It was the year 2000 the last time St. Cloud High School had brought home a volleyball districts title. No one would’ve imagined that it would happen again in 2019, but the preparation to make it that far had begun 6 months prior. From the outside in, the lady Bulldogs not only hungered for the title, but pushed their bodies to the limit to ensure their preparation for the matches that were to come.

But what happens when you work hard for a title, and can’t even compete? When the bright lights, and loud cheers that usually motivate you, are also motivating the person that has occupied your position on the court? This isn’t a hypothetical situation, but hard hitting reality for Bulldog junior, and starting defensive specialist, Aniesha Neff.

At practice the week before their district playoff game, the unthinkable happened. While going through a hitting drill, Aniesha jumped and landed on a fully extended knee. Usually if a player gets hurt, or something strange happens, the player will sit off to the side to collect their thoughts, and assess their injury to see if any real damage has been done. Taken off the court, and asked about her knee, the situation didn’t get any better: “I’m not entirely sure what popped”, recalls Neff , “But when I got it checked the athletic trainer said that the knee cap and patella had shifted, and caused cartilage to move and become inflamed” .

Of course for anyone regardless of what age or level you play, injury is one of the worst things that could happen to you. Whether you decide to play sports longer down the road, or if that is the year that you retire your court shoes, life after injury is a big unknown. When asked what were her immediate thoughts: “Fear. I was ultimately scared for my everyday life, not just volleyball. I have never felt that type of pain before and I had no clue how to respond to it or cope with it”. She details being calmed by her teammate Jessica and Coach Nicky, but admits the thought of participating and competing in the district matches also came to her mind :" “I was looking forward to playing in the district matches and to hopefully take my team further. At the time I had no idea how long I would be out, or if I would even need to be out. I had absolutely no clue. I was just praying that it wouldn’t be for too long and that I would hopefully be better for district championships”

Not accepting that it could be worse than what it seemed, Aniesha went on to volunteer at the middle school game that night . It wasn’t until the next morning, when the pain officially set in, that she realized her roll will have a drastic change in the following matches. The doctor assured Aniesha and her family that it was only inflammation , but it still left a different feeling, as she had to sit the bench during the semi final matches.

The Lady Bulldogs pull out wins, and make it to the district final match. Testings the waters to see if there has been any improvement to her knee, she tries to perform a skill: “I got a little too excited, and tried to jump serve. I felt the same pain that I felt before. Then it hit me so hard, I wouldn’t be playing in district finals”. In this moment the role had changed.

“I figured it was best for me to sit out for a while after that, but I was so anxious to get back on the court. After my experience the day of finals though, I knew I would have to take a few games and practices off, no matter how badly I didn’t want to. It was really hard to watch the team win districts without me, and watch them win first round of regionals, and potentially state”.

As an athlete, no one is prepared for their role to change due to an ufourtunate event. To go from being a starter, to sitting the bench during one of the most important games of your Junior season, is something that can be extremely hard to cope with. Aniesha was extremely transparent, stating that the bench was very unusual for her. Emotions flooded her, hating the experience, feeling useless, and basically replaced. She recalls it feeling really tough to sit out on big games like districts and regionals, to have to watch her team achieve big things without her. She states “Ultimately, I had to realize there was nothing I could do about it, and I just had to accept it”.

So how did she contribute now that she was in a completely new space? Aniesha says that she provided as much positive energy that she could!

“My coach is always big on cheering and positivity. Whether or not I could step on the court I figured cheering for my team as loud as I could was the best way to go. It would do no good for anyone if I sat and pouted while my team went on to win some of the biggest games my school has seen in years.”

“My coach is always big on cheering and positivity. Whether or not I could step on the court I figured cheering for my team as loud as I could was the best way to go. It would do no good for anyone if I sat and pouted while my team went on to win some of the biggest games my school has seen in years.”

For us at Limitless, especially for me having the priveledge of getting to coach such a beautiful soul, Aniesha sets an example for the athletes who not only play volleyball, but for those around her, and those who are coming up after her. She understands that life may throw a curve ball, but learning how to catch and redirect it is key!

“For other athletes, I would say the best advice I could give you is know your priorities. Understand that your health is ultimately the main concern. Sitting out of a couple of games or even an entire season sucks, but what sucks more is being hospitalized or worse. So just understand that you will most likely heal, it just takes time. Worry about your physical well-being first.”

Getting injured when I did was one of the hardest things I’ve experienced in my athletic career, but I am so glad that it wasn’t worse and I feel so blessed and grateful to have teammates and coaches that didn’t let me feel like i was important anymore. So thank you to those coaches and teammates :)

Fast forward to today, Aniesha was found to have torn her ACL and will be going in to surgery, Christmas Eve. Please send her positive vibes, thoughts, and prayers, along with us. We are wanting and know that this determined athlete will make a speedy recovery, and be back on the court in no time. We love you Aniesha!