By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

CEDAR BLUFF – Cedar Bluff senior volleyball hitter Janaya Higgins said she was terrified.

During her junior year playing softball, Higgins injured the nerves around her right elbow. Those nerves somehow got wrapped around the bone, causing her pain whenever she tried to put her elbow motion.

“It got so bad I couldn’t feel my fingers,” Higgins said. “They said I’d have to have surgery because there was nothing else they could do to fix it.”

Higgins thought playing volleyball her senior year was over, as well as her dream of playing the sport in college.

“I love volleyball and it’s always what I’ve wanted to do. To miss my last first game, it tore me up,” she said. “It brought me to a bad mental state. I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t do anything really.”

But Higgins didn’t throw in the towel and give up. After surgery, she battled back through rehab and returned to become a vital part of the Lady Tigers’ season. She accumulated 124 kills, 174 digs, 35 aces, and 15 blocks.

“If it wasn’t for my friends and family, I probably still wouldn’t be playing right now,” Higgins said.

Higgins not only played her senior year, but she impressed the volleyball coaches at Lawson State Community College in Bessemer. They offered her a scholarship, which she officially signed on Monday afternoon at the Cedar Bluff School library.

“I went to try out for them (last February), and they called me back,” Higgins said. “Whenever they told me I made it, I just wanted to cry. I was so happy.”

Higgins isn’t the only person who’s happy. Cedar Bluff volleyball coach Deidra Cox is too.

“I’m extremely proud of that kid,” Cox said. “The three years I’ve been here, she has put in the work and is so deserving of this. She’s got a great support system at home. She’s had one here, and from what it sounds like, Lawson State is going to be a great fit for her. I’m really excited to see what she ends up being able to do and how she’ll help them. I’m real proud of her.”

When Cox came back to Cedar Bluff to coach in the summer of 2023, she quickly realized she had a talented athlete in Higgins.

“She’s been a major part of our team for three years now,” Cox said. “She’s been a crucial role player. It hurt the first couple of weeks last season because she was battling back from having surgery. We missed her during that time, but she came back, fought through the pain, and was able to help us have a good season.”

Higgins said she felt like she had returned to form in an area home match against Sand Rock last September.

“It felt weird getting my arm back into motion,” Higgins said. “I remember this one specific play. Their tall middle (Caitlyn Lynch), we were going head-to-head. I swung and it dropped on their side. That’s when I felt myself come back. That really brought me back to where I wanted to be.

“Whenever I learned some new plays to hit, they (opponents) really couldn’t do anything with it, so I just kept on going.”

And that keep-on-going mentality has now led Higgins to play volleyball for Lawson State.

“It feels good,” Higgins said. “It’s like a dream come true.”