Granado takes Gallagher under her wing

Senior setter Whitney Granado barks instructions at her teammate, freshman setter Katie Gallagher, as she watches her perform a defensive drill in practice.

“Talk to them, Katie,” Granado screams, standing on the other side of the net, doling out advice to the freshman.

Granado has taken the setter position back from Gallagher after Granado missed the entire non-conference portion of the schedule with mononucleosis.

The co-captain learned in mid-July she had contracted the illness.  At first, the prognosis was that she would be out three to four weeks. However, she did not progress as doctors had hoped.

“Then, I started having abdominal issues,” Granado said. “It became kind of a week-by-week thing as far as what I would get to do, what’s going to hurt and what’s not. Then the weeks just kept on going by.”

The slow pace was aggravating, she said, because she was not seeing results.

“It was just a little bit frustrating, with the testing and not knowing what’s going on,” Granado said.

Gallagher had to take the place of the three-year veteran, something Granado helped with.

“She’s been super helpful,” Gallagher said. “She’s really open with talking about what I need to do to improve or how to change something in my studying or my footwork or my defensive stance.”

Not being with the team took its toll on Granado.

“Sometimes I wouldn’t be able to travel with them,” Granado said. “It was really difficult, but I tried to stay as engaged as I could and bond with the team.”

Granado was finally healthy enough to play Sept. 21, and she took the reins of the team against Michigan.

“There’s always that missing piece in the puzzle when a player is out,” senior middle blocker Samantha Thrower said. “To have her back, especially in our senior year, is good.”

IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said Granado has a long journey to get back where she was.

“I think a lot of it is that she’s been out for two and a half months,” Dunbar said. “She came back out of shape basically because they wouldn’t let her do anything — bike, running or volleyball.”

Granado said she still thinks her conditioning is not at the level it needs to be, especially after enduring a five-set match against Nebraska.

“I’m definitely still getting back into game shape,” Granado said. “Especially going five sets, it’s a little bit tiring. So, it’s just a process of trying to get through practices as hard as I can and turning it up a whole other level to get through two matches in the weekend.”

Being a cocaptain, Granado has a presence on the floor Gallagher could not bring to the table, Dunbar said.

“I think that’s the difference with her and (Gallagher) right now,” Dunbar said. “(Gallagher) is doing a great job, and I don’t want to overlook what she’s doing, but (Granado) brings that experience of playing at the highest level.”

Granado is coming off the Nebraska match in which she had a career-high 62 assists.

One thing Granado will continue to do this year is mentor Gallagher, she said, who also reminds teammates of a freshman Granado.

“I think she is a vision of (Granado) when she got here her freshman year,” Thrower said. “So, it’s promising.”