Senior libero Bailey Henington talks about overcoming an injury, her faith journey, and the importance of team chemistry
Family and close friends would describe Bailey Henington as energetic, happy and positive. After my conversation with her, I can vouch for these qualities.
When we met early in the morning, on a Monday no less, Henington had a smile on her face and radiated friendliness. Over the course of our time together, we covered a range of topics, including recovering from tearing her ACL injury and her faith journey. In everything, she focused on finding the silver lining in every moment.
Henington, a senior libero on Azusa Pacific’s volleyball team, started playing volleyball in fourth grade.
“It [volleyball] wasn’t something I was crazy passionate about until later on in life, but me and all my friends kind of got together and formed a team- we would just practice all the time… but we’d never have games,” Hennington said. “It was kind of controlled chaos.”
Through all the practices, Henington started learning skills that would eventually take her to the collegiate level.
“One of my earliest memories is learning how to pass to myself. That was the first thing we learned … and we did that like every day for weeks,” she said.
Even though Henington didn’t play a single match when she began her volleyball career, the practices eventually paid off when she reached her senior year of high school. Henington played on Sonora High School’s varsity team from her sophomore through senior year, along with those same friends who formed a team back in fourth grade.
“We were able to win state my senior year because we know each other and the dynamic,” she said. “We knew how each other played… we knew every little thing about each other.”
Perhaps this is where Henington’s emphasis on team dynamics began. Of course, every athlete knows the importance of chemistry, but for Henington, getting to know her teammates goes beyond a desire to play well together. Her favorite memories of APU volleyball are times of team bonding and road trips where she’d get to discover more about her teammates.
“I think the most prevalent memories are just traveling with the girls,” she said.
For Henington, the small, confined space of a bus is one of the best places to simply hang out with her teammates and laugh about embarrassing plays they’ve made.
“When we travel and stay in hotels, usually we all get in one room together and are just talking and hanging out. The conversations are what totally make it,” she said.
Henington suffered a huge setback last year when she tore her ACL. During this time, she prided herself on being one of the team’s biggest cheerleaders; however, she admitted it wasn’t always easy.
“I had to be a good teammate even when I didn’t feel like I was apart of the team anymore… Having to go to practice and sit there and watch was so tough,” Henington said. “But I learned so much through that process of just how to be a good teammate and finding the fun in not [having] a starting position. I was on the sideline for a whole season and I really put my identity in cheerleading.”
Henington said the injury helped her find her identity.
“I know a lot of athletes go through serious injuries and don’t know what to do with themselves and I went through that for a little bit,” she said. “A lot of athletes probably struggle with their identity through their sport and so I learned [to find] the facts of who I really am.”
After surgery and months of tedious, tiresome work in physical therapy, Henington made it back to the court.
“It was so great to be back,” she said.
Henington also explained how her injury, in a strange turn of events, helped her become a better player.
“I’m definitely a player that beats myself up a lot. If I mess up, I just hold onto it for a second. And, for some reason, coming back I didn’t have that anymore,” she said. “It’s not like I was making excuses if I made a mistake, but I was able to let it go faster because I know the importance of the sport … I was able to grow up a little bit through that process.”
Like all students, Henington has grown over her time on APU’s campus, not just as an athlete but as a Christ-follower as well.
“Growing up my parents introduced me to God and we’d go to church,” she said. “Even though I always managed to keep a personal relationship with God it was never practiced. And even if it was practiced, it wasn’t practiced right.”
APU provided Henington with the resources and opportunities to further pursue her relationship with God.
“Coming to APU completely changed my mindset. My relationship, practicing my faith and my faith is mine and it’s been a total 180° on my relationship with Him,” she said. “I had a relationship with God growing up but not to the extent I have now.”
Henington’s journey at APU has been full of highs, such as the team winning the conference last season, and lows, namely her first serious injury. Throughout it all, good and bad, she’s pushed through with a relentless pursuit to see the best in every situation.