing battle with psoriatic arthritis.
“I’m not going to lie, it was tough,” said Hueiser. “Especially because I didn’t know what was going to happen. It’s been a whole year of figuring things out. New things come along. So, back in September when I was first diagnosed, I had no idea what my future was going to look like or if I was going to get back to volleyball because I was just so sore, so stiff and in so much pain every day.”
And for Schweikert, she was finally cleared to play volleyball again about two months ago — after spending a year rehabbing a completely ruptured Achilles tendon.
“You know, I’ve heard it’s been really hard for other people, but I really didn’t have much of a problem with it,” said Schweikert about her rehab process. “You know, it’s just like anything you do. You work hard at it. You put effort into it. So, the process was pretty smooth for me.”
But as Schweikert and Heuiser both told MTN Sports, the mental weight of injuries and rehab feels a whole lot lighter on days like today when they can just focus on playing volleyball.
“It’s a really great feeling,” said Heuiser. “I feel like everybody always says never take it for granted. But until you really, truly get it taken away from you, I don’t think you can truly appreciate that. And now I can.”
Schweikert agreed with Heuiser, saying:
“I would just say, I love Carroll. I love being a Saint. I love the environment here. It’s a great place to be. The people are great. And yeah, go Saints.”
Carroll’s season officially begins Friday with two games at the Big Sky Challenge in Butte.
