Beaming with positive energy, senior co-captain Kristin Chaney can be found on the sidelines cheering on the volleyball team after suffering several injuries in the past few weeks.
Chaney, known to be a versatile player for the Cavaliers, has an impressive career despite her multiple torn ligaments.
In her first year of wearing the orange and blue, Chaney was a starting setter for 12 matches and achieved career highs in both assists and digs. Following her injury that year, she was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team as well as the 2002-2003 ACC Academic Honor Roll.
By 2003, Chaney returned to the court as an outside hitter, racking up points for the Cavaliers by compiling double-digit kills in seven matches. She started 15 out of the 21 matches she played in during the 2004 season, missing nine matches for an injury.
Following the Jefferson Cup several weeks ago, Chaney tore her ACL, MCL and meniscus in her knee, leaving her sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Although she is no longer able to contribute to the team's performance on the court, Chaney knows her position as co-captain for the second consecutive year makes her an essential component of the Cavaliers' overall success.
"I think, as a team, everyone has their perceptions of what they need to do, and they know their roles," Chaney said. "For me, it's just keeping a positive attitude and keeping everybody else positive."
Her teammates agreed that her continued support and enthusiasm have helped carry them to victory.
"Kristin is absolutely still one of the leaders of this team," sophomore setter Emily Kirkwood said. "Just having her in the locker room really helps."
Saturday, when the Cavaliers faced Wake Forest in Memorial Gymnasium, Chaney was yelling from the sideline, joining the girls in team huddles and distributing advice when she felt it was needed.
"Everybody has their moments, especially as the season drags on, everybody gets a little tired and a little testy with each other," Chaney said. "But as long as we keep a positive attitude, we can make it through until December."
Now that the Cavaliers have completed their five-match homestand, they are preparing for this upcoming weekend's two matches in Florida, where they will compete against Miami Friday and Florida State Saturday.
Neither Chaney nor any of the coaches want her to miss out on all the excitement left in the season.
"The coaches came up to me the other day and said, 'You know you're not getting out of any of the away trips, right?'" Chaney said. "I wouldn't want to
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