Clements On Top of Game After Injury : Volleyball: Three-year starter has helped La Habra girls’ team win county championships and take No. 1 spot in coaches’ poll.

Missy Clements didn’t stick around to help the La Habra High School girls’ volleyball team win its first Division II state championship last season.

Instead, the Highlanders’ standout middle blocker was in the locker room watching her left knee swell to the size of a grapefruit. She had separated her kneecap while spiking the ball in the first game of the match against Campolindo, a school in Moraga, Calif.

“When I went up to hit the ball it was set near my left shoulder,” Clements said. “When I came down, I landed on my left knee and I heard my kneecap go ‘pop’ and I said, ‘See you later.’ ”

It was a disappointing finish for Clements, who was enjoying her best season.

Before the injury, she had averaged 24 kills per match and led the Highlanders to a 21-1 record and the Southern Section 3-A championship. She was named the 3-A co-player of the year with Christy Janssen of Agoura.

“I was so frustrated because I wanted to play in the (state) finals so bad,” Clements said. “My physical therapist (Steve Nicholas of Fullerton) came down from the stands and we tried to tape it up, but I couldn’t even walk on it.”

It has been nearly a year since Clements injured her knee, and she’s hoping her senior season will wipe away the memories of her injury.

So far, she has no complaints.

The Highlanders (6-0) are ranked No. 1 in the state and 11th nationally by Volleyball Monthly magazine. They enjoyed one of the biggest victories in school history when they won the Orange County championships two weeks ago, upsetting 5-A powerhouses Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach.

Clements has been recruited by more than 20 colleges, ranging from Washington to Cal State Northridge.

Yet the memory of leaving the state finals on crutches last season still lingers.

Clements doesn’t need to look any farther than her dresser drawer to find a picture of her swollen knee. She keeps it as a reminder of her pain and rehabilitation.

“When it happened, I told my mom, ‘I want a picture because this is never going to happen to me again,’ ” Clements said.

Her knee was in a brace for six weeks to give it a chance to heal. It was the second time in a year the kneecap had popped while she was playing volleyball.

When the brace was removed in January, Clements didn’t like what she saw.

“It looked skinny and flimsy,” she said.

Her rehabilitation, which included weight training, stretching and other forms of boring, painful exercise, meant daily trips to Nicholas’ physical therapy office.

But Clements saw quick results. She was back playing club volleyball in a few weeks.

“I was really worried about her,” said Sandy Blumenthal, who is in her 20th year coaching volleyball at La Habra. “But when she came back this year, her knee seemed to be stronger.”

Blumenthal didn’t have time to bring Clements and the Highlanders along slowly this season. Two weeks ago, she entered her team in the top division at the Orange County championships.

That meant the Highlanders would play some of the county’s top 5-A teams, such as Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach and Newport Harbor. No more beating up on lesser teams such as La Mirada and Los Altos.

And, to the surprise of nearly everyone but Clements, her teammates and coach, the Highlanders won it all.

Clements, a three-year starter, had 25 kills in a five-game victory over Laguna Beach in the finals and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. The victory boosted the Highlanders from third to first in the Orange County coaches’ poll.

“Ever since my freshman year, I wanted to play the 5-A teams and show we could be competitive with the top schools in the nation,” Clements said. “For me, winning that tournament was more important than winning the state finals.”

The victory also helped the north county school gain respect in a sport dominated by south county teams.

“A lot of people looked at us and didn’t give us a chance,” Clements said. “That’s fine with me, as long as we go out and kick some butt like we did.”

One of the most rewarding moments of the tournament for La Habra was a five-game victory over Corona del Mar in the semifinals. The Sea Kings were ranked second in the nation and No. 1 in Orange County.

“I had played against a lot of the Corona del Mar girls in club volleyball and they always beat us,” Clements said.

After the semifinal match, Clements and her teammates looked at the tournament bracket posted on the door of the Edison High gym.

Someone already had written in Corona del Mar as the winner of the match.

After some quick editing, the bracket read: La Habra, 11-15, 17-15, 6-15, 20-18, 15-10.

“I love the grueling-type matches that we had against Corona del Mar,” Clements said. “Then we go back to the 3-A level and play Los Altos and Esperanza, and it’s a big drop.”

La Habra features one of the tallest lineups in the county with Zrinka Kristich (6 feet 5), Ana Kristich (6-1), Clements (5-10), Lisa Ferguson (6-1) and Stefanie Bakke (5-8). Setter Lisa Almanza (5-1) often feels as if she’s playing in the land of the giants.

“We come across as being scary,” Clements said. “Even when we first walk in the door of the gym.”

Said Blumenthal: “We’re really balanced this year. We have so many people who can put the ball away and that really benefits Missy. If they (opponents) key on her, we can set the ball somewhere else, then bring her back up the middle.”

Clements has helped the La Habra program grow over the past four years.

“A lot of it is right up here,” she said, pointing to her head. “We all have it in our mind that we refuse to lose.”

Many young La Habra players ask Clements for advice on spiking technique.

“I like it when people come and ask me things,” Clements said. “It makes me think I actually know something.”

Players also ask her for advice on injuries, such as how to tape a knee, ankle or an elbow.

“I’m thinking about going into physical therapy (in college),” Clements said. “I already know so much about taking care of knees.”

CIF State Girls’ Volleyball Coaches’ Poll 1. La Habra (Southern Section) 2. Corona del Mar (Southern Section) 3. Poway (San Diego Section) 4. Laguna Beach (Southern Section) 5. Los Altos (Central Coast) 6. Thousand Oaks (Southern Section) 7. Mira Costa (Southern Section) 8. St. Francis (Central Coast) 9. Lynbrook (Central Coast) 10. Bakersfield North (Central Section) Others receiving votes: Capistrano Valley, El Toro, Newport Harbor.