Coming into 2022, everything was right for Corona del Sol senior Georgia Lee.

The setter was committed to Rutgers and looked poised for a big senior year in the fall with the Aztecs. Then everything changed. During a club volleyball match in January, Lee tore her ACL which would ultimately hold her out of her senior season.

“When it first happened, I was like completely devastated because volleyball was literally my entire life,” Lee said. “It was everything I did, everything I thought of.”

With volleyball taken away for the foreseeable future, Lee had a decision to make. She could sit there and be upset with the situation, or she could find a way to persevere and make the best out of it. Coach Ben Maxfield would be the first to tell you, she has chosen the latter.

“She’s positive, it’s like having another coach out there. Because she plays at such a high level and she knows the game really well, we can actually have her run some drills,” Maxfield said.

Not only has Lee been able to take up coaching, she was also able to learn the role of a student manager. Lee was the manager for the boys’ team in the spring which she said she would have never been able to do had it not been for the injury. Outside of that, she has been able to discover herself as more than just a volleyball player.

“I had about four months after surgery where I just had to figure out who I was as a person. I was so much more than just volleyball,” Lee said. “I think it’s helped me in a lot of ways.”

Her teammates would attest that she has a lot more to offer than just volleyball. Her positive attitude every day is what seniors Ella Lomigora and Kierstyn Barton have noticed about their friend.

“She offers a lot of advice. She sees things from an outside perspective that we may not see on the court. All of her positivity, all of her jokes, everything that she brings, it just lightens the mood,” Lomigora said.

And what stood out to Lee’s teammates was the way she handled the situation from the start. There was never a question of if she was going to be back, it was when.

“Usually people with injuries are like, ‘Ugh this sucks’, but no, she was super positive and super encouraging,” Barton said.

Although her teammates miss her on the floor right now, they will miss her even more come January. Lee will be graduating at the end of the semester and heading out east to start training and taking classes at Rutgers. While starting her collegiate career is exciting, it is also a little bittersweet for the high school senior.

“I’m still trying to believe it. I’m trying to absorb it and trying to get into every event that Corona is doing just to live up the last semester here,” Lee said.

Despite it being sad having to leave high school a little bit early, when Lee gets to Rutgers she will be able to finally do what she loves most: play volleyball. It’s a moment that’s been a long time coming, and one she can’t wait to finally see happen.

“I’m just so excited to getting back to playing,” Lee said.