Return of Air Jordan

Canton's All-Conference volleyball star isn't about to let an injury stop her now

  Not much has stopped Jordan Kielty during her first three years on the varsity volleyball team at Canton.
  Not the long-armed, high-rising blockers who've attempted -- unsuccessfully, for the most part -- to send her sizzling kills back where they came from.
  And not the daring defensive specialists, whose diving efforts to keep her hits from becoming kills have usually resulted in nothing but floor burns.
  This season, Kielty's biggest obstacle will be a lot more menacing than overmatched opponents.
  One week before her club team was about to commence its season in January, Kielty landed wrong while descending from a block and tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.
  The unfortunate misstep sidelined Kielty for over six months and forced the Division 1 college coaches who were actively recruiting her to commit their scholarships to players they were certain would be ready to go next fall.
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
  Instead of spending her down time lamenting her poor luck, Kielty has rehabbed with a vengeance -- and taken stock of how much she truly appreciates the sport.
  "I was playing volleyball a week before my club team's first tournament and I came down from a block wrong," Kielty remembered. "I had never broken a bone or anything and now I was out for seven months.
  "A couple weeks after my injury, I wrote a paper in school about how you can't take things for granted. My injury shows you how the littlest thing can mess things up."
  Thanks to a rigorous rehabilitation regimen -- three days a week, two hours a day -- Kielty is nearly 100 percent back.
  "I'm not quite there yet, but I'll be there soon," she said. "Technique-wise, I have some things I need to work on, but my knee feels good."
  Kielty's first brush with volleyball came in seventh grade at Central Middle School.
  "They played intramural volleyball during lunch, so I decided to try it one day," she recalled. "I liked it right away.
  "I was an ice-skater growing up, so I think that helped build the muscles in my legs that helped me jump as high as I can."
SUDDEN IMPACT
  Not long after her first day of school at Canton, Kielty established herself as a front-row force. Her perfectly timed swings soon resulted in non-returnable kill after non-returnable kill.
  Combined with stellar defensive skills and an above-average serve, she joined the list of elite players in not just the Kensington Lakes Activities Association, but the state.
  Taking the court this year with three years of varsity experience will be an invaluable asset, she said.
  "Playing all the matches I have, I know how fast-paced the game is and I have a better idea of where to place the ball," said Kielty, who compiled a 3.67 grade-point average last year. "I also know what to expect out of the other teams because I've seen them now for three years. I can help the younger kids more, too."
HIGH HOPES
  Kielty likes the Chiefs' chances of doing some damage in the KLAA this fall.
  "I think, honestly, that we can go pretty far," she said.   "We have so much individual talent on this team. Now it's just a matter of putting it all together.
  "This team is very determined, too. We dive for every ball out there -- that's our mentality. We swing hard and go after people." 
  Along with helping the Chiefs attain success, Kielty is determined to prove to the college coaches that her health is totally restored.
  "Their interest in me has slowed down a lot since I got hurt," she said. "Central was looking at me, but not any more. The coaches keep saying that they want to see me play before they offer me anything, which I can understand."
  Judging by Kielty's kill-filled history and first-class work ethic, they're going to like what they see.

Ed Wright can be reached at [email protected] or (734) 453-1980.