Leilani Dodson missed the first half of the Nazareth girls volleyball season after suffering an ankle injury during the summer.
But when the came back, the Roadrunners were a different team.
Dodson, a 6-foot-2 sophomore middle hitter, could only watch from the sidelines as her team started 5-17. But she returned with a month to go in the season, and Nazareth won 10 of its final 14 matches.
The Roadrunners’ season ended on Oct. 24 with a 25-22, 25-12 loss to Trinity in a Class 3A regional semifinal in River Forest.
Going into the Trinity match, Dodson was third on her team with 119 kills and second in blocks (19), and she had a team-best kill percentage (48 percent).
Dodson’s statistical contributions took the Roadrunners to the next level, but interim head coach Jocelynn Birks also noted her leadership and mental strength on the court.
“Obviously, she’s a really good player, so she was going to make an impact no matter what,” said Birks, who took over when head coach Melissa Vandrey went on maternity leave. “(Dodson’s) being able to come out there and take some of the pressure and provide a little relief for the other girls was a big deal.”
Dodson, a Brookfield resident, plays club volleyball for 1st Alliance. She said her ankle injury included a bone bruise and torn tendons, and her recovery was not easy for her — or her teammates.
“It was really hard to watch everyone’s disappointment,” she said, “but I think it was fun to watch how my teammates responded. Occasionally, some of the girls who played the same position as me would ask me what’s open on the court to hit, and I would tell them.”
Dodson’s season might be over, but her volleyball career likely will stretch on for years to come. She’s being recruited by several top collegiate programs, and she said she’s narrowed her list of schools down to two options. She would not name those schools but said she hopes to make a decision before the end of the year.
Vandrey had plenty of positive things to say about Dodson, even when contacted by a reporter while on her way to the hospital to deliver her first child.
“She will be playing at the highest level in college,” Vandrey said. “You’re 15 and you’re going through this (injury) now, and in college you might have an injury and that adversity is going to help you.
“In my opinion, she’s back and better than ever.”
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
