KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — You can't help but notice the big knee brace Northwest Cabarrus High School senior Ashley Gordon has to wear.

"It was my junior year in high school," Ashley explained. "And I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) midseason in the winter. I play three sports so I wasn't expecting it and it just kind of stopped me from being where I was. To overcome it, it was like a lot of hard work and dedication. And I was thinking I just want to get back to playing sports."

That hard work paid off for Gordon.

She's currently gearing up for her senior year playing softball and just finished her final basketball season for the Trojans. Where she really shined was on the volleyball team.

"She was our starting middle, she was our go-to hitter," head volleyball coach Chris Holden said. "We always relied on her heavily in a game, and just her presence on the court effected her teammates in just the most positive way."

Gordon plans on studying biology next fall at Wingate University, but the she's been taking sports medicine classes offered by her high school and her injury has her open to helping other athletes deal with injury.

"If I was to become like a trainer, I would have the personal experience," Ashley said. "I would tell the student-athlete how to feel and like the rehab and all that to go through. And (tell them) that it's going to be ok. That you're going to get better and that you will come back to the level that you can play at."