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Two Sebring Volleyball Players Collide, Are Rushed To Hospital

By Brian Gjurgevich | Highlands Today

Published: October 6, 2007

OKEECHOBEE — A non-district volleyball match became a secondary concern Thursday night as the Sebring volleyball team suffered a scare when two players collided head-to-head and were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Senior setter Ashley Waldon and freshman middle blocker Anna West were both released from the hospital early Friday morning and spent the day away from school and resting at home.

The players were diving for the ball when the collision occurred, leaving Waldon with a gushing, T-shaped gash on her forehead and West with a small forehead cut and large case of whiplash. Waldon was given a CAT scan and cleared of having a concussion.

"Luckily, there was a JV football game going on at the school, so there were paramedics there within two or three minutes," said Sebring volleyball coach Venessa Sinness, who spoke with the opposing coach and agreed to call the match early in the third set. "It shook up a lot of the girls pretty good — there was a lot of blood on the court and it was pretty disturbing.

"After watching their teammates getting taken out on a stretcher, the girls weren't focused on the game anymore."
Sinness reported both players were doing fine on Friday morning, with Waldon sporting 10 stitches and West feeling some slight tingling in her arms.

Both players' parents were in attendance during the collision, something Sinness said was a blessing.
"That's not a call you want to make," Sinness said.
Still shaken up, the team cancelled Friday's practice.

The Streaks are off until Tuesday, when they host defending Class 4A-District 10 champion DeSoto.
"It's definitely an image we'll need to work on getting out of our heads," Sinness said. "We've definitely been saying lots of prayers. It's just one of those situations where you're happy everything turned out OK."

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