Arizona volleyball player Whitney Dosty participated in a full practice for the first time in a month yesterday. Her left knee – infected with tendonitis – was re-examined Monday, and the outside hitter was given the green light to join practice.
Though she was restricted to back row activities – digging and serving, mainly – her presence was felt.
“”It was nice to just have her body out there again,”” said UA head coach Dave Rubio.
The 6-foot-3 Tucson native tore the medial collateral ligament in her right knee in July while practicing with the USA Junior National Volleyball Team in Thailand. While favoring the right knee, Dosty, a member of the Pacific 10 Conference All-Freshman team developed tendonitis in her left knee.
She last played in the team’s annual Red-Blue intrasquad scrimmage Aug. 19. She had eight kills in 22 attempts in the match while wearing a right knee brace, but didn’t participate in a full practice with the team until yesterday.
Rubio said the chance of redshirting Dosty is high.
“”I’d say the chances are more likely – we’re probably leaning toward the fact that she’s going to redshirt,”” he said yesterday. “”We’re seven weeks into the season. It’s like, ‘Do we want to burn a year?’ Right now, I’d say no.””
According to NCAA rules, a redshirt can be issued to an athlete if he or she has played less than 20 percent of the games (or matches, in the case of volleyball) before the first half of the season.
Since she will not travel with the team to play No. 5 UCLA tomorrow and No. 4 USC on Friday, the only other match that Dosty would be able to play in before the midpoint of the season and still redshirt is next Thursday’s contest against Oregon State in McKale Center.
If Dosty, who is not cleared to jump yet, was at full health, even this late in the season, Rubio said he wouldn’t think twice about playing her because of current problems with the other outside hitters on the team.
Junior Brooke Buringrud and freshman Tiffany Owens have been the starters at the left side, but Buringrud is “”75, 80 percent, maybe”” after offseason shoulder surgery, and Owens has been playing with shin fractures, Rubio said.
Senior Amy Dyck has a strained abdominal muscle, and sophomore Alanna Resch has made the switch from outside hitter to libero. That leaves just freshman utility player Elise Hendrickson to fill the void at the position.
“”Ideally, you just keep them bandaged together the best you can,”” Rubio said.
Though it would be ideal to have her back at full health, Rubio said he is pleased with the team’s progress without his star player.
“”If you would have told me in the preseason, ‘Dave, you’re going to be 10-2 without Whitney Dosty,’ I would have said, ‘OK, I’ll take that for sure,'”” he said.
