Nicholas Out for Remainder of Season
Oct. 10, 2002 WACO, Texas - Baylor all-America candidate Stevie Nicholas has taken the final swing of her junior season after surgical procedures Wednesday afternoon. Nicholas, who tore her medial-meniscus Sept. 18 in a match against Colorado, has missed the last five Baylor matches and is now diagnosed as "out for the remainder of the season," according to head coach Brian Hosfeld and assistant trainer Alison Krajewski. "This was an uncommon tear," Krajewski said. "A vertical tear of the meniscus tear is more common; Stevie's was horizontal. The rehabilitation process from a horizontal tear is a more lengthy process. The doctors also found extensive damage to surrounding cartilage. All of this makes it impossible for Stevie to return this season." Arguably the most explosive player in the Big 12 Conference and one of the nation's elite attackers, Nicholas ends her junior season with 218 kills, 38 service aces, 113 digs, 29 blocks and 272.5 points. She started all 11 matches in which she appeared and averaged 5.45 kills, 0.95 service aces, 2.83 digs and 0.73 blocks per game. Nicholas still leads the Big 12 in kills, aces and points; she also ranks sixth nationally in aces. "Stevie has been through the process of coming back from a knee injury before," Hosfeld said. "She has plenty of solid family support, and we are confident she will get through this."
Baylor returns to action Saturday, traveling to Kansas for a 7 p.m. CDT match against the Jayhawks.
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