Eve McFarland is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Deer Valley High School for AZPreps365.com

Moments leading up to any game, Jaida Teraji’s name would be called in the starting lineup  while she was shaking hands with the opposing coach.

Going into her junior year at Deer Valley, her life completely changed. 

Jaida tore her ACL and meniscus during a scrimmage with her girls volleyball club team in the summer. At the moment, she felt something was wrong but thought it was a minor injury until her exam results were revealed. 

Recovering from her surgery in early September, Jaida’s realization of not playing sunk in as she supports her teammates from the sideline. 

“When we (Deer Valley) had a scrimmage before our first game, there was no score but it was still like 'dang,' you know,” Jaida said. “It was the first time the whole team was playing competitively together against other teams and I was upset. That was the first time it hit me the hardest.” 

After volleyball season started, Teraji stood with crutches instead of her standard routine before the match Deer Valley hosted against Westview on Sept. 30.  

“Just this last game, it was like which I kind of had a clue but like I didn’t know they were going to call me out before the game, and when they said my name it almost brought nervous tears,” Jaida said. 

Playing volleyball is a rush for Jaida that creates excitement and happiness. 

Her skills at 5-foot-4 speak for her talent with a vertical of 24 inches and is known for hitting at the 10-foot line her sophomore year. The recognition of her performance by classmates was thrilling. 

“It was so cool to have everyone talk about it at school and come up to me like, ‘Oh are you excited for your game today? Who do you play today?’ It was exciting,” Jaida said.

It has been an adjustment for Jaida, watching her teammates play. Not being able to contribute and sit out the season was upsetting. 

Nikki Teraji, Jaida’s mother, said this journey has been hard to watch. But, this tough and painful recovery hasn’t changed Jaida’s positive spirit or slowed her down. 

“She is so tenacious,” Nikki said. “She doesn’t stop. She is relentless. There’s no one that is going to outjump her, outrun her, outwork her. She will put in whatever amount of work it takes to get to the goal.”

Jaida attends physical therapy three times a week. Her rehabilitation consists of activating her quad muscle where the doctor took a tendon out to place inside her knee. 

“When we go to physical therapy she’s not boo-hoo crying,” Nikki said. “There’s no sound coming out but she will be pushing through physical therapy with tears pouring down her face in desperation to get back to walking.” 

Chiemeka Duru, Jaida’s physical therapist, guides Teraji through workouts that are improving her quad strength and knee extension. Duru said that the first six weeks post-surgery are crucial in not bearing weight to help the meniscus heal before starting ACL rehabilitation. 

Duru prioritizes Jaida’s ability to get the therapy movements right the first time to prevent injury in the future. He said the likelihood of an athlete re-injuring their ACL is “that much higher” after sustaining it the first time.  

Duru emphasized that Jaida understands the long journey ahead of her but with the support of her mother and a positive mindset, she goes into physical therapy focused on getting back. 

“She is consistent, that’s for sure,” said Duru, a physical therapist in the ATI sports residency program. “It’s not always sunshine but obviously she understands the importance of rehabilitation and her commitment to it. Definitely proud of her.”

The motivation to walk without crutches and play on the court drives Jaida. As an independent person since childhood, it’s aggravating not having the ability to do tasks on her own. 

“I am almost to the point where I can walk and I just can’t wait to walk. It’s frustrating,” Jaida said. 

Despite restricted mobility, Teraji still makes her bed moving like a “flamingo,”  Nikki said. 

“She (Jaida) has not skipped a beat. She takes care of all of her own stuff, and she has for years on end, meaning like her laundry, cleaning up her room, and maintaining her own schedule. She is just a very impressive kid.”

Teraji was relentless when it came to the challenges of achieving her goals. Nikki recalls Jaida’s childhood whether it was learning how to ride a bike or rollerblades, she would know how to ride it by the end of the day. 

Throughout Jaida’s life, receiving attention for her success has been her motivation, Nikki said. 

“She loves and this has been with her for her entire life, the attention of being one of the best on the court so that drives her,” Nikki said. 

Jaida said that when she is discouraged about missing out on her friends and volleyball, that slowing down for one year isn’t bad when she has the future to make up for it. 

“All the physical therapy that I am doing no matter how painful it is or how much I don’t want to go…in the end, I am going to be able to play,” Jaida said. “I am going to do all these things.”