During the first few weeks of a young season, the ASU volleyball team has looked more like a M.A.S.H. unit than a squad searching for its first tournament victory of the season.
With its leading returning middle blocker and outside hitters nursing injuries, the team has had to dig deep into its bench to stay competitive.
The biggest blow for the program has been the absence of Jodi Proctor, the fifth-year senior who was expected to play a majority of the time at middle blocker. Proctor has been sidelined since last season with a nagging leg injury.
"Any time you have a fifth-year senior who you have to take off of your team, regardless of what sport it is, it's a pretty devastating blow," head coach Brad Saindon said.
Without Proctor, who started 26 of 27 matches last season, the team has had to rely on senior Mandy Stephens and freshman Katie Wilson.
"I think Katie is doing a pretty admirable job," Saindon said. "With that being said, she's a freshman, and there is just no way you can have a freshman who can play like a fifth-year senior."
Fortunately for the team, Proctor's hit a few balls and took some small jumps in practice earlier this week. Her performance received a warm response from her teammates.
Despite these small steps, she is a definite out for this week's SMU Radisson Volleyball Classic in Dallas and questionable even for the Pac-10 season. She is still eligible to redshirt medically if she cannot play.
Still, Proctor is eager to come back and is hoping to play in the UA match on Sept. 26.
Saindon added that if Proctor does make it back for the Wildcats, it would be like "Christmas in September."
All of the "major" injuries are among the outsider hitters, primarily team kill leader Juliana Escobar. The former All-Pac-10 first-team selection is a walking version of the classic Milton Bradley game "Operation." Every time she dives for a ball in a match or lands awkwardly in practice, the buzzer goes off and the nose lights up.
"Juliana's really hurting," Saindon said. "I'm guessing she's at 70 percent."
Problems in her knees are affecting her back, which is putting her spine out of alignment, and Saindon is contemplating holding her out of this week's non-conference action.
Kim Mehlhorn, who saw limited time early with a leg injury, was struck with migraine headaches, a problem she first encountered last season that caused her to miss time in the season's opening tournament. During the painful match, Mehlhorn still managed to post 10 kills.
"She played through [the migraines], which I think is pretty courageous, but it clearly had an effect on her play," Saindon said.
Natalie Harris, one of the healthier outside hitters, hasn't escaped the injury bug herself. This year alone, she has had tendonitis in both knees and a case of shin splints to add to her medical résumé. Close to 100 percent, Harris can relate to the other fallen Sun Devils.
"It's hard to play injured, and I can totally understand," Harris said. "I was there last year and the year before, and I couldn't do it."
Reach the reporter at jeffrey.hoodzow@asu.edu.
