Charleigh Collins' return from knee injury provides key boost for Kernel volleyball
· Yahoo Sports
Sep. 15—MITCHELL — Charleigh Collins had a lot of thoughts go through her mind last November when she suffered a serious knee injury while playing volleyball for the Mitchell Kernels.
But above all, the Kernel right-side hitter set out the goal of being back on the court in nine months' time for her senior season.
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That mission was achieved recently for the 5-foot-11 Collins, who made the return to the court and started contributing immediately upon joining the lineup again.
Collins made her comeback on Sept. 8 in Mitchell's match at Huron. She came back with six kills in that match and added seven more in the Kernels' five-set loss on Sept. 10 with Sioux Falls Washington. On Saturday, Sept. 12, against Watertown, Collins put down five total blocks, the most of any Kernel in a match this season.
"When I got hurt, I knew that around nine months would be the start of volleyball, so my goal was to be back at some point around the start of volleyball season," Collins said. "I probably could have come back (sooner), but I wanted to give myself some time to practice and get my feet under me before I went out there. I feel like that's helped. But definitely from the moment I got hurt, the next thing I thought about was getting to play again, so that's been my motivation for every single day."
Collins said she knew that making a comeback would require hard work and a good attitude. From that sense, she carries a perspective that not many high school seniors find. She said she knew she had to give herself some grace in her return to the court, that not every day of rehabilitation was going to be smooth or easy.
"Knowing all the work I put into it and trusting my training was important to getting back on the court," Collins said. "I had to give myself grace because it's easy to go through something like that. Having my teammates support me and my coaches helping me out, too, was really helpful. It was a good feeling."
"She has some work to do, and I think she'd say it's a work in progress, but she works every day," Mitchell head volleyball coach Amy Tyler said. "She certainly is wise beyond her years, for sure. She's worked hard about having the right mindset and knowing there's going to be good days and tougher days."
On the court, Collins' return is significant. She is the team's second-leading returner for the Kernels from 2025 with 120 kills, only behind freshman Nia Talley, who had 179 kills last season. She's also the team's leading returning blocker after posting 40 total blocks last season.
While she was on the mend, Collins put in a lot of hard work and rehabilitation to get in a position to get back on the court. She credited her work with Avera physical therapist Amy Weier three times a week as being crucial to her recovery. She also did training with staff at the Sanford Fieldhouse in Sioux Falls to get back into playing condition and to get stronger once again.
Tyler said Collins is a team leader in whatever role she's had over the last nine months, and now that she's back in a Kernel uniform, it's a big boost.
"She carries herself with such grace and determination," Tyler said. "She hasn't missed one practice, open gym or strength and conditioning session for both basketball and volleyball. She's just that person that kids look to. ... Even when she's not on the floor, they look to her and she teaches and coaches and leads. Having her back on the floor gives us a sense of home on the court. She's got a lot of experience, and she's always so solid. I just couldn't be happier for her."