It was October 17th, 2012. A Senior heavy Crusader volleyball team was playing in an invitational tournament in Arizona. It was two weeks prior to the state playoffs, and this team, with five senior starters, was looking to end their reign with a State Championship. Along with those five seniors, was a Junior Outside Hitter, Courtney Hansen. Hansen was a main point of offense for the team and one of the leading scorers. They were in their last game of the tournament when Hansen collided with a player of the other team, Hansen tore her ACL, ending her season. This was a huge blow for the Crusaders.

The Crusaders would then have to continue their season, without Hansen. Faith would lose in the State Semi-Finals, a disappointing ending to a season with such high expectations . But for Hansen, there was no time to mope, only time to look forward. “I knew that I would make a comeback. Watching my team play in playoffs and state last year killed me not being on the court with them. I was determined that an injury wasn’t going to hold me back from winning a state championship, I wanted it more than anything,” said Hansen. Hansen was now prepping for the 2013 season, her senior year where she would be the leader of the team. The 2013 team would be much younger than the 2012 team, and there was question if the 2013 team would be ready and mature enough.

The rehabilitation process would be a long but determined one for Hansen. One of the people she looked up to while rehabbing was Derrick Rose. Derrick Rose is the point guard for the Chicago Bulls, who also had suffered an ACL tear.When talking about her biggest inspiration, Hansen said, “The only way I got through this was the support from my family and friends but most importantly God. Without God I know I wouldn’t have gotten through such a tough situation.”  Hansen was hungry to step back out on the court and on June 6th, 2013, Courtney Hansen was cleared to play volleyball again.

In the 2013 season, the Crusaders put up an overall record of 27-12, being the number one ranked team in the Divison 1-A Sunset Conference. Also putting up a 10-0 League Record. The Crusaders would fly through the Regionals and State Playoffs. And in the State Championship game, on match point, Courtney Hansen had the spike to win the game and the state championship. “Winning the state championship meant many years of hard work and commitment finally paid off.  It has given a sense of accomplishment to all of us like we have maybe never felt before.  It made us proud to win it for Faith, but more importantly we won it for our teammates, managers and coaches!” said Coach Fisher about winning state.

“It meant the world to me. I worked so hard for this moment and it finally being here, is an amazing feeling,” said Hansen. It seemed as if the prophecies had been fulfilled. When talking to Coach Fisher about Hansen’s injury  in 2012, Fisher had a very interesting input. “Her injury allowed Cayla the ability to gain much needed experience for what was coming the next year.  For Courtney it gave her the drive to work hard to recover from her injury and to have the motivation to win the state championship, since she was unable to participate last year.  We will never know the outcome of last year if she never got hurt and could it have possibly changed this year?  I believe things happen for the good even though one has to go through the bad to get there.”

Hansen said she will never forget any of the teams she played on. Even though she faced trials and tribulations, she never gave up and lived one of the greatest comeback stories ever. But of course volleyball is a team sport, and Hansen could never have done it without all of her teammates. “We are an entire team. We don’t depend on one person. We depend on the entire time as a whole,” said teammate Gianni Giuliano.

This team will go down as one of the best in school history. And they will always have a State trophy to remember it by.