All 8 TWU volleyball players released from hospital, recovering

A week after the first Texas Woman’s University volleyball player was admitted to the hospital, the eighth and final student-athlete has been released, according to a statement from the school.

“This means that all of the student-athletes are out of the hospital and continue to improve daily,” said Monica Mendez-Grant, vice president of student life. “I would like to thank the university community for their support and well wishes for the student-athletes this week.”

Last weekend, eight of the 18 TWU volleyball players were hospitalized and diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle tissue that can lead to kidney failure.

The university said a change in preseason workouts may have caused the illness, leading the athletes to be more exhausted and dehydrated than in previous years.

Rhabdomyolysis happens when muscle tissue is damaged and breaks down, which leads to muscle fiber contents being released into the bloodstream, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Severe exertion and dehydration can lead to the condition, which can cause kidney damage and, in some cases, lead to acute kidney failure and shock.

The team’s preseason two-a-day workouts ran Aug. 15-19 and included fitness testing, weightlifting, conditioning and pool stretches, a university news release stated. The team also had a light scrimmage at North Central Texas College on Aug. 17 and a morning practice Aug. 20.

One of the notable changes in fitness testing this year was that the athletes were given a specific number of repetitions to complete within a time frame, while in previous years they were given a time limit to complete as many reps as possible. The university said in its news release that the reasons for this change were to give the players a different goal to reach and for every player to have the same test.

The Denton County Health Department and the university are investigating the entire situation, which could take up to 90 days, Mendez-Grant said.

The university plans to host its first games at Kitty Magee Arena in Denton for the 2016 Hilton Garden Inn Classic on Friday and Saturday. Most of the players are expected to be able to play by then, but they will have to meet health criteria before being given clearance, athletic director Chalese Connors said at a news conference.

The team’s physician, Dr. Michael Auvenshine, will work with each player, monitoring her recovery and determining her risk for recurrence, the university said.

Jessica Beener will be in charge of the Pioneers this weekend after Connors named her interim coach Saturday. This came just one day after head coach Shelly Barberee announced her resignation after 13 years with the team, the TWU athletics website said.

This story was originally published August 30, 2016 at 3:31 PM with the headline "All 8 TWU volleyball players released from hospital, recovering."