The Road Back: Ava's Story

Junior Ava Vickers, 21, oversees her teammates as they warm up for a highly anticipated matchup against Nebraska at Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, on November 22nd, 2025. Sidelined for the second time in two years for a recurring shoulder injury, Vickers is no stranger to assuming the role of spectator.

Getting her first start of the season, middle blocker Ava Vickers, 21, gets a kill during an upset victory over the University of Southern California at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California, on October 3rd, 2025. The match marked one of two that Vickers would find herself competing in before re-injuring her shoulder.

While her team practices on a nearby court, Ava Vickers, 21, receives a form of physical therapy on her shoulder at Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, on November 13th, 2025. The technique, known as Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM), helps break down scar tissue in Ava’s shoulder, ultimately leading to increased blood flow and mobility.

Ava Vickers, 21, completes her Interior Design homework at her apartment in Bloomington, Indiana, on November 18th, 2025. In order to use her right hand, she must stack books and pillows under it to keep it supported.

Graduate student Charlotte Hall, 24, assists junior Ava Vickers, 21, with her physical therapy stretches in West Lafayette, Indiana, on November 29th, 2025. The rest of the team stretches close by in the hotel meeting room ahead of their match against Purdue.

Ava Vickers, 21, poses for a portrait at her apartment in Bloomington, Indiana, on December 8th, 2025. The scarring on her shoulder is from two surgeries she had in the past year and a half. During her sophomore season, Ava had Bicep Tenodesis, resulting in a procedure to try and ease the pain on her torn labrum. After playing in two matches her junior season, Ava re-injured her shoulder and had to have a full Labrum repair, revising the original surgery.

Ava Vickers, 21, surveys the court ahead of an important matchup against Purdue at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, on November 29th, 2025. The Hoosiers would go on to lose the match in four sets.

While receiving stretching assistance from graduate student Charlotte Hall, 24, Ava Vickers, 21, grimaces at Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, on December 3rd, 2025. Every day, Ava comes into the trainer’s office to test the range of motion in her shoulder. The process is taxing and extremely painful.

Prior to the second round of the NCAA volleyball tournament, Ava Vickers, 21, checks her phone for messages at her apartment in Bloomington, Indiana, on December 5th, 2025. Quiet moments like this make her position as an injured athlete on the team feel “isolated,” Ava admits. Hours from now, she will have to assume her role as captain, cheering her teammates on as they advance to the Sweet 16.

Junior Ava Vickers, 21, supports freshman Victoria Gray, 18, ahead of an away match against Purdue at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, on November 29th, 2025. As a captain, Ava is often found on the court during pre-game warmups.