Jenna Fessler, a senior setter on Thomas More University’s nationally ranked women’s volleyball team last season, is one of four finalists for the Honda Inspiration Award that’s given to a female college student-athlete who overcomes adversity and achieves success in her sport.
The four finalists selected by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards will be featured in a special television program entitled “Defying the Odds” on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. Tuesday and 8:30 p.m. on June 24 with additional airings to be announced.
Jessa Fessler
That program will include an account about Fessler contracting West Nile, a life-threatening virus carried by mosquitos, prior to the 2016 volleyball season. After going to the hospital and slipping into a coma, she began receiving IV steroid treatments to battle Meningoencephalitis, which causes swelling in the brain.
Fessler was able to return to the Thomas More lineup for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. The Saints earned a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs both of those years. They finished last season with a 33-4 record and were ranked No. 7 in the nation when they lost in the “Sweet 16” round of national playoffs.
Right before her senior year, Fessler developed a blood clot in her right arm and was told her condition would require extensive surgery. After initiating treatment with blood-thinning medication and consulting with her physicians, she made the decision to delay surgery and play her senior season of volleyball.
The Beechwood High School graduate finished the season with more than 1,100 assists and was named Setter of the Year on the American Collegiate Athletic Association all-conference team.
The other finalists for the Honda Inspiration Award are Kelci Abernethy, a diver for Bryant University, Samantha Bombardiere, a soccer player for Centenary University, and Kionna Jeter, a basketball player for Towson University. More information on each of them is available on the College Women Sports Awards website
