Away from the rest of the University of Kansas women’s volleyball team, Natalie Uhart spends more time stretching than any of her teammates. She wants to make this season different from the previous three. She wants to make it through the year without another season-ending injury.

Uhart, Lansing senior, landed awkwardly on her right knee during last summer’s annual alumni game and tore her ACL.

“When it happened, I heard a loud pop. It freaked me out,” Uhart said. “I was scared, but it didn’t hurt. It wasn’t until I tried to walk off the court and it went out again that I felt any pain.”

Uhart, before ever playing a game for KU, had a long road to recovery ahead.

“Tearing an ACL is one of the tougher injuries for a volleyball player to sustain,” said coach Ray Bechard. “She was obviously in a lot of pain.”

What followed was more than six months of physical therapy and rehabilitation. Doctor’s appointments and surgical consultations replaced team practices and playing time. After her injury, University athletic trainer Aimee Miyazawa was a source of support for Uhart.

“She was like my mom,” Uhart said. “She took me to doctor’s visits and she was with me during my knee surgery.”

Even after Uhart’s surgery, Miyazawa took care of her by personally rehabilitating her knee every day. Through stretching and light exercise, Miyazawa worked Uhart back into shape for this season.

In addition to Miyazawa’s care, Uhart had the guidance of Jana Correa, Macapa, Brazil, senior. Correa had suffered the same type of injury as Uhart while playing volleyball for KU and supported Uhart emotionally during her injury.

“She was very mature about her injury,” Correa said. “I tried to give her support and relax her. She was very nervous, but she still wanted to play.”

After almost a year of work, Uhart was able to play, but not without small signs of her injury.

“Some days I wake up and feel like I’m 65. Other days, after some rest, I wake up and think, ‘Today I only feel 35,’” Uhart said, laughing. “It will never feel the same as it did before I hurt it, but I can’t be timid, I have to get back on the court and play.”

Returning to the court was important in rebuilding Uhart’s confidence after her injury. A new stiffness in her knee reminded Uhart everyday that she had to take care of herself while competing at a high level.

“The only time I think about it is at the start of practice when we’re stretching,” Uhart said. “At first, I wasn’t that confident. It’s hard to keep up and stay healthy after an injury. I just had to go out and play. I think things like, ‘Can I still jump that high?’ But I know I can’t be timid.”

Uhart had suffered similar injuries as a player at Long Beach State, but she said she didn’t receive the same level of care she received at the University.

For two straight seasons at Long Beach State, Uhart was injured and re-injured while competing. Each year she appeared in less than 1/3 of her team’s matches.

“When I went to Long Beach, I knew they had a high transfer rate,” Uhart said. “It was like a big secret; they ran their players into the ground.”

Makini Thompson, now a senior at Florida State, played alongside Uhart at Long Beach State.

“If you had an injury, they didn’t really accommodate that well. You either practiced or you didn’t practice. And if you didn’t practice, you didn’t play,” Thompson said. “It would cause us to hide our injuries under our knee pads so the coaches wouldn’t notice. She’s the type of person who would play until she couldn’t play anymore.”

After her second injury, Uhart decided to return to her home state to play for the University. The coaching staff welcomed her with open arms.

“It’s nice to have a young lady from Kansas back and playing for us. She’s the type of person I’d like to play with,” Bechard said. ”I think she can be a dominant Big 12 middle. She’ll mentor younger players and be a leader on the team.”

Uhart will have her first chance to prove her coach right during the team’s opening match of the season against Cal State Bakersfield on Aug. 24 at the Oregon Invitational.

With her body healed and her confidence restored, Uhart is ready to contribute significantly to her team for the first time in two seasons.

“She plays without fear and without trepidation. She wants this team to win,” Bechard said. “I felt bad for her when she got hurt because she worked so hard to get back.”

Now, only one year removed from her season-ending knee injury, Uhart plays with a confidence she developed through hard work and a desire to compete for KU. Bechard and the rest of the coaching staff petitioned the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility for Uhart.

“When I got hurt at LBS, it hurt me mentally and emotionally, but I hated playing there,” Uhart said. “I love playing for KU and it hurt me even more when I got hurt here. The coaching staff here wants to win, but not at the cost of an athlete’s body. This school has done so much to get me here and get me an extra year. Now, I want to help them win.”

Walking off the practice court, Uhart didn’t limp and didn’t shuffle. Though she sometimes felt pain and stiffness because of her injury, her desire to compete was much stronger.

— Edited by Matt Erickson