UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Volleyball has been a part of junior Gabe Hartke's life since middle school. He competed in multiple sports growing up, but Hartke dropped it all to pursue his passion for volleyball and it landed him at Penn State, where he's grown to admire the team, coaches and Happy Valley atmosphere.
However, in Hartke's sophomore season he faced the challenge of overcoming a serious ankle injury that took him out for the entirety of the 2021 season. Following the news he would need surgery, his involvement with the team shifted for the safety of his recovery process.
"It was pretty devastating because I was going to miss the entire in-season semester with my team," Hartke said. "As for my team, it's not very easy to contribute when you're in that situation, so just being able to give them the moral support, my insights that I see when I'm off the court and then whatever I can to lift up the energy in the gym when I'm there. There was a while where I wasn't at practice because the trainer didn't want my foot to get hit. That wasn't very long, but it was very difficult and I had a hard time with that."
With a rigorous recovery journey, the Chicago-native was steadfast in getting back on the court and working with the trainers non-stop until he was cleared to play in the summer of 2021. Once he was cleared, there was a new reality and challenge Hartke had to face head-on.
"I think I got the full go-ahead to start playing I want to say August, maybe late July, and it's great but then you realize you're not at the level that you used to be at," Hartke said. "It's pretty humbling at that point to be able to go do these things but then to push a little bit and then back off because you don't want to go too far too fast. It was exciting for sure, it is also another challenge because I had to kind of rein myself in."
Hartke's resilence and mindset during his recovery impressed the Nittany Lion coaches and showed that he has place in the program beyond just his play on the court.
"If Gabe's ankle would have prevented him from ever playing again, he would have been on staff with us because I would have kept him around," head coach Mark Pavlik said. "He is a great, great student engineering student, thinks pretty well. He is very grounded emotionally, doesn't get too high or too low, and I think that was one of the important things for him coming back from the injury. He never let it get to him like, 'Oh, woe is me. What am I going to do?' I think he just kept plugging away. He's somebody that the team just without him I don't know if we are the same makeup that we have as a team."
Hartke's first match back following the injury was January 22 at UCLA during the Big 10/Pac 12 Challenge. Hartke stepped behind the service line and made an unforgettable memory by scoring an ace in his return to collegiate volleyball.
"It was my first time stepping on the court, so obviously I had the jitters," Hartke said. "All I could focus on was the volleyball, so I just threw it up there and went to hit it, somehow I got to where it was supposed to go. At that point, you get enough reps, you get enough muscle memory where it just happens even if you're on autopilot. It was very emotional after I got off the court, You know when I am on the court, it is all adrenaline and coming off the court, just overcome with emotions, hugged Pav(lik). It was a great feeling and running by all the guys on the bench afterwards just high fiving and smiles. It's like these guys are behind me."
His support system of his team of brothers rooting him on and the fire inside of him pushed him through this season-long challenge to get to where he is now. Throughout this journey, Hartke has learned that time is short and to take moments in as they come.
"Something that I've taken away from it is just enjoy every experience that I have with these guys. It's four short years, so I'm just taking it all in and enjoying it," Hartke said.
