Overcoming hardships

You may have seen her on the sidelines; the one who cheers louder than anyone else, the one with the most spirit and, conveniently, the one with the mohawk. Over the summer, senior volleyball player Lauren Campbell waited in anticipation to join her team for her last season on the court.

However, like the previous two seasons, Campbell found herself sidelined before her season could even start. This year, during a preseason match against Stony Brook University, the middle blocker ruptured her left achilles tendon, which quickly ended her season and, ultimately, her career as a Stag.

“I prepared myself during the summer, how I would handle [it] if I got hurt,” Campbell said. She tore her right calf sophomore year and tore her left calf junior year, both during the preseason.

“This year was harder than the others because I realized I would never step on the court with my seniors again, let alone play competitive volleyball again,” she said.

Not only was the third-consecutive injury a blow to Campbell, but also was a blow to her team and coaches.

“It’s a run of bad luck,” said Head Coach CJ Werneke. “[It] definitely took a toll on our program in ways that we were counting on her leadership on the court, not only playing just her spirit.”

Senior Kelly Oliver agreed, saying that Campbell’s third consecutive injury came as a shock to the entire team.

“She has been injured on and off for three years now, but this was completely unexpected,” Oliver said.

Campbell, a native of San Diego, Calif., did not pick up a volleyball until she was 14, but instantly fell in love with the game. Despite her late start, she quickly grew to be one of the top players in California and was named as one of the top 150 recruits in the nation her senior year.

Campbell’s love for and dedication to the game followed her to Fairfield, where she made an immediate impact on the team, both on and off the court.

“Lauren has always been so dedicated to our team; her summer workouts have been committed to coming back healthy so that she can make a difference on the court,” said Oliver.

This dedication can also be seen in her selfless acts as a player. When asked to redshirt her sophomore and junior years, Campbell declined, saying that if there was a chance for her to help her team, even for one minute of the last match, she would be there for them.

“If I was ready to play later in the season and we hit MAACs and my team needed me for one point or five points, I couldn’t say no to that,” she said. “Regardless of my personal desires to play a full season, if my team needed me I couldn’t turn my back on them.”

Campbell’s “team first” attitude has played a significant role in the program.

Werneke said that her drive and determination earns respect from players, while her light-hearted spirit makes her an instant friend.

Even being injured, Campbell never looked back or considered quitting the team.

“I think I definitely changed my ideal of what an impact player is,” she said. “A lot of athletes think that if they are not on the field, they are not an entity to the team. But I have adapted my role to be as imperative to the team as I would be on the court.”

Through the ups and downs of her career, Campbell has stuck through it all.

“She kept things pretty objective, and she didn’t wallow in self-pity,” said Werneke. “It didn’t hold her down. She came to the conclusion there is nothing more I can do.”

While being sidelined for three years changed her role on the team, perhaps it was one that needed to be filled. Oliver said that Campbell’s motivational speeches and words became her biggest role on the team this year. Despite Campbell’s inability to be on the court, Oliver said that the role she played was just as important, if not more, than that any other player.

Oliver added that Campbell’s friendship, both on and off the court, have been essential to her success.

“As a friend, the little things she does for me or says to me kept me working hard all season,” she said. “I can honestly say that I played the MAAC championship game for Lauren because she has been the rock I lean on all season long.”

While Campbell wanted nothing more than for her team to succeed through these four years, she is thankful for her friends and teammates during these injuries.

“Everyone in my life has been a part of my recovery, and even more than ever this semester,” she said.

And in her gregarious nature she joked that it is what it is.

“Every year, no matter what, I seemed to have gone out with a bang,” she said, laughing.