By Bradley Moon
On Sept. 26, 1991, Tanequa Natassia Whitman was born at Huntsville Hospital in Huntsville, Ala. Who would have known that this baby weighing only 7 pounds, 5 ounces would overcome much adversity to succeed in the sport she loves?
Whitman didn’t have any difficulty finding the sport that she loves. Volleyball happened to find her when she was asked to join a recreation team in elementary school at the age of 10.
Whitman played recreational volleyball for two years before she was invited to play travel volleyball at a club in Huntsville called NASA (North Alabama Spikers Association). Her club career lasted for the next six years (from age 12-18).
Whitman believes that her coaches had a lot to do with her love for the game.
“They made me better. They taught me to enjoy the game, enjoy good competition, and they taught me the value of respect,” said Whitman.
Once Whitman’s coaches instilled in her this love for the game, it continued to grow.
“Each year it got better and better. The game was more exciting, faster, the competition was more intense and my skills continued to improve,” Whitman said.
However, Whitman’s improvement was halted by an unexpected injury. During her junior year of high school, Whitman was excelling in volleyball and getting offers from big schools such as Washington and Texas.
While competing in a club tournament in Kentucky, Whitman jumped up to hit a high set in the middle of the net. As she landed, her left leg buckled and she collapsed.
This was Whitman’s first injury. At first, she thought this would be something she could play through, but the doctor told her otherwise.
Whitman’s doctor told her that she had torn her ACL and would be out of sports for six to eight months. This news was shocking to the young athlete.
“When I heard I was going to be out for a long time, I was devastated. I knew my volleyball career would never be the same,” Whitman recalled.
Whitman revisited the doctor before her surgery and was informed that she hadn’t only torn her ACL, but also her MCL, LCL, and meniscus. Following a successful surgery, Whitman went straight to rehab. She spent countless hours doing strengthening exercises in order to be ready for her next season. Whitman never gave up.
Her mother, Ruthie Whitman, attested to Whitman’s undying effort when she said, “Tanequa’s pure determination made her recovery much easier.”
Whitman’s senior season went well. She was recruited by Tennessee State University (TSU), a division one volleyball program. Her sister had previously attended TSU and loved the school.
However, Tanequa had quite a different experience there and after one season, Whitman transferred to Calhoun Community College in Huntsville, Ala. where she spent the next three semesters. During her time at Calhoun, Whitman earned an associates degree in computer information systems and spent her free time coaching club volleyball at NASA in Huntsville.
One night, Whitman was checking in on old teammates and previous opponents. Eventually, she came across the Facebook page of Jordan Corder, who was serving as the setter for Shorter University’s volleyball team.
Whitman had met Corder through volleyball several years earlier. While looking at her page, she began to have the desire to play the game again. She immediately sent Corder a Facebook message and went straight to Shorter’s website to find out more about the team.
“As I was browsing through Shorter’s website, I felt as if something was telling me to play volleyball again. It was as if The Lord was showing me my next move,” Whitman said.
Corder responded to Whitman’s message with great enthusiasm and encouraged Whitman to email Shorter’s head volleyball coach, Jon Moseley. Whitman received an immediate response from Coach Moseley and as they say, the rest is history.
Whitman has been very successful at Shorter. She is currently third all-time in digs in a career with 1,064. However, she has had to overcome other injuries in her time at Shorter.
In Whitman’s first season as a hawk, she experienced a very painful hamstring tear. However, with the help of Shorter’s athletic training staff, she was able to finish out the season. Her second season at Shorter consisted of an impressive 516 digs on the season, but also another meniscus tear in her left knee.
Though Whitman has gone through a lot for the sport she loves, she wouldn’t trade a minute of it.
“I have no regrets, the adversity I faced was part of God’s plan for my life and I can now be an inspiration to other athletes,” Whitman said.
Whitman is returning to Shorter for her final season in the fall of 2013. She believes her team will have a successful year and she cannot wait to get out on the court again.
