Andrean senior Caroline Linklater hoped to spend this season playing with her younger sisters Lizzie and Maddie.
But Caroline Linklater’s time on the court with the twins, who are sophomores, ended before the 59ers’ first set did.
“It was tied at 23, and I went up to hit the ball out of the back row,” Caroline Linklater said. “I came down on my left foot, and my knee just buckled.”
Caroline Linklater suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in her left knee on that play during the first set of Andrean’s first match of the season on Aug. 22. The 59ers (10-19) have spent nearly two months since then working to replace her in the lineup, while she has embraced a coaching role that has included tutelage of her sisters.
Andrean coach Grant Bell said Caroline Linklater, a 5-foot-6 outside hitter, was going to be the clear leader after recording 203 kills, 239 digs and a team-high 63 aces last season.
“She was the heartbeat of our team,” Bell said. “She’d been on varsity for three years and played with a lot of the high-level kids we’ve had, so she was the leader who knew what Andrean volleyball was about. Beyond just losing the player, losing that leader was tough. The kids were lost for a while.”
That included defensive specialist Lizzie Linklater and libero Maddie Linklater, who were immediately affected by their older sister’s injury.
“I knew it was bad at first, but I wasn’t thinking that it was her ACL,” Lizzie Linklater said. “After a little bit, she came over to the bench and told me they thought it was her ACL, and I got scared for her.”
Those fears were confirmed during a doctor’s visit the next day, officially ending Caroline Linklater’s season and her high school career.
“I probably cried every 10 minutes because I was still processing what was going on,” she said.
Caroline Linklater’s injury also ended the unique opportunity this season offered. The three sisters were on one team for the first and only time in their careers.
“I’d played with Lizzie before, but never with Caroline,” Maddie Linklater said. “I’ve watched her play forever, and that helped me grow as a player. So I was really excited to finally play with her.”
Even without its top player, Andrean still had a season ahead, and Lizzie and Maddie Linklater were among those who needed to fill the void.
Bell embraced a slow approach to that process.
“We still have good players, and we’re a competitive team,” Bell said. “We had to take it back to the basics to speed some kids up and get them to a level where we felt comfortable putting them in at the varsity level. We had to take steps back before we could go forward.”
After taking some time to process the injury, Caroline Linklater took steps forward too. She intends to continue playing in college and believes she has improved her volleyball IQ by embracing a coaching role this season.
“After a while it was like, ‘What am I going to do about it now?’ It happened,” she said. “I’ve been watching from the sidelines, seeing how plays come together, and been talking to the coaches on the sidelines. I feel like I’m learning a lot more.”
Maddie Linklater said the 59ers welcomed their newest assistant with open arms.
“Everybody respects her so much on the team,” Maddie Linklater said. “Whenever she’s talking in the huddle, everyone’s listening. Even though she can’t play anymore, she’s still part of the team. She’s talked to me about getting out of my head and is always giving me tips. She’s helped a lot.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
