Aug. 30 was just an ordinary day for most, but that wasn’t the case for NIU volleyball’s Shara Parker.

The Huskies opened their season that evening against IUPUI and Parker suited up for the first time in more than a year.

Parker wasn’t expected to take the court again because she had three herniated discs in her back. However, she was determined to prove everyone wrong.

“In the locker room, before the game when I got handed my jersey, I was so excited,” said Parker, a third-year sophomore. “Putting on that jersey and running out on the court made me really emotional. When they announced my name, I had tears in my eyes. It was great.”

After sitting out a year as a student assistant coach, Parker played volleyball in the summer. The 5-foot-11-inch Parker said that playing against friends got her accustomed to dealing with the pain in her back.

Later in the summer, Parker was released by her orthopedic surgeon in her home state of Utah.

The Huskies and Parker still had to appeal to the NCAA to see if she would be granted eligibility for the upcoming season.

“Shara was officially cleared by the NCAA Wednesday,” NIU coach Ray Gooden said. “She was good to go before our first match, but we still had to wait for the official verdict.”

Parker still was able to play before the decision was made by the NCAA. According to NCAA rules, any athlete trying to receive medical clearance can practice and compete until a verdict is reached, Parker said.

Dealing with the injury was hard for the versatile sophomore, especially when she was forced to watch NIU’s dream season a year ago from the bench.

NIU went 24-6 last year while winning the MAC and earning a bid in the NCAA tournament.

“That was probably the hardest thing, to watch my teammates, and know that I probably was never going to compete again,” Parker said. “There were times where I’d come home crying after games, but after awhile, I figured that if I’m going to be a part of the team I need to accept my situation.”

Parker also had a tough time not having her parents by her side. She said, however, that her dad supported her all along. Parker had to watch her father deal with health problems of his own this summer and wanted to return to the floor. All this so that her dad could have the opportunity to see her play a collegiate volleyball game, something he has been unable to do thus far.

With all that Parker has gone through in the past year, playing volleyball means much more than it once did.

“Shara’s situation was unfortunate from the beginning,” Gooden said. “For her to continue a career here at NIU is big for her as well as the girls.”