When sophomore outside hitter Jenilee Rathje fell to the ground holding her knee early in the fourth set against Ohio State last Friday, the team was left to scramble for answers.
Head coach Cathy George said Tuesday that Rathje, who leads the team with 173 kills and whose average of 3.93 kills per set is third in the Big Ten, will be out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury.
“That’s one of our two returning starters,” George said. “So there was a lot of pressure on the court. We finished that game and were able to pull it out, even though at first we were a little shocked when she went down.”
Early reports say that Rathje will be able to get a medical redshirt, giving her another year of eligibility.
“That’s good for the future of the volleyball program,” George said. “It’s hard time for Jenilee, who was one of our two returning starters and leaders. She’s a tremendous athlete, tremendous person, so we were really happy that she’ll be joining us for another year.”
Starting in Rathje’s place will be sophomore Megan Schatzle, who had 15 kills on 44 attempts in place of Rathje last weekend.
“Megan Schatzle is a very talented player,” George said. “She saw limited action early in the year due to a shoulder injury, but she’s a very strong player.”
Schatzle, along with freshmen Becca Zlabis, Kyndra Abron and Vineece Verdun, picked up her game last weekend, and is ready to do so again.
“I knew right from the get-go that she got hurt and I had to step in the Ohio State game,” Schatzle said. “I stepped in, then Michigan game I stepped in, so I’m ready.”
Schatzle, along with senior Heather McDaniel and junior Vanessa King, who was honored as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, will also step into the leadership role left vacant by Rathje’s departure, George said.
“I think they all step up in different ways to be a leader at times,” George said. “Vanessa clearly does that, but Heather does a lot of that and Megan Schatzle will do that too.”
Sophomore libero Allyson Karaba said the injury is tough but the team is ready to step up.
“It was really unfortunate and disappointing for her, everyone’s upset about it but we still have the season,” Karaba said. “We’re still focused on this season right now. We have people coming in taking her side (of the court), coming in strong. In the back row if we can just keep the ball off the floor, just like she would have done, we’ll be successful.”
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