Case prepares for Penn State walk-on role

The Austintown Fitch leader is resting up following shin surgery.
& lt;a href=mailto:scalzo@vindy.com & gt;By JOE SCALZO & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- Say this for Maggie Case -- she doesn't take the easy way out.
While taking a break from studying for her advanced placement calculus test and resting her surgically repaired shins, the Fitch senior talked about preparing for an even bigger challenge.
Big Ten volleyball. At Penn State. As a walk-on.
"I guess I've always been used to being one of the best players on the team," Case, The Vindicator volleyball player of the year, said.
"I kinda wanted to see what it was like to have to fight to get on the court. I like the challenge of making myself the best I can possibly be.
"And there's no better way to do that than to go to the school at the top of the conference."
Case, a two-time first team all-Ohioan for the Falcons, has been one of the area's best players for the past three years, which brought her a lot of responsibility on the court.
But she's also had to learn how to deal with bad shins, which brought her a lot of pain on the court.
"It's been a chronic situation," said her father and coach, Tom Case. "We've tried everything. Rest. Anti-inflammatives. Inserts in her shoes. You name it."
Surgery and rest
And after missing several games at the start of this season, Case decided to play with pain and then have surgery at the Cleveland Clinic after the season. She'll have three months of rest, followed by three months of rehab -- which wipes out her club volleyball season.
And, hopefully, it will wipe out her pain.
"She missed a couple games, but once she got back into it, she did everything," Tom Case said. "The next 21 matches, she played them all.
"Somebody might say she took one for the team, but it's a tough way to take one."
Of course, she also was rewarded for her effort. After starting the season 2-4, the Falcons won their next 21 matches before falling to Cincinnati Ursuline Academy in the Division I state semifinal.
"It was really heartwarming to see us pull together in such a short period of time," Maggie Case said. "We just decided it didn't matter who was on the court, we wanted to win. People sucked it up and played where they were told."
Maggie, who is 5-feet, 10-inches tall, could have accepted a scholarship at several smaller schools, but couldn't resist the challenge of playing for Coach Russ Rose and the Nittany Lions, who won the NCAA national title in 1999.
"Russ Rose is a volleyball god," Maggie Case said. "He's an awesome coach and I love him to death. After visiting other schools, and comparing and contrasting everything, I decided that was where I wanted to go."
Retirement
Her father -- who retired after leading the Falcons to their third state tournament berth in five years -- saw Maggie's work ethic firsthand over the last four years.
"Probably one of the best things I've done is coach my children," said Tom, whose daughter Ashlie played volleyball at the University of Akron. "It's hard not to enjoy it when one of your strongest players also works the hardest.
"[Penn State] is more of a challenge, but it's a tremendous program," Tom Case said. "That's what drew her there."
And while Maggie will miss high school, she's ready for the next step.
"I feel like I've been ready for a long time to take that new adventure," she said. "I've really enjoyed my high school experience, but I think there's a lot more out there.
"I'm ready to try something new."
& lt;a href=mailto:scalzok@vindy.com & gt;scalzo@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;