When Hillary Sexton takes the floor tonight against Bucknell, the sophomore will be returning to the lineup for the first time since she had an appendectomy in July.

Or at least that is what the headlines were supposed to read today.

Instead, she made her return last weekend for the No. 2 Penn State women's volleyball team in the Texas Invitational. And it was almost as if she didn't miss a beat.

Sexton helped a struggling offense regain some of its form from last year's national championship run. On Friday against Arkansas, she tallied a career-high 16 digs and added eight kills. Sexton followed up that performance by recording 11 digs and 11 kills in Saturday's sweep of No. 18 Texas, the third straight win for the Lions.

But she was just fortunate to be able to play again. The two-month span between her surgery and her first game seemed much longer than it really was.

It all began on July 29 when Sexton had some unpleasant indigestion. She felt an intense pain and after putting off going to the hospital, she finally caved in and got her symptoms checked by doctors.

By 7:30 the next morning, she was out of surgery, one appendix lighter. At first, the relief of pain and the fact that everything was almost back to normal satisfied Sexton.

However, that wouldn't last long. When the doctors brought to her attention she would miss the beginning of the volleyball season, she had some trouble accepting it.

"I started bawling," Sexton said. "I told the surgeon, 'I'll sign the release, I'll do anything.' It was so depressing."

That was only the beginning of her disappointment. When the preseason approached, Sexton was just itching to get out on the court.

"It was so annoying to go all preseason watching," she said. "Everybody was like, 'Oh, you're so lucky to be out for preseason.' No, it sucked!

"I rode a bike for three hours a day. All I did was run and ride the bike. It was so boring."

Sexton tried to be strong about it and worked hard to make an early return. She kept in shape so that when the time did come to play once again, she would be prepared. But it was still difficult to just watch and not play.

"The toughest thing was I felt good because I could do the stuff, but I wasn't allowed to do it," Sexton said.

Then came the regular season. She missed the defending national champions' first game and, to make matters worse, it was against the top-ranked UCLA Bruins.

The Lions remained close throughout the match and had a chance to go up 2-0. But five consecutive hitting errors cost Penn State the second game. In the fifth and final frame, the Lions once again had a chance to win, but fell short and lost 3-2.

Penn State struggled offensively against UCLA, especially with ball control. It is Sexton who specializes in that department, making her absence that much more significant.

"If and when Hillary gets back, we'll be better because she'll improve our ball handling," Lions coach Russ Rose said.

Well, she came back, and she did improve the team's ball handling against both Arkansas and Texas. Sexton admitted she had some rusty spots to lubricate, but overall, she played solid volleyball.

"I ran a million miles a day, so I wasn't out of shape," Sexton said. "I was out of 'volleyball' shape. I was used to the speed, but I just wasn't used to three hours a day of intense competition."

Sexton wasn't the only Lion to be glad she was back in the lineup. Her teammates were also delighted to see her play. They realized Sexton's return helped the offense run a little more smoothly.

"Our ball control was a lot better, and that is what she brings to the table," junior Nadia Edwards said.

"Mostly, our passing was a lot better, and our ball control, like I said, had improved dramatically from the first week to this past week."

Tonight, Sexton takes the floor on the date she was originally expected to return — the date her name was originally supposed to appear in the headlines.

Her hard work put her ahead of schedule, and her experience has taught her a valuable lesson.

"I appreciate it (volleyball) a lot more," Sexton said. "I have been playing it for 10 years.

"But now it's actually like a privilege."