Mattis, a 6-1 forward, suffered a knee injury prior to her high school senior season and has been unable to fully recover following surgery. She was sidelined for much of the first two months of the season, but did dress and play in Western’s 86-68 victory at Duquesne on Jan. 6. However, recurring problems with the injury again forced Mattis to again miss time, and eventually has led to her decision to return to Florida.
“We are obviously saddened to see Raquel leave our program, but at the same time we hope that getting back closer to home will be a positive as she continues her education and tries to get her knee back to full strength,” said Cowles. “We all wish her luck as she moves on.”
The Lady Toppers return to the court tonight at 7 p.m. (CST), hosting Sun Belt rival Middle Tennessee in a contest featuring the only two unbeaten teams in the conference. Both clubs enter the contest with identical 6-0 records in league play.
