After everything West Aurora’s Anna Tarr has gone through health-wise over the past year, it’s pretty understandable why she was so excited when she put down her first kill at home.
Last fall, Tarr missed the volleyball season due to back surgery. She also had hip surgery a few months ago. She finished physical therapy and relished her chance to be back on the court.
“I think it’s a very good improvement from last year, not being able to play and finally being able to step out to the court and be out there with my team,” Tarr said.
“I tried to support them as much as I could last year, but now I feel like I’m able to physically be there more and help them out in different ways that aren’t just emotional.”
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Tarr drew inspiration from that emotion Thursday night. The senior right-side hitter paced the host Blackhawks with four kills in a 25-11, 25-17 nonconference setback to red-hot Oswego.
Isabelle Moneze added three kills for West Aurora (1-7). Sarah Gilio led Oswego (7-1) with eight kills, while Dayton recruit Hannah Herrick tallied six kills and three blocks and Hadley Engler had five kills.
West Aurora coach Alyssa Farney was there with Tarr every step of the way in her recovery. Watching her look completely healthy in front of the home fans Thursday filled Farney with pride.
“It’s chilling,” she said of Tarr’s return to action. “She’s worked so hard to come back. Honestly, coming back from an injury like that is so mentally tough.
“You want to play and you have so many things that are going to prevent you from playing your best. I’m super proud of that kid for persevering and doing the things she’s done to get back.”
The Blackhawks got off to a rocky start Thursday, trailing 13-3 in the first game when Tarr put down her first kill. While she played in the Blue and Gold Tournament at Wheaton North last weekend, doing that in front of her family, friends and the home crowd hit a little bit differently.
“I think that I finally proved to myself that I really am back,” Tarr said. “I’m not just an injured player anymore.”
Seeing Tarr move around on the court, it would be hard to tell that she suffered the tough injuries that she did over the past year.
“She pushed it,” Farney said of Tarr. “She had one really, really great kill and it was like, ‘Wow, she’s back.’”
The Panthers dominated the first game, but the Blackhawks forced an 11-11 tie in the second game. That his team pulled away was a positive sign for Oswego coach Gary Mosley.
“It was really nice to see them settle in,” Mosley said. “It was a good vibe from the jump. We’ve been a pretty good team out of the gate. Finishing has been our problem. I was proud of them.”
Tarr, meanwhile, built up the mental support that she needed during her rehabilitation.
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“I’m very mindful of my body,” she said. “If I need to stop, I will stop. Mainly, I feel really good five months post-op.”
Farney, however, knows how competitive Tarr is. It’s why she made sure Tarr didn’t overextend herself working to come back. That was paramount in getting her on the court.
“It was tough, because I know she wants to push herself so much,” Farney said. “Because of that, she had to learn her limits a lot. It also took a lot of me and coach (William) Marks knowing her limits by identifying them quickly.
“We didn’t want her to prevent herself from healing properly. It took a lot of growing up on her part. I think her injury has forced her to really look at things differently.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.