Press Box Player of the Week: Natalie Hart

Press Box Player of the Week for Oct. 19, 2023 is Watervliet’s Natalie Hart.

Natalie is a senior outside hitter on the Panther varsity volleyball team. She was named third team all-state last season on a team that reached the regional finals and was a key part of the 2021 regional championship team. She was preparing for this season when she suffered a compound fracture in her lower-right leg, breaking both bones during a summer scrimmage on July 11. News of the injury was a gut-punch to the entire Panther community. Was her promising senior season over before it even began?

Days after surgery to insert a rod and four screws she was put into a walking boot and then healed faster than would be expected. She began therapy and then workouts and made her way back onto the court in September, barely two months later. This past week she played nearly all of 17 sets and is approaching full strength, making an amazing recovery just in time for another playoff run.

Her team rallied around her in the days after the injury, visiting after practices and keeping her spirits up. “My team is really close, we are all close friends and that makes us play a better game.”

Outside of volleyball Natalie is the reigning Miss Watervliet, raises pigs and shows them at the fair, is an officer in both Student Council and National Honor Society, and serves on the principal’s advisory council. She’s passionate about science and plans to attend the University of Tennessee to pursue a nursing degree and eventually become a nurse anesthetist.

She said, “Breaking my leg and the recovery taught me to take nothing for granted and make the most of every opportunity.”

Congratulations, and good luck Natalie!