Hauser’s Kenze Bostic spikes the ball during a match against Shelbyville Sept. 7 at Hauser High School.
HOPE — Kenze Bostic is relieved to be fully healthy again.
The Hauser senior has recovered from a lingering foot injury that she had for more than a year. She had surgery on late last year, and after several months of rest, recovery and rehab, she’s back on the court for the Jets volleyball team this season.
“I was really grateful for a really fast recovery,” Bostic said. “It was really great, and I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Bostic began noticing a little discomfort in her left foot during her sophomore season of softball in the spring of 2022. She began noticing it progressively getting worse during volleyball season as a junior last year. She played through the pain, and when the volleyball season was over, she decided to get it checked out.
“I never had any experience with pain in my foot. I’ve always been able to deal with pain in a decent manner, but this was something I knew it was more than I thought is was,” Bostic said.
Hauser’s Kenze Bostic prepares to serve the ball during a match against Shelbyville Sept. 7 at Hauser High School.
Bostic went to see former Hauser athletic trainer Steve Souder, who gave her a small donut pad for her heel. She then made phone calls with her doctors. It was later confirmed that Bostic had a bone spur.
After attempts with injections and heel cups weren’t working, Bostic came to the conclusion that surgery was the best and quickest option for recovery. She had the surgery in December of last year, thus ending her basketball season and her upcoming softball season.
Bostic said doctors performed platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment, which uses a patient’s own blood cells to accelerate healing in a specified area. The timeframe for her recovery was four-to-six months.
Hauser’s Kenze Bostic waits for a serve during a match against Shelbyville Sept. 7 at Hauser High School.
Following surgery, Bostic was on crutches and had to wear a boot for protection when she had to move to different locations in order to not put any pressure on her foot and avoid any new injury or setback.
After a couple of weeks, Bostic could start having some mobility with her foot but still had to be on crutches and could not walk around her home without her boot. After a couple more weeks passed, she was walking in the boot full-time.
Bostic said she did most of her mobility rehab at school with Souder. They spent weeks at a time increasing her range of mobility in her foot. After she was off the boot, she began doing light jogging and agility.
Hauser’s Kenze Bostic prepares to serve the ball during a match against Shelbyville Sept. 7 at Hauser High School.
Bostic was cleared to do activities in the middle of April and was doing full-time physical activities in June, which was in time to start up preseason volleyball training and practicing.
Bostic has noticed the change in her mobility and was glad to have the surgery done, even if there was a slight chance her recovery time could have been longer.
“Whenever we decided to go through with it, there was always the possibility something could happen in my recovery that it could get pushed back. I did miss the rest of the basketball season, and I did miss out on softball season. That was obviously really hard for me,” Bostic said. “Ever since I was little, I was always involved in sports. Sports has been my whole life, so not being a part of it and the aspect of constantly doing it was really hard. I knew I was there for my team, and I knew that was all I could do was to be a strong point for my team in that moment.”
Hauser’s Kenze Bostic digs out the ball during warmups before a match against Shelbyville Sept. 7 at Hauser High School.
Bostic has been a huge presence for the the Jets this season.
“I’m definitely really happy with what she’s doing, playing usually all the way around. She passes pretty good for us and is hitting really well in the front and with blocking. Her serves have been on, too,” Hauser coach Jeff Case said. “She’s been our team leader and is getting the girls motivated and keeping them on the right track. She’s done a great job. She definitely takes it serious. It gives us the intensity that we need.”
Kenze Bostic
As for her future in volleyball, Bostic made her commitment to continue her academic and volleyball career at IU Columbus after she met with Crimson Pride coach Jose Olivo last week. She plans to study nursing.
“It’s going to establish a really good environment for me to still put school first,” Bostic said. “Obviously, volleyball is my dream, but it also allows me to pursue a career afterward. I’ve been interested in medical for a long time. My family has been involved in medical, so it’s always been an interest.”
