Morgan Madison lives for the big moments on the volleyball court. She yearns for overflowing crowds and frenetic environments.
College Park coach Candice Gibson said her junior libero thrives under pressure, joyful within competition and big games.
“Those are the matches I love,” Madison said. “That competitiveness comes out of me, and it makes me who I am when I’m playing. I definitely won’t back down.”
Madison is always up for a challenge, on or off the court.
One year after she suffered a torn ACL in her left knee, Madison is enjoying her finest season yet. She leads 11-6 College Park in digs per set (7.4) and total receptions (228) to go with seven aces.
The recent Baylor commit said she is better post-injury than she was prior to it.
“I would say, probably, yeah, honestly,” Madison said. “My whole focus during rehab was, ‘How do I get over this obstacle and come back and be even better than I was?’ Having to go through that just made me mentally tougher, a better player. Now I understand the gratitude of being able to play. I don’t ever take a point for granted now.”
During practice on Wednesday, Aug. 31, last year, Madison jumped after being set during a short court, 6-on-6 drill.
Her foot shifted, and she slipped upon landing. Gibson said it was immediate pain for Madison and difficult to watch.
“I heard it pop,” Madison said. “I kind of knew right away something was not right. I tried to play it off, but I knew. A lot of my momentum when I landed was all the way back. I landed on my heel.”
Madison went to a couple of doctors the next day. She received two different opinions. One said she’d be out for seven days. The second said she had a torn ACL.
Seven days turned into seven months.
The first few weeks were the hardest. Madison was coming off a strong club season. She was a central part of College Park’s success; the Cavaliers were 13-3 when Madison got hurt and went 11-7 the rest of the way.
She dove into a spiral of doubt, frustration and anger.
“I was so upset. It was so hard,” Madison said. “It’s a big year for recruiting. Not being able to play with my sister, who was a senior, for our last year together. It was tough. There were a lot of times I did not want to go to (physical therapy) or do anything.”
Madison leaned on her parents, Lonnie and Leslie. Lonnie, the head football coach at Bridgeland High, tore his ACL as a senior playing football at Texas A&M. Leslie, who led The Woodlands to back-to-back state volleyball championships in 2013 and 2014, offered a needed sounding board.
Madison concentrated on being present for her sister, Mallory. She attended games, cheered Mallory on, and helped make the congratulatory banner when Mallory reached 1,000 career kills.
“She handled everything with such grace,” Gibson said. “Obviously, a traumatic injury like that is difficult. Even when she felt there were setbacks or things weren’t going as fast as she wanted, she still beared down and tackled it and really worked to get back where she wanted to be.”
Madison went to physical therapy three times a week for two hours each session. She was cleared to return to the court in March, after seven months, but held off scrimmaging for another month to further ease her way back.
Initially, Madison was scared to jump. She went to physical therapy to work strictly on jumping — jump-serving and hitting — and her approach so she was comfortable before returning to the court.
It was while competing for her Houston Skyline club team at nationals in July, Madison said, that she didn’t even think about her knee anymore.
She was just playing volleyball again.
“When I got back, the preseason and this season and everything, it was kind of like riding a bike,” Madison said. “Just so natural, diving and everything. Even now, I jump-serve. I do feel like I’m playing better than I was last year, so that’s exciting.”
Madison feels faster because of the leg strengthening she endured during rehab. She is more confident in serve-receive.
Gibson said Madison never takes a play off.
“She has developed into a great leader,” Gibson said. “She works so hard that it makes her teammates want to work hard, too. For her. She’s been outstanding. She was such a dynamic defensive player already, and she’s even better. To see her now, you’d never know what she has been through.”
Madison had attended camps at Baylor ever since she was in eighth grade. She found coach Ryan McGuyre to be genuine and sincere. She admired “incredible” outside hitter Yossiana Pressley.
“It felt like home,” Madison said. “I went on my visit, and I just knew.”
There was also relief. After going through a severe injury, Madison did not know what to expect from her recruitment.
“I wasn’t even sure if coaches knew who I was anymore,” she said. “My situation was really unique. I never knew which coaches were going to reach out. Some kept in contact; some hadn’t. Being able to talk to Baylor and commit to them meant so much to me.”
Volleyball is Madison’s happy place. She loves the sport, of course, but it’s more about the relationships. From her coaches at Skyline and College Park to teammates who have become best friends.
“That’s my favorite part of it,” Madison said. “You meet people who become friends for life.”
She has battled, persevered and overcome. And for it, Madison is a stronger player. A stronger person.
“To see an injury like that, it’s devastating,” Gibson said. “To see her come through that and how far she’s come and how hard she’s had to work and come out even stronger shows such strength. It’s such an inspiration.”
