Published: November 03, 2009 11:56 pm      

Maymon plays through pain, has SC in state semis

Ankle injury can't slow down Dragons star

Silver Creek faced a daunting task at last Saturday’s Class 3A Jasper Regional.

Not only did the Dragons have to face strong Jasper and Sullivan programs, but it appeared that they would have to do it without their best offensive player.

The Tuesday before regional, junior standout Kristyn Maymon severely sprained her ankle for the second time in six months, and the prospect of her availability was doubtful.

Having her at 100 percent was out of the question.

In the morning win over the host Wildcats, Maymon was able to help sparingly and only on the back line in the Dragons’ 25-21, 25-23, 25-21 win.

Between games, Silver Creek coach Jeff Zimmerman sent Maymon and his brother Todd, an assistant coach, to Jasper’s auxiliary gym to see if she would be able to play in the final just a few hours later that night.

The result was unexpected.

“He came down after the session and looked like he’d seen a ghost,” Jeff Zimmerman recalled. “He said, ‘She’s unbelievable. She’s hitting the ball better right now than she ever has.’”

Maymon was not only able to take the court, but she led the Dragons to the regional title with 12 kills and three aces in Silver Creek’s 25-18, 25-20, 25-23 victory over the Arrows.

“If I didn’t know she had injured herself, I would have never guessed it (from her performance Saturday),” senior teammate Mollie Hamilton said. “She played just the same as she always has. It really showed how much heart she has for the game of volleyball.”

“I don’t think I really let it affect me,” Maymon said. “I tried not to think about it. I just tried to play the best I was capable of doing.”

Maymon said she played against her doctor’s advice, which was to take six weeks off from volleyball.

“I don’t want to sit out,” she said. “I’ve just been working on it with my physical therapist (Dave Jackson), getting it to the best it can be.”

The effort the Dragons got from Maymon was no surprise to her teammates.

“She never gives up,” senior LeAnn Osterhaudt said. “She has an amazing heart. She gives it her all every day. She shouldn’t even be walking on her foot, but she won’t even complain about it.”

Maymon sat out of Tuesday’s practice and her status for Saturday’s first-round match against Indianapolis Brebeuf in the state finals is still unknown.

“It’s a little sore, but I’ve been working on icing it, going to physical therapy and just making it better.”