If there was ever a weekend when the ASU volleyball team could take some bad news, this is the one.
The team learned Monday that junior outside hitter Natalie Harris is in the beginning stages of a stress fracture in her left fibula. ASU head coach Brad Saindon said that while she still is cleared to play, she has gone lightly in practice since she was informed of the injury.
"I think it's going to be a pretty heroic effort to get her through the rest of the season," Saindon said. "It's painful for her every time she jumps, and it's hard to play volleyball without jumping. She's one of our key players, and I feel bad for Natalie."
Saindon added that Harris will have the leg X-rayed every week to make sure the injury does not progress.
Harris said she has been having pain in her leg since the Arizona match on Sept. 26 and thought it was a problem with her tendon, not a break.
"It's been hurting ever since then, but as a college athlete you're pretty used to playing with pain," Harris said.
This is the second serious injury Harris has suffered during her college career. In 2001, Harris was forced to redshirt the season after just 11 games because of shoulder surgery.
Harris leads the team in kills and service aces. If she is unable to play, Saindon said that either freshman Nicole Morton will take her place or the team will play with only one setter, senior Cheryl Anglin.
"I think in the past, I've been pretty nervous coming on to play," Morton said. "[Harris's injury] is definitely unfortunate. I'm going to try my best to fill in."
On the positive side, ASU is playing the Oregon schools this weekend, two teams currently near the bottom of the Pac-10 standings.
The Sun Devils (6-10, 1-6 Pac-10) open the homestand tonight against Oregon. The Ducks (3-13, 0-7 Pac-10) are currently in last place in the Pac-10 and have not won a match since beating Villanova on Sept. 13. Oregon has struggled in Pac-10 play recently, losing 16 consecutive games.
With eight freshmen, three sophomores and two juniors, Oregon head coach Carl Ferreira fields the youngest team in the conference.
"I feel like we're a better team than they are, and if we just play steady, we'll be fine," Saindon said. "With that being said, I don't feel like we're in a position where we can take anyone lightly. Clearly, we need to win both of these matches this weekend to kind of get our morale back up."
The Sun Devils run into improving Oregon State (12-7, 2-5) on Saturday. Last week, the team knocked off Washington State and took a game away from No. 13 Washington. Oregon State currently ranks No. 1 in the Pac-10 in digs and has elevated its defense after a slow start.
"Oregon State is a good team," Saindon said. "I feel like we're a better team if we play the level we're capable of."
Against two teams with poor records, Saindon said he is worried about his team playing down to the level of ASU's two opponents.
"It's always a fear for me," he said. "It's something I preach all the time. In some matches, we've done it. But in other matches, we haven't been able to do it."
The team is as hobbled as its been all season. Along with Harris' fibula, senior outside hitter Kim Mehlhorn has a case of tendosis in her right knee, and Juliana Escobar is slowed with her own knee injury.
"We definitely need two wins," said Mehlhorn, who plans to play through the pain. "That's what we're hoping for, and I know we're all going to play hard for that."
Reach the reporter at jeffrey.hoodzow@asu.edu.
