The signs and symptoms were concealed. The eye test cleared Santita Ebangwese to jump into Syracuse’s second tournament game against Siena. She scurried around the sideline in athletic clothes, shouting supportively toward teammates, and tossed up balls for teammates pre-game.

The spring in Ebangwese’s step portrayed the opposite of reality.

Suffering from mononucleosis, she recovered as a precaution through all three games of the Syracuse Tournament, Sept. 9-10. That included the Siena game, SU’s (2-10, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) first win. She attended each one, and her usual enthusiasm shifted to the sideline.

“I don’t know what the doctor said about mono,” Orange coach Leonid Yelin said. “If everyone was to have so much energy like she does, please forgive me, it would be nice to have everyone go through this. She was acting normal for her, she’s such a high-energy player and to have her on the side it was great.”

The news rooted Yelin in a difficult position. While she was asymptomatic, Ebangwese visited the doctor days prior to a loaded weekend of games. That’s when she was diagnosed.

“I couldn’t do anything athletic, I couldn’t practice, or participate in any games until I was cleared the following week,” Ebangwese said.

“I just knew that I needed to help out my team, I needed to be there, be a presence.”

Without its starting middle blocker, SU had little time to adjust. The Orange used Amber Witherspoon in place of Ebangwese. In 10 sets, Witherspoon tallied five solo blocks, six kills, and 17 block assists.

Those sets would have been difficult to dish out if Ebangwese’s health stood strong. Yelin has commented on her versatility and physical attributes. She’s capable of playing front and back slot and can quickly shift around the court while displaying strength on spikes. Coaches expect her surface everywhere.

Clearance arrived quickly. By the following Wednesday, Ebangwese returned to the court, but her continuous presence made it seem like she was never actually gone. Ebangwese sat to the side of the court, not touching equipment, freshman Aliah Bowllan said.

At the University of Northern Iowa Tournament, Ebangwese came back and recorded 19.5 points and five block assists. She was SU’s lone representative on the UNI tournament all-star team.

Friday night, she recorded a .500 hitting percentage in her first win she could participate in this season, which Yelin called “pretty good.”

They’re expecting more from her in the blocking game but her mental fortitude has assisted her. Yelin said that she never looks back, only on what has to be done next. Mistakes like getting knocked over on a quickly dropping return against Boston College don’t stick like they have with others. Despite going two weeks between game play, she remains the clear middle blocker for the Orange.

Published on September 26, 2016 at 9:15 pm

Contact Bobby: rpmannin@syr.edu