Since injuring her shoulder against Michigan over a month ago, star player Charlie Fuerbringer has yet to return to the lineup for Badger volleyball. Cameras caught her doing some drills during the Ohio State broadcast, which fans took as a positive sign, but it seems like her return is not imminent.
Coach Kelly Sheffield shed some light on the situation during an appearance on the Joncast podcast this week.
"We are hoping to have Charlie back, but there is no time line," said Sheffield. "It could be at any point, or it might not be at all. We're not going to put a date on there. We'll let the rehab and her medical staff dictate that. Everything is on the table."
Could Fuerbringer return by the end of the season?
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So while all reports are that Fuerbringer is progressing well, there doesn't appear to be any hurry to rush her back to the court. The Badgers defeated Minnesota in four sets on Wednesday night and have largely played well despite the absence of one of their best players. Freshman Addy Horner has continued to provide a spark in Fuerbringer's stead and finished with a career-high four aces.
The Badgers' regular season runs until November 28th, so at this point, it's hard to know if Fuerbringer will be able to return in less than three weeks. Sheffield's latest comments seem to suggest that they might hold off until the postseason, but there could be a scenario in which she returns sooner than expected.
While Horner has been solid without Feurbringer, the stats of when Feurbringer is in the lineup versus not are startling enough to want to bring her back as soon as she is fully healthy.