<\/p>\n
One attending the CHSAA State Volleyball Championships last week probably couldn\u2019t find a more inspiring story, in any classification, than that of the Dolores middle hitter wearing No. 8 on her uniform.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been seeing action for a few months now, just light stuff. But I wasn\u2019t actually \u2018cleared\u2019 to play until last week for regionals, so \u2026 just in time for State!\u201d laughed Madison Rodriguez. \u201cIt\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Much more incredible than that was the fact that despite still being unable to jump or dive fully, Rodriguez saw court time \u2013 and not in any token snippets afforded her by head coach Gina Hollen just for being a senior. No, Rodriguez was inserted to play, subject to being targeted by opponents just like any reserve \u2026 on a comeback from an off-season cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s myxopapillary ependymoma, which is just kind of a brain tumor in the spinal cord,\u201d she said, discussing a situation which led her to undergo surgery on July 15 and thus miss most of her final prep season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a sucky situation,\u201d Hollen said, \u201cbut she\u2019s an awesome kid. She definitely has come a long way, and I can\u2019t help but get emotional talking about her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Initially able to only stand with and support her fellow Lady Bears during player introductions through the 2019 campaign\u2019s opening weeks, Rodriguez eventually received cameo-style minutes off the bench as time went on, but obviously wasn\u2019t expected to perform at anything close to varsity level.<\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t about to let anything stop her from producing whatever she could on the biggest stage, though, including a motivating kill shot early in Game 4 of what ended up being a 25-21, 21-25, 20-25, 20-25 loss to Fowler \u2013 which had led Game 3 start to finish \u2013 in the tournament\u2019s opening Day 1 match.<\/p>\n
Of course, there were instances where her time away from the sport was exposed \u2013 a double-contact infraction while attempting a set against FHS, and a lost joust at the net against Kremmling West Grand\u2019s Madelyn Probst in a Day 2 defeat because of a decreased vertical leap \u2013 but it was clear she cherished every second spent with friends in the fray.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the thought of, \u2018Maybe I still have cancer \u2026 something that\u2019s not going to go away easy,\u2019\u201d said Hollen, \u201cI think she just kind of said in her head, \u2018This is the end of my career? Whatever!\u2019 And played her heart out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all happened this year,\u201d Rodriguez said in disbelief. \u201cBut I\u2019m officially cancer-free as of last week. And (now) state volleyball? It\u2019s crazy to think about. To be out there playing \u2026 it\u2019s kind of a success story. It\u2019s just amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
That story truly became a nonfiction work in early October \u2013 when, fittingly, teams statewide were beginning to play their various cancer-awareness (Rodriguez indicated a hope of being a real-life beacon) matches \u2013 with DHS prepping to host 2A\/1A San Juan Basin League rivals Ignacio for a Senior Night already unique in its much-advanced calendar position.<\/p>\n
\u201cHomecoming Week hit, and she was kind of doing a little bit of practice,\u201d Hollen said, \u201cbut really not a whole lot. Then the week after, we had our Senior Night, and I said, \u2018Hey, it\u2019s Senior Night. I said, \u2018Take it from someone who didn\u2019t get to finish their senior year, I don\u2019t want you to have that regret. What are your thoughts on playing one rotation, in the front row? You don\u2019t have to move a whole lot.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018I don\u2019t even care if you jump. Balls drop in front of you? I don\u2019t care,\u2019\u201d Hollen continued. \u201cI wanted her playing, not having that regret of not being able to play on Senior Night. She got in \u2026 toward the end of the match, and she actually got a kill! Her parents just lost it at that point, and she kind of realized, \u2018Maybe I can do this.\u2019 So she started pushing a little bit at practice, doing things here and there.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was at every practice,\u201d the skipper emphasized, \u201cnot really sure if she was going to see any playing time when she started, but she said, \u2018I still want to be part of the team.\u2019 And I said, \u2018Maddie, whatever you need \u2026 we want you to be here. You\u2019re just as important; this is your team, too!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone has grown and improved, and it shows in the way they play, the way that they put in so much effort,\u201d said Rodriguez, whose active presence at state carried extra weight as she indirectly represented senior defensive specialist Jessica Lopez, benched by injury and on crutches.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so amazing to be \u2026 with everyone, get the opportunity to play with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, winning at state would have been different, but I couldn\u2019t have asked for the girls to play any better,\u201d Hollen said. \u201cDeep down, we weren\u2019t really sure we\u2019d get that far, but it was good to get the younger girls that experience, and to be able to finish out with our seniors (Rodriguez, Lopez, middle Jordan Elder) at that level, too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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