EVANSTON, Ill. - Co-captain and preseason All-Big Ten senior middle Jessica Sanborn suffered a broken left foot Saturday at Northwestern.
Sanborn told MSU trainers she felt a pain when she pushed off during warm-up before the volleyball team’s match against the Wildcats.
MSU athletic trainer Lianna Lee said the severity of the injury won’t be known until further tests today.
“We know it’s a break, but that’s all we know right now,” she said.
Sanborn, who entered the weekend second in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.425) and blocks per game (1.30), left the game on crutches shortly after the start of game two.
Senior outside hitter Sarah Gustin said the team was shocked when Sanborn limped off. She said they didn’t know what happened at first and it was a few minutes before the team was filled in.
“It’s a great loss for our team,” she said. “(Sanborn) is a great player - she’s an All-American candidate.”
Lee said without X-rays she can’t be sure, but after her first examination she compared the break to the one former MSU point guard Mateen Cleaves suffered last year. If the X-rays support her first diagnosis, surgery to insert a pin will be required, she said.
“If it does need a pin, the soonest she could play on it would be three to four weeks,” Lee said. “That’s the absolute soonest.”
If X-rays show the break to be worse, Sanborn could miss the rest of the season.
MSU head coach Chuck Erbe said if Sanborn has a pin inserted and returns to play in four weeks he’ll be very happy.
“There’s plenty of season left,” he said. “Four weeks isn’t too long.”
Sanborn is one of three middles dealing with injury; Freshman Naomi Taylor has an injured rotator cuff and junior Maren Witzel has a foot injury. Lee said she expects to know more about Taylor’s rotator cuff when X-rays get back on Monday. Witzel’s foot has a nerve problem causing pain, she said, but it didn’t keep her from playing over the weekend in Sanborn’s absence.
Freshman outside hitter Amy Sibbernsen is still recovering from a sprained ankle and Gustin still deals with an abdominal strain.
“They are definitely keeping me busy,” Lee said.
Sibbernsen is recovering very well, Lee said, and is expected to be up to 75 percent early this week.
“She’s coming along very quickly,” Lee said. “She’s at an accelerated pace. She’s been doing a lot in practice."
Freshman outside hitter Jenny Rood said the Spartans will make the best of the injuries. She said more players will get experience and that will help down the road.
“I’m not worried,” she said. “We’ve got plenty of talented players that can step up.”
