WASHINGTON, Pa. — Beth Mihalik's 2005 volleyball season was a study in Murphy's Law.

Whatever could go wrong did go wrong for the Slippery Rock High School graduate and middle hitter for the Washington & Jefferson volleyball team.

"It was one of the worst runs of luck I've ever seen as a coach," said Washington & Jefferson volleyball coach Fred Wallace.

It all started innocently enough with a root canal late in the summer that became infected. The infection spread to the roof of Mihalik's mouth and required surgery.

Because Mihalik was unable to eat for days following the surgery, she lost about 15 pounds from her already thin 5-foot-10 frame.

"Fifteen pounds is a lot for me to lose," she said.

That sapped her strength and put her behind at the start of the season.

It got worse.

Mihalik was rocked by the death of an uncle she was very close to, and, shortly after that, she began feeling weak and anemic on the court.

She tried to play through it, but it was obvious something wasn't quite right.

"I'd be out on the court tripping over my own feet," Mihalik said. "I didn't know what was wrong with me."

Finally, Wallace insisted that she see a doctor. It didn't take long for the diagnosis to come.

She had a classic case of mononucleosis that all but wiped out her sophomore season that had such promise.

As a freshman, Mihalik played in 69 games, recorded 131 kills and was third on the team with 62 blocks.

Wallace was looking for Mihalik to become one of his steady performers at middle hitter.

"I kind of do feel like it was a lost year," Mihalik said. "If I was at a school that gave out redshirts, I would have been redshirted."

But Washington & Jefferson is a Division III school. There are no medical redshirts at that level of the NCAA, so Mihalik focused on making her next two years the best that she could.

It wasn't easy, though. The illness drained her and when she was cleared to resume physical activity, she found her comeback harder than she thought.

"I'd run on the treadmill and hit the three-minute mark and I would feel dizzy and ready to pass out," Mihalik said. "It was like the room was spinning. I had to get my endurance back up."

She also played intramural basketball with seven of her volleyball teammates, an experience that rekindled her love for the sport.

Mihalik was a starting guard for the SlipperyRock High School basketball team for three years. She didn't play for the Rockets during her senior season.

Mihalik also lifted weights with the Slippery Rock University football team. Mihalik's father, George, is the football coach at SRU.

Her offseason regime has reaped rewards this fall.

Mihalik has played in all 44 games this season for Washington & Jefferson and has recorded 111 kills. She leads the Presidents with 52 blocks.

The team is also faring well, posting a 6-5 record through a difficult early season schedule.

"It was difficult for Beth last season," Wallace said. She didn't play a whole lot, but I think she learned a lot last season watching."