SCHAUMBURG – It had been so long since Caitlyn Ballard got tapped to rotate into a volleyball match that she almost didn’t know how to react Tuesday.

Six weeks to the day after the talented St. Charles East volleyball outside hitter traded in her knee pads for a walking boot and a spot on the bench, Ballard returned to her rightful place next to the pin alongside the teammates for whom she’d only been able to cheer.

Her decisive kill off a pass from setter Erienne Barry ended the first game of the third-seeded Saints’ IHSA Class 4A Schaumburg Regional semifinal against No. 14 Elk Grove, and Ballard welcomed the congratulatory hugs – those before and after East’s 25-9, 25-10 victory against the Grenadiers.