Northville senior Connor Manhart was nervous heading into the Division 1 pre-regional May 22 because the 3-0 win over Adrian was the first meaningful volleyball match of his career.
Which is saying something because the libero has been with the team for three seasons. He just hasn’t played much because of lingering knee injuries.
He previously tore his left ACL and probably shouldn’t even be playing after tearing the meniscus in the same knee last fall playing soccer.
But the No. 7 Mustangs (29-7-1) badly needed his athleticism and, especially, his leadership on defense this spring; there was no way he was sitting out another season. So, just like he did for the bowling team this past winter, he keeps toughing out the pain, and Northville keeps winning.
The Mustangs host Canton in a regional semifinal May 26. The winner advances to face third-ranked Saline or No. 9 Novi Detroit Catholic Central in the championship two days later.
“We talked at the beginning of the year, and I said, ‘Hey, I need a libero, and I’m looking at you to do it, but I know you’re going through it and working through your knee problems,’” first-year coach Nyia Setla said. “He said, ‘Coach, I’m bought in, and I want to do this. I want to take this team as far as I can.’ I just told him that if he can give me everything he has, I can give everything to him. It’s been great to see him work hard because I know he’s going through it with his body right now.”
Manhart certainly gave Setla and the Mustangs everything he had against the Maples, whom Northville swept 25-12, 25-14 and 25-14.
He organized the back row, hustled for digs and spent about as much time sprawled across the floor as he did standing upright.
“I go through a lot of physical therapy to strengthen my leg so that I’m able to play through the pain,” Manhart said. “I could’ve gotten surgery already, but I really wanted to play this season. Luckily, it doesn’t really bother me other than knowing that I tore it during soccer season and that I’ll need surgery.”
That surgery will likely come this summer, but, for the Mustangs’ sake, hopefully not before June 5 – that’s when they’re hoping to be playing for a state championship in Battle Creek.
“For my first-ever playoff volleyball game, to go along with my first season on the court, it was a lot of fun,” Manhart said. “I was a little nervous because it was a big game, and I’ve never really played volleyball because I’ve been suffering from injuries. But I’m happy I got to be out there today. Especially being part of a good program like this, it’s been a lot of fun.”
Lingering knee problems end a lot of careers, and they’ll keep Manhart from playing soccer at the next level, but this experience has also shaped his future.
He plans to study kinesiology at Michigan State University and hopes to become a physical therapist, something he’s gained a new appreciation for after spending so much time rehabbing his knee throughout high school.
“It’s crazy he’s playing through that because it’s a lot,” Setla said. “He’s definitely one of our hardest-working players, but I imagine he’ll medically retire shortly after the season is over. But, man, he’s a tough kid.”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: MHSAA boys volleyball: Manhart, Northville sweep Adrian in regionals
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
