Savannah Rennie made an emotional Cal Volleyball debut five months after liver transplant

Less than 5 months after her liver transplant, Cal redshirt freshman Savannah Rennie made an emotional debut for Cal Volleyball on Friday night’s match against Utah at Haas Pavilion.

Here is that kill from a different angle.

The former top (Top 20 in the nation) recruit was able to earn her first collegiate kill in the match against Utah. Rennie, who received a liver transplant back in May, became ill last summer after enrolling at Cal early (the 2015 Spring semester). She was then diagnosed with a rare liver disease called Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis with Portal Hypertension at a young age of just 19.

Rennie and her mother had to relocate to Indianapolis for treatment. The Cal and volleyball communities were instrumental in raising ~$110,000 via GoFundMe to help with the medical expenses.

Congratulations to Savannah for making her way back on the volleyball court. This is surely a big step toward her finding normalcy in life after the unexpected turn.

It was a great moment at Haas Pavilion.

Even volleyball legend Kerri Walsh was inspired by Rennie’s tenacity to get back to the court.

Rennie made her debut in a match that the Bears were already out of against Utah (Bears lost in 3 sets). However, it may be no coincidence that the Bears bounced back and earned their 1st Pac-12 victory of the season on their next match, when they upset No.19 Colorado on Sunday in 4 sets, capping a memorable weekend for Cal Volleyball.

Bears will next host Arizona State on Friday night at 6pm PT. That match will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks. The ASU match is also an Organ Donor Awareness event.

GO BEARS!