Freshman Kirsten Overton played a solid game on Saturday against Weber State, in just her second game with Temple since returning from a career-threatening injury.
According to coach Bakeer Ganes, Overton had multiple fractured discs in her back in an injury sustained right earlier this year, as she went on to wear a cast all summer.
Overton and her parents thought her career might be over—but after a long rehab, she returned on Wednesday against the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders. She had only been participating in full practice for a week before taking to the court again. Nevertheless, she helped Temple defeat the Highlanders in five sets.
“I believe she has a lot of potential, and we knew that when we started recruiting her three years ago,” Ganes said.
Ganes started looking at Overton when he was an assistant coach at West Virginia. After coming to Temple, he still had her on his list, as he believed she had “great talent.”
Against the Wildcats, Overton showed skill for her second collegiate game, garnering three kills, one solo block, two assisted blocks, and a total of five points.
“[Coming back] felt really awesome, because I finally get to prove myself and prove I deserve to be on this team,” Overton said. “But I was a little bit nervous coming onto a new team.”
Overton says her teammates have made the transition easier.
“I always go to people for advice when I come off the court and right away they’re on it. So they’ve just been really supportive. [They were] really excited for me to play.”
Overton, a 6’1” middle blocker from Royersford, Pennsylvania, smashed four records at Spring-Ford High School before being named an all-state honoree as a senior. She also played in the 2012 USAV Junior National Championships, leading her team to victory—a first for an East Coast team.
At Temple, she joins a young squad that has started the season 6-1. Temple and Overton play against LaSalle tomorrow at 10 a.m., and then against host Penn at 2 p.m.
Don McDermott can be reached at tuf19777@temple.edu.
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