Halfway through her rookie season on the women's basketball team, the drive and dish was routine for point guard Kiersten Holgash '08. Each trip down the court, she would drive the ball down the lane, jump-stop and look to pass. But during one practice last January, routine turned to disaster: The five-foot-five Holgash jump-stopped into a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), one of the most debilitating injuries in sports.

Her rookie season was over just as it began, and a long road to recovery lay ahead. But after seven long months of rehabilitation, Holgash showed herself and her teammates that the injury was a distant memory when she recorded a personal-best in the team's timed one-mile run at the start of 2005-06 preseason.

"Initially I was really upset because I knew my season was done, and I thought it would really set me back," Holgash says. "But now I'm as grateful as I can be toward the injury because it made me work a lot harder than I ever thought I could."

Holgash isn't a standout on paper, but her intangible contributions on the court are considerable. She demonstrated her capabilities as a game-changer last season, providing intensity off the bench with her quick, tenacious style of play. This season, Holgash will take the reigns of the team from former point guard Amanda DeMartino '06.

It's a new position for Holgash, but one she already finds more comfortable.

"Over the last two years I've learned a lot from Amanda about keeping composure and decision-making," Holgash says.

"While it's easy to have confidence in yourself when you start, it's harder to step in at a random moment and have the same amount of confidence coming off the bench."

The changing of the guard at point will come with a change of style for the Judges. Holgash says the team will sport a quicker style of play, catered to her speed.

"We're looking to play a more up-tempo game with a lot more pressing and running, which is the way I like to play," Holgash says.

Coach Carol Simon adds: "If I could have 10 Kiersten's on my team, it would be amazing. She's a great leader, which is so important because she's the point guard. She knows what I want and how to step in and lead the team.