An ACL injury is one of the worst setbacks an athlete can suffer. 

In June of 2022, Iowa volleyball’s Alyssa Worden tore her ACL at a club volleyball tournament. This forced her to miss her entire senior prep season. 

Despite being unable to play for her high school team, she learned a lot about the game while having to watch from the sidelines. Worden believes she sees the game differently than other athletes and uses her knowledge to help her teammates become better players. 

The first year outside hitter is redshirting this season at Iowa as she continues to work her way back to the court. She emphasized the importance of taking the rehab process step-by-step.

“It’s difficult because you have to learn how to walk again. I never thought it would be that hard,” Worden said. “Throughout the whole thing, you have to really focus on the little victories because that’s how you get to the bigger ones. It’s mentally and physically hard on you.”

Hailing from Bartlett, Illinois, she started playing volleyball at 9 years old. Worden started off playing in rec leagues before making the transition to club volleyball at 14 years old. She went on to become a top-five player in the state of Illinois during her prep career at South Elgin High School. 

Worden credits her club alma mater for turning her into an All-State player. 

“In my eighth-grade year, I went to Sports Performance, which is located in Aurora, Illinois,” Worden said. “They’re very strict, like a military base. They will discipline you and you get a lot of reps from it. I spent a lot of my time there and they made me into the player that I am today.”

Though Worden is physically progressing through rehab, she said the mental aspect of playing again after a major injury takes time to develop. 

“The toughest thing is trying to trust your knee again, believe that it’s fixed, and you can do the things you used to be able to do,” Worden said. “Right now, I still struggle landing on one leg when I hit or block. I’m working back up to it because my leg is getting stronger, and I’m starting to trust it again.”

Iowa third-year middle hitter Anna Davis spent all of last season rehabbing a torn ACL and has been a mentor to Worden as she works her way back from her injury. 

In his second straight season having a player rehab through a torn ACL, Iowa volleyball head coach Jim Barnes understands the struggle of coming back from such a major injury. He has full belief that Worden will come back better than before. 

“One of the reasons she’s here is because she’s done things at the highest level, both athletically and academically,” Barnes said. “That’s the privilege of coaching these guys is that they’re the best athletes and students that you can ask for. She’s a hard worker on and off the court. She’s got a huge, bright future in front of her.”