All Quincy University women's basketball student-athlete Tiffany Kelver wanted to do was make a difference.

When she arrived on campus five years ago, the Lady Hawks were a struggling Division II program. But Kelver knew instantly that she had found the proverbial diamond in the rough.

"The program was at its lowest and I instinctively wanted to be a part of a program where I could make a difference. I wanted to have the opportunity to look back and say that I was a part of something special," she said.

Special may be too mild a word to describe what Kelver achieved during her career at Quincy, considering that the gritty point guard came back from not one, but two ACL tears to finish as a 1,000-point scorer and the school's all-time assists and steals leader.

Kelver's bid to transform the program had an inauspicious beginning. After making it through preseason conditioning, she tore her left ACL in the second week of practice. While disappointed, Kelver said having already been down the same road -- she'd torn her right ACL in her junior season in high school -- gave her the courage to push harder to come back a second time.

"I saw the passion for the game and the desire to win in the coaches' eyes and I never lost sight of that," she said. "Once the doctor gave me the OK to play, nothing was going to get in my way. I had my heart set on making a difference, and I wanted to see this program go from the bottom to the top."

A healthy Kelver returned the next season and under her steady guidance, the Lady Hawks began to blossom. Quincy notched 12 wins that season and increased that number to 18 the following year. In her junior campaign, she led the Lady Hawks to a second-place finish in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, an NCAA tournament berth and a Sweet Sixteen appearance.

Kelver, who set the school assists mark that year, had the Lady Hawks positioned 12th in the national rankings, first in the conference and poised to make a serious run at turning Kelver's dream of winning a national championship into a reality.

Then, during an early February practice, the unthinkable happened.

Kelver went up for a routine jumper and tore her right ACL for a second time.

Up to that point, she had started every game of her career and stood just three steals shy of becoming the all-time leader and 17 points away from 1,000.

"When I left the practice, I knew (the ACL) was torn. I didn't know how bad, or to what extent, but my first thought was, 'How fast can I get back without further damage?' " she said. "The doctor told me that no other damage was done. I knew right then and there that it was possible to come back and play. All I had on my mind was that I was given one more chance to play."

Kelver took advantage of her second chance. She spent two grueling weeks rehabbing the knee and was fitted for a brace. She said one thing that motivated her to come back so quickly was the challenge itself.

"Honestly, I love a great challenge, and to me this was a challenge. I couldn't stand watching my team play without me," Kelver said. "I wanted to be that difference. I wanted to be a part of the final goal of my career -- to be a national contender."

Kelver missed three games, but returned to the starting lineup in time to play the final two regular-season games and lead Quincy to its first conference championship and a regional title. Along the way, she eclipsed the steals mark and scaled the 1,000-point plateau.

But that's as far as her ailing ACL would carry her. Kelver's knee gave out in the regional championship game as the Lady Hawks secured a trip to the 2004 NCAA Division II Elite Eight in front of the largest crowd in Quincy women's basketball history.

An MRI revealed five tears to the medial meniscus and Kelver was immediately scheduled for surgery. Just two days out of surgery, she made the trip to St. Joseph, Missouri, to support her teammates in postseason play.

Although she said it was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, Kelver cheered from a seat on the end of the bench as Quincy battled Henderson State in the quarterfinals. In the end, the Lady Hawks fell one point short of advancing to the semifinals, ending their remarkable run and Kelver's remarkable career.

Still determined as ever, Kelver now has her eye on becoming a college basketball coach.

"One of my coaches once told me that you can always live your dreams and passion through players that you coach, and that's what I am going to do," Kelver said. "I want to stay as close to basketball as I can. I'm not quitting until I get a national-championship ring."