Senior outside hitter Jennifer Ferguson went from red shirt to red hot. She went through back surgery, but now is one of the Hornets leaders.

Recovering from a serious injury is a long and bumpy road for most athletes. In the case of senior outside hitter Jennifer Ferguson, she still suffers from when she herniated her disks in her back during her freshman year.

Although Ferguson went through a season in pain, she has been on a long road of recovery that has paid off. She continues to be a dominating force for the Hornets, both offensively and defensively.

During the spring of 2004 Ferguson was running when she felt a tightening in her back.

“I was running and I just felt my back just spasm and then from then on it got progressively worse,” she said.

After having the trainer and other professionals examine her back, it was determined through an MRI that Ferguson had a herniated disk.

Senior Women’s Administrator Lois Mattice also examined Ferguson’s back before her diagnosis was confirmed.

The trainers and medical advisers tried to treat Ferguson without the thought of surgery. They used anti-inflammatory injections and kept her in physical therapy.

“We don’t want someone to have back surgery unnecessarily, so we try and treat it very conservatively, but we ended up doing an MRI and discovered that she ended up herniating her disks,” Mattice said.

Before she sustained the injury, Ferguson was a 34-match starter for the Hornets. During the 2003 season, she had a career-high 22 double-figure dig matches and a career-high 16 kills against Georgetown.

During this season, Ferguson was also named Big Sky All-Academic for her studies in kinesiology.

In 2004, Ferguson took a redshirt. Losing Ferguson left a hole in the Hornets team all-around. She was both an offensive and defensive powerhouse her freshman year.

Coach Debby Colberg had to do something in order to fill the gap Ferguson once filled.

“Basically, at that point what we really lost was ball control in terms of passing and defense. You don’t get that many players who can play the game all the way around and she is one who can,” Colberg said.

Ferguson is also known for her leadership both on and off the court. Colberg knew that losing Ferguson would be tough on the team.

“I feel like she brings other things to the court besides number. I think she brings a maturity and leadership as well. It’s like having a mini-coach out there and she directs play on the court so you lose all that as well,” Colberg said.

After working through physical therapy and still not showing many signs of improvement, Ferguson made the decision with her grandparents to undergo back surgery in San Francisco.

Although Ferguson was weary of back surgery, she allowed her grandparents to help her make the decision. Her grandparents have always been a big part of her athletic career.

They continue to travel to each and every game the Hornets play. Earlier this season they drove to Alabama to watch their granddaughter play in the Bama Bash.

“Without (their support) I wouldn’t be where I am today and that’s for sure. They have supported me and always taken me to tournaments and games, so their influence has been huge on who I am today,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson continues to struggle with back pain, yet she continues to play each match. She is one of three Hornets to play all 60 games so far this season.

Ferguson never uses her back pain as an excuse when she doesn’t play her best. No matter how much her pain flares up, Ferguson continues to play hard.

“She tries not to let her back be a stumbling block for her but it probably has hindered her some, but she is a work horse and she gets it done,” Mattice said.

The coaching staff likes to tease Ferguson because although she suffered a tremendous injury, she never complained about it. It wasn’t until last season when she sprained her ankle that anyone ever heard any complaining.

“She did hurt her ankle last year and you would have thought she was dying. She ended playing in a game three nights later, so we give her a hard time and always ask her if she really is tough or not,” Mattice said.

Despite taking the 2004 season off to recover, Ferguson has played in 121 matches throughout her career and has already posted big numbers this season.

As Ferguson continues to play well, she doesn’t worry about numbers or stats.

“I’m not one to go home at night and get on my computer and look at numbers,” she said. “I don’t care for stats, especially not my own. I only care about the team.”

Alicia de la Garza can be reached at [email protected].