TACOMA, Wash. -- A long journey now has a happy ending, as Hattie Villegas turned a dream into a reality. In the Loggers' game at George Fox on October 18th, 2025, Villegas stepped onto the volleyball court for the first time in her collegiate career.

Originally from Albuquerque, N.M., volleyball wasn't Villegas' first love. 

"I didn't start playing volleyball until my Junior year of high school," said Villegas. "I played tennis the majority of my life, starting when I was five."

She played both recreational and competitive tennis for several years, making it on her high school varsity tennis team as an underclassman. She found success on the court, finishing her high-school career with a winning record. After her sophomore season with the tennis team, the time came for Villegas to move on from her childhood sport. 

"I was just burnt out from tennis," Villegas said. "I felt like I needed something else to do, and one of my mom's friends suggested volleyball since I was so tall."
 
Her junior year of high school was a pivotal moment in her athletic career, as she joined both her high school team as well as the Albuquerque Rebels Volleyball Club. By the time her senior year rolled around, she was a key piece in the rotation, picking up 71 kills and 43 blocks - both well above the national average. Her skills were enough to receive an offer from the University of Puget Sound, as she was one of three members of her school's graduating class to earn collegiate offers. 

Villegas was all but ready to make the leap to the college level, but that's when disaster struck. After nearly two full years of playing at both the high school and club level, Villegas went down with a knee injury.

"I hurt my right knee at the very end of my club season before coming to college. I had surgery over winter break of my freshman year to repair the ligament, and ended up getting a staph infection. I withdrew from school for the semester, and over the course of the next four months, I was hospitalized for 9 days and had 5 additional surgeries to clean out the infection and remove potentially infected hardware."

This setback was just the beginning, though, as the rehabilitation process took several months. Villegas was able to return to Puget Sound in the fall of 2024, but wasn't cleared to play volleyball. She took that time to learn the systems, absorb as much knowledge as she could, and come back stronger. 

When all was looking up, disaster struck again. 

"Over winter break of my sophomore year, I broke my leg while working out," said Villegas. "I was hospitalized again and had a seventh surgery to place a rod and screws in my lower leg. Fortunately, I was able to return to school on crutches in January, where I started the rehab process again." 

This time, the rehab was successful, and Villegas was finally cleared to play in September of 2025. She took the first two months of the volleyball season to regain her strength, finally getting her chance to play in October. In the middle of the Loggers' 11-game win streak, the team took to the court and easily knocked down the George Fox Bruins. After a dominant 22-10 start to the third set, Villegas made her grand appearance. The bench went wild, as the entire team was jumping and cheering in support of this massive milestone.

"It felt surreal to be back on the court after everything that happened," Villegas said. "I was extremely grateful because there were many times along the way when I didn't know if I would be able to play again."

Once the final point of the match was scored, the happy tears started flowing. The team rushed onto the court in celebration, immediately embracing Villegas. The bus ride home was full of singing and dancing, as there was more to celebrate than the Loggers' 11th win in a row. 

"Hattie has a personal depth of positive resilience that you just don't see that often," said women's volleyball head coach Mark Massey. "Many players could and would have given up, and Hattie, with the support of her family, just dug in and got the difficult rehab done after each surgery. She has been 'all in' at — and with — every step over a long 2-year period. She has some serious hops and is going to be an impactful net player, now, too."

The team went on to win their first Northwest Conference Championship since 2022, finishing the 2025 season with an impressive 18-8 (14-2 NWC) record. Despite a five-set loss in the Northwest Conference Tournament, Villegas and the Loggers look to come back even stronger in 2026.

As for Villegas, she continues to be ever grateful for everyone who made her journey possible. From coaches to surgeons, to everyone in between, it truly took a team effort to get Villegas back on the floor.

"I would love to thank Dr. Gehron Treme, Mark Massey, Liz Albertson, Brandon Learson, Dr. Bradley Maestas, Paige Platman, Ryan Fresquez, Jayson Helm, Paul and Jorden at 3Dimensional PT, my teammates, and my family and close friends who have been there for me through it all." 

This milestone couldn't have happened at a better time. October 18th has always been a special day in her life - it's a day she celebrates every year. 

"I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present." 

Villegas' 21st birthday will go down in history as the day she turned an impossible comeback into a momentous achievement.