Lady Panthers libero looking to shrug off hard knocks

Tatum Ticknor has seen it all.

That’s not an expression. That’s reality. As the Colleyville Heritage senior libero prepares for her last season with this program, her journey has been earmarked with dramatic changes.

It started with a run to the then-Class 5A Region I championship as a freshman. That was followed by an upset loss in the area playoffs. Mix in three different head coaches and a devastating ankle injury that forced her to play out of position as a junior, and colors easily fill the canvas.

“I’ve definitely been through the emotional peaks and valleys. That’s for sure,” Ticknor said. “It stinks to deal with everything that I have. There have been opportunities for me to shut it down and not be the player that I can be. But I’ve had to keep a tough mindset.”

Ticknor went from Jamie Siegel as a freshman and sophomore as her head coach to Hollie Huston last year to Bri Barker-Groth this fall. Yet there seems to be a connection between the two as the season begins Tuesday with the Lady Panthers facing Flower Mound.

That’s vital for a program that went through a very turbulent 2015-2016. As Barker-Groth tries to restore a sense of calm, she and Ticknor are sending the message to the rest of the program, including the underclassmen. The restlessness is over. It’s time to move forward.

Ticknor’s presence is going to be important because Colleyville Heritage only has three seniors. She’s also going to be working with young setters who have to set up the offense.

“The first thing I heard about Tatum when I interviewed for the job was that she’s a leader,” Barker-Groth said. “Then I saw that and knew that wasn’t going to change. We both have a passion for the game. She’s been through a lot. But she’s also grown as a player and a person.”

Ticknor has had to adjust to different styles of coaching. On top of that, she suffered a serious ankle injury at the Allen tournament last August. That cost her seven weeks. She didn’t return until the end of the season. Ticknor said it was a ligament injury.

When she was cleared, she couldn’t play her normal position at libero and was limited to playing defensive specialist. But then the program endured the radical shift when Huston departed in January. Ticknor and others went through several months of the unknown. Barker-Groth just preached her way of playing the game. Part of that is the libero being the captain of the defense.

“She pushes you harder as a player because she has the highest standards,” Ticknor said. “She just wants me to meet the goals I can set. I need to help the setters so our hitters will be in a good position, tell everyone where they need to be in the serve receive and just bring positive energy every night.”

The ultimate goal is to help Colleyville Heritage reach the Class 5A state tournament in Garland. But the Lady Panthers have their own challenges in GCISD rival Grapevine, whom they will contend with for the District 8-5A championship.

Ticknor is bringing some momentum into this campaign as her club team, Texas Image 17 Mizuno-Dylan, played in the USA Junior Nationals recently in Indianapolis.

When the 2016 season reaches its conclusion, Ticknor will focus on college. She will sign with Arkansas State in November. She’s been committed to ASU since she was a sophomore.

“I’ve learned in these years that you can only do so much about things that are outside of your control,” Ticknor said. “But you have to keep pushing because the goal is to win.”

This story was originally published August 9, 2016 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Lady Panthers libero looking to shrug off hard knocks."