Christa Harmotto can stand on a foot-high box and jump to the ground.

This makes Harmotto smile. This gives her hope.

Harmotto used to be able to jump and reach higher than a basketball hoop. Now, the seemingly easy feat of jumping from 12 inches off the ground is considered progress. It is one of the baby comeback steps for a volleyball star trying to recover from a serious knee injury.

"It's amazing how much you miss some things when they're taken away from you," Harmotto said.

Harmotto, a graduate of Hopewell High School in Beaver County, is considered one of the best volleyball players in WPIAL history. She made the U.S. Junior National team twice and was the Post-Gazette Female High School Athlete of the Year for the 2004-05 school year. The award takes into consideration all athletes in the WPIAL and City League.

Harmotto had a tremendous impact at Penn State as a freshman this past season, becoming only the fourth Nittany Lions rookie to make first-team All-Big Ten Conference. She was an honorable mention All-American. But in a match late in the regular season against Iowa, Harmotto jumped into the air for a spike. When she landed, her future remained up in the air.

The anterior cruciate ligament in Harmotto's right knee was torn. It was a cruel twist to the fortunes of this 6-foot-3 blessed athlete. In the preseason, she jumped and touched a spot 10 feet, 4 inches off the ground.

On Dec. 16, Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli performed surgery on Harmotto. Coincidentally, this was the same doctor who decided Penn State football star Paul Posluszny, another Hopewell graduate, didn't need surgery after his knee injury in the Orange Bowl.

But Harmotto wants no pity.

"Rehab is going really well," she said. "I can actually sprint and do some jumping."

Harmotto believes she can be at full strength by June.

Harmotto did plenty during her career at Hopewell. She helped Hopewell to three consecutive WPIAL Class AA championships and a PIAA title as a senior. In her final season at Hopewell, she had 448 kills, including 19 in the PIAA championship match.

Then she excelled in her first season at Penn State as the Nittany Lions (31-3) won the Big Ten title for the third consecutive year. Penn State was ranked No. 2 in the country when it lost to Tennessee in the NCAA regional semifinals. Harmotto didn't play after her injury Nov. 19.