When Avery Horejsi took the court for William & Mary in its season opener against Charlotte on August 29, it marked her first volleyball match in 1,017 days.

For some players, that time alone would constitute an entire career. After two season-ending injuries, countless visits to surgeons, and a major knee operation, Horejsi decided to make it just a part of her journey to W&M.

"Ever since then, I feel almost better than before," Horejsi said of her setbacks. "It was a long journey and a long process. I definitely went through some points of 'Do I want to play? Two years of injuries… is it a sign I should quit?'"

"I'm happy I stuck with it."

Horejsi is in her first year with the Tribe after previous stints at DePaul and Michigan State. A fifth-year senior libero, she has anchored the team's back row, ranking 43rd in Division I with 4.43 digs per set.

"When I got on campus at William & Mary, I knew this was going to be a new place for me and a new home. It felt right to play again and play for the Tribe."

THE WINDING ROAD
Horejsi's road to Williamsburg took many turns.

A native of White Lake, Mich., on the outskirts of Detroit, Horejsi had an altered college recruiting process. Because of COVID, NCAA rules prevented in-person evaluations and campus visits through May of 2021, which overlapped with Horejsi's senior year of high school at Walled Lake Central.

DePaul was the only school she was able to visit, and she soon committed after being offered. Though Horejsi enjoyed her time in the Windy City, she knew she wanted something bigger and decided to enter the transfer portal following her freshman season.

It just so happened that Michigan State had Horejsi on their radar. Being raised in a family of Spartans, the decision was easy.

"When Michigan State called, it was an immediate 'yes.' I grew up a Michigan State fan. My whole family went there. It was just a home away from home."

Horejsi put together a solid year for MSU as a sophomore in 2022, playing in 26 matches and starting six. But little did she know that when she laced up her sneakers on Nov. 16, 2022, in the season finale against Iowa, that it would be her last time on a volleyball court for nearly three years.

That following preseason, Horejsi sustained a concussion after an inadvertent collision with a teammate. By the time she was back, she decided to take a redshirt to save a year of eligibility.

"It was my first concussion. It was a pretty hefty process… something I wasn't used to. It's your mind, it's your brain — it's not your ligaments or something like that. It just took time."

Then on the eve of her redshirt junior season, Horejsi dislocated her kneecap. She spoke with three different surgeons, all of whom recommended getting surgery as soon as possible. This time, she received a medical redshirt.

"The process was definitely hard," she recalls. "I went through some ups and downs. But I had a great staff at MSU that took care of me. Without them, I wouldn't have been the player that I am right now."

Eventually, Horejsi decided to transfer again, hoping to find a fresh start with two years of eligibility remaining. It just so happened that she had a reference for William & Mary: Eleanor Stothoff, who played at Michigan State in 2021 and overlapped with Horejsi for a semester before transferring to W&M.

"I knew how much [Stothoff] loved William & Mary," Horejsi said. "When I got on campus here, I wasn't sure what I was expecting. I was just taken aback by the campus, the beauty of it, and the academics portion."

After meeting with the coaching staff and the players, she was sold.

"I knew right away this place was extremely welcoming and I could see myself here and be happy here."

RECAPTURING HER LOVE
Naturally, being sidelined for so long made Horejsi wonder if she would ever get back to the court.

"I was definitely questioning it for a long time. At this point, I wasn't loving playing as much as I used to. 'Is this a sign I should stop playing? Can my body not handle playing?'"

When she finally did make it back, she realized how much she missed volleyball — the game she calls her first love. 

"After being out for so long, and then getting cleared and getting back on the court it was an immediate, 'Okay, wow, I missed volleyball.' It was extremely mentally challenging having to sit my senior and junior year and not play with my best friends at the time. But I also knew in the back of my mind it was better for my health and wellness."

Like nearly all who come through William & Mary, the academic reputation of the school was a major selling point for Horejsi.

"I came from a program that was very much athletic-driven. Now [with] the emphasis on academics, I think that's what really drew me in — developing my career and myself post-volleyball. Because one day I'm going to be done playing volleyball. Having a degree from William & Mary is gonna set me up for success."

After receiving an undergraduate degree in graphic design at Michigan State, Horejsi is pursuing a Master of Business Administration with a focus in marketing.

"I definitely want to go more into the marketing realm, whether that's in sports, fashion, [or] technology. My long-term goal is to open my own creative agency of developing brands and doing their marketing and social media."

As the first point of contact, the libero plays a crucial role on the court, passing to the setters who then tee up the attack. Horejsi's 29 digs against Liberty on Sep. 13 were a career-high and the sixth-most in any CAA match this year. In just 13 matches, she has already racked up 204 digs, a figure that ranks top-100 nationally and fourth in the CAA.

Her impact is not lost on Tribe head coach Ryan Adams.

"When you get somebody from a big-time program like that, it's pretty polarizing," Adams said. "She's come in and done an outstanding job, just [with her] consistency and upping our overall level of play. She's battled through all of her ups and downs and been a great value add to the stuff we do every single day."

After all the tribulations she faced, Horejsi doesn't shy from setting lofty goals.

"I want to be CAA Libero of the Year," she said. "I want our team to win the CAA's. For us, progressively getting better every game, which we're already doing, and making the NCAA Tournament once we win CAA's — those are my goals."