By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
Seven months ago, Amy Schwem wasn't certain she would even have this senior season. An injury that has been known to prematurely end careers had put that in doubt.
 
But not only did she come back, she came back strong. And Sunday afternoon at Kaplan Arena, she reached a landmark that only six William & Mary volleyball players before her had met — 2,000 career assists.
 
"This season definitely means something extra because I wasn't sure if I was going to have a season this year or not," said Schwem, a senior from suburban Chicago. "It's definitely a good feeling knowing I was able to come back and reach that milestone.
 
"Two thousand is a big number, but I certainly would not have gotten that alone. Two thousand assists means two thousand kills."
 
No. 2,000 came in the fourth set of Sunday's home loss to UNCW — Katherine Arnason got the kill. Schwem now has 2,006 career assists with at least six more matches to play this season.
 
"Not only is she a team captain, she's definitely a gamer," Tribe coach Ryan Adams said. "She does any and all things the team requires to be successful.
 
"The setter is similar to a quarterback and is in charge of running the offense. Being consistent and reliable are the two words that come to my mind when I think of her as a player and a person."
 
That mindset likely had something to do with her recovery. Last spring in practice, Schwem completely ruptured her Achilles tendon. She underwent surgery on March 4 and was told the likely recovery time would be nine months. The best-case scenario was six months.
 
Schwem was back on the court Sept. 6, nearly six months to the day following surgery. And wouldn't you know, the match's very first point was a kill by Olivia Esposito with an assist from Amy Schwem.
 
"It was definitely a great feeling to be back," Schwem said. "I had a lot of people who assumed my career was over when that happened. That's an injury that does end a lot of careers.
 
"Thankfully, none of those people were on my team. It definitely means a lot to be able to come back this season."
 
Making Sunday's moment even more special was that her mother, Susan, and sister, Natalie, were in attendance.
 
"My mom does not miss a game, and my sister comes to quite a few as well," Schwem said. "My mom was blessed to have a new boss that understood how important family is and made it possible for her to not miss a game."
 
Schwem, who is set to graduate in May with degrees in kinesiology and psychology, leads the Tribe in assists this season with 355 (5.14 per set). Teammate Bella Easton isn't far behind with 353 (4.71 per set).
 
"It's honestly a pretty special dynamic we have going on this year between our coach, Emma (Minnick, an assistant), being a setter on the court with me last year and Bella being my best friend and my roommate," Schwem said.
 
"And our two freshmen (setters Cate Hatfield and Madison Monahan), it's just so special. They have a ridiculous amount of potential and I cannot wait to see how they carry the program once Bella and I graduate."
 
Last week's split against UNCW leaves the Tribe with some ground to make up in order to make the conference tournament. But Schwem hasn't lost any hope.
 
"I definitely have all the confidence in the world in this group and I truly believe we can beat anyone that's on the other side of the net," she said. "The chemistry we have is so special.
 
"It's crazy that there are only three weekends left in the regular season, but I'm excited for all three of them. And excited to see what we can accomplish."