Purple Reign

What constitutes success in sports? Is it individual glory, statistical dominance, championship titles or postseason heroics? Or is it something more, something less quantifiable?

For Cal Lutheran senior Sophia Muller, success meant overcoming a devastating injury to reclaim her place among the teammates she loves and the game she loves to play. 

"It was the best feeling ever, honestly, just being able to experience the joy of being on the court with my teammates again," she said of the 2024 season. 

To appreciate Sophia's journey, one has to start at the beginning, on a windy autumn evening in late October 2022. It was Senior Night against Redlands, and Sophia and the Regals were riding high. Winners of eight out of 10, the team had already earned a bye and a home game in the conference tournament.

Sophia, too, was at the top of her game. 

In her second year out of Culver City High School, the high-flying outside hitter had started all 24 games for the 15-9 Regals, tallying 260 kills to go along with 208 digs, 64 total blocks, 33 aces and 23 assists. A lock for first team all-conference, there were whispers about her future All-American potential.

"It was the peak of my volleyball career," Sophia said. 

Trailing 16-11 in the first set, Redlands called a timeout to regroup. Following a short huddle, the Regals took the floor. After a return from the opponent, Cal Lutheran setter Tess Holbert made the initial pass to the libero, who set up Sophia for the kill with a tight ball right next to the net.

"It was a little to the right of where I wanted it but I knew I had the height to get it," Sophia recalled. "I went up, hit the ball and landed completely on my left leg. My knee just gave out. I remember feeling the pop and knowing something was very, very wrong."

She screamed for the team's longtime head athletic trainer, Cody Owens, who rushed to her aid.

"As soon as I saw her go down, I ran to get to her. I had to fight through a line of girls to get there," Owens said. "She jokes with me that I took forever … but there's video to prove it."

Sophia refused to open her eyes at first, fearing what she'd see if she did. When she finally took a peek, the first person she saw was her head coach, Kellee Roesel, to whom she posed a question: "Did I get the kill?"

"Yes, you did," her concerned coach replied. 

A group that included Owens, strength coach Brent Roling and a member of the men's volleyball team carried Sophia off the court as heartbroken teammates looked on. Roling offered words of encouragement. 

"He told me, 'Whatever it is, we're going to beat it. One day at a time,'" Sophia said.

Tess, a junior that year, said she remembers the feeling of air being sucked out of the building. Although the Regals would go on to win the match, Sophia's loss cast a dark cloud over the evening.

"It was just really tragic. I mean, it was the last game of the season. We didn't have anything to play for. She was such a big part of that team," Tess said.

Five days later, with Sophia looking on from the sidelines on crutches, the Regals' season would end with a loss to Pomona-Pitzer in the semifinals of the SCIAC tournament. 

Determined to return

An MRI confirmed the devastating outcome: a full tear of the ACL, a high-grade MCL tear and a torn meniscus. Simply put, Sophia's left knee was in shambles.

Two days before Christmas, she went under the knife. The knee ligament was damaged so badly that the surgeon had to cut a piece of her quadriceps tendon and graft it in place of the ACL. For weeks after the procedure, the pain was excruciating. 

After suffering a serious knee injury before coming to college, Sophia had resolved to quit if she got hurt again. Faced with the reality, she reconsidered.

"I knew immediately that I wasn't going to give up. I loved the girls too much, and the coaches, my coach (Roesel) is one of my biggest idols … I knew I needed to do the work for them," she said. "Everything had been going so well (before the injury). There was no way I was going to let it end like that."

That spring, Sophia began a rigorous physical therapy regimen twice a week in Woodland Hills and three days a week on campus with Owens and trainer Carlos Gonzalez. Despite being in constant discomfort, she remained dedicated to her fellow Regals.

"She was amazing," Tess said. "Even with everything she was going through, she was always there."

In moments of doubt, Sophia turned to her parents, Herman and Nicole, who'd supported her tirelessly since she first began playing volleyball in the third grade. 

"They knew I wanted this," she said. 

Given the severity of the damage to her knee, Owens had his doubts about her ability to return and play at a high level, but he never expressed them to Sophia. 

"It was always, 'We're going to get you fixed and get you back out there,'" he said. "But it was a very serious injury. Still, I knew she had the heart and drive to do it."

Star turned supporter

Come junior year, Sophia found herself in uncharted waters: life on the bench. Unable to practice - let alone play - she was relegated to the role of cheerleader/coach. Recognizing her importance to the program, Roesel named Sophia a team captain.

"That kid has known suffering," Roesel said. "She's a good reminder to our kids what a blessing it is to play and how it can be gone in a second."

As challenging as it was to not be able to contribute on the court, Sophia did everything she could to support her teammates. 

"I was at every lifting session, at every practice, at every game and at every team event. It didn't matter to me that I wasn't playing. I wanted to be involved," she said. 

Beset by injuries - they also suffered the loss of three other outside hitters with torn ACLs - the 2023 Regals endured their worst season in Roesel's 17-year tenure. They finished 10-16 and failed to qualify for the conference tournament.

Tess described the experience as the ultimate test of wills.

"It was really tough. I put a lot of it on myself as I was one of the leaders on the team," she said. "There was a lot of frustration, a lot of anger, but it taught me that those emotions don't get you anywhere. It taught me to be a lot more positive and to have grace with myself." 

It wasn't much easier for Sophia, who felt as if she was letting down her team. The high point came one fall practice when she surprised her teammates by arriving dressed for action. 

"They were so excited - and also a little like, 'What are you are doing?' I told them I could just serve and pass a little, but it didn't matter, everyone was so happy for me."

A mix of emotions

Nearly 16 months after the injury, Sophia returned to full practice last spring. Her teammates embraced her, as did her coach. 

"I think one of us started crying, and then coach started to cry, and before long, we were all crying," Sophia said. 

A few months into her return to the court, Sophia was confronted with an extremely difficult reality: she was never going to be able to play at the level she did before the injury. Her body simply would not allow it. 

"I think that was the biggest mental block of recovery, just accepting this is who I am now," she said. "I don't think I realized it at the time, but I was forever changed. Surgery isn't a little thing. I thought, 'I'd been injured before. I came back from that one. This is just another one.'"

A few weeks into the 2024 season, after a disappointing road trip to St. Louis where the team lost all three games 3-0, she reached her breaking point.

"I basically apologized to my teammates. I told them I knew I wasn't doing great. They were behind me 100%, but it was hard," Sophia said. "I had to just accept that I can't compare myself with how it used to be. I still have the character, the drive, the fire, but physically, I'm not the same player."

Shortly after, Roesel decided to make a change, shifting Sophia from the left to the right side, where she could focus more on her offense and less on receiving serves and out-of-system sets. With some of the pressure off her, a strange thing happened: Sophia started to thrive. Before long, the Regals found their groove again. Tess said having Sophia back reenergized the whole team - herself included.

"She's just an awesome person to play with," the senior said. "She has a lot of energy and is super aggressive, but remains calm at the same time."

The 2024 Regals finished the season 12-13, narrowly missing a spot in the conference tournament. Sophia ended the year second on the team in kills and points, trailing only Kira Mortensen, the program's star middle blocker. What's more, she was selected All-SCIAC for the second time. 

Though she has the option of returning for a fifth year, Sophia plans to graduate this spring with a degree in exercise science and pursue a career as a physical therapist. It seems having spent so many long days and nights with trainers, she decided she'd make a pretty good one herself. 

"My experience in physical therapy was amazing and I wouldn't be the player I was without it," she said. "I want to be a physical therapist to be that positive person in someone's life when they're going through hard times. I want to get people back to what they love."

Owens, now in his 18th season as head athletic trainer, said he has no doubt.

"She's going to be a great physical therapist. She has an inquisitive nature, and she's obviously going to know what those athletes are going through," he said. 

In August 2025, Sophia will start the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at USC.

Having helped countless student-athletes return from serious injuries, Owens said Sophia's journey stands out. 

"It is really a little bit amazing, but not out of her character," he said. "That's why she made it back. She said I'm not giving up, and we told her, we're not giving up either.

If she didn't have the drive she has, she doesn't come back from that."