How Ava Martin turned heart and resilience into a legacy
On the surface, it is easy to look at Ava Martin now — 2025 BIG EAST Player of the Year, AVCA All-American, second-overall pick in the Major League Volleyball draft — and think her path was carved from the start. She stands as one of the most decorated players in Creighton volleyball history, a six-rotation star outside hitter who has rewritten record books and carried on the legacy of what it means to be a Bluejay.
But her journey to where she is today wasn’t easy. It begins with a girl who was cut, who was undersized, who played nearly every position just to be out on the court. It begins with a love for the game that demanded she find a way, no matter what.
Growing up in Overland Park, Kan. as the oldest of six children, Martin learned early the drive to succeed. With parents who played collegiate sports and siblings who were equally athletic, her home was filled with equal parts competition and encouragement. Every conversation, every game carried a sense of rivalry. It was in that lively, competitive household that Martin first discovered what it meant to fight for every point.
Ava’s earliest love for volleyball grew under the guidance of her mother, who coached Ava’s elementary school team. Those early mornings, grabbing Starbucks and Casey’s breakfast pizza before games, became the moments that sparked her connection to the sport.
“When I played a volleyball, [my mom] was always a coach,” Martin recalled. “I think I fell in love with it because it was something me and my mom had time to do just us. I’m a part of a big family. I have five younger siblings, so I don’t get a lot of time alone with my parents. I think that’s kind of why I fell in love with it.”
That love for the game would soon meet its first real test. When she began club volleyball, Martin faced the sting of being cut from her first team, a challenge that might have ended someone else’s ambitions. But Ava responded with a quiet, almost stubborn determination. She didn’t sulk or give up. Instead, she showed up early, practiced relentlessly and turned every extra minute into an opportunity to improve.
“Getting cut — that was not a good feeling,” Martin said. “My parents actually during that time didn’t tell me I got cut. … I had a teammate [on my new club team]. She was our setter, and we carpooled together. She would go early to do setting reps every practice and since we carpooled, I’d just be there for 30 minutes before practice. Instead of just sitting around, I was like, ‘I might as well do something.’ So, I would take a ball and go on the wall and just hit. I would pass. I would do everything I could with the wall for 30 minutes. … Sometimes it kind of felt stupid, but when you put in extra work, it pays off.”
Her commitment didn’t go unnoticed. As her skills improved, Martin earned the lone freshman varsity spot on her high school team. Even then, the possibility of playing Division I as an undersized hitter felt distant, almost unreal. It was one thing to imagine it, another entirely to feel it becoming tangible.
On June 15, 2020, the idea of playing at the next level suddenly felt within reach. After sending what she felt were long-shot letters to several Division I schools, Ava’s phone lit up with messages from coaches as soon as they could get in touch.
“I was bombarded that day,” Martin recalled. “At midnight, I had phone calls, emails, texts, and I was just like, ‘Whoa, like maybe this this is real.’”
Even after the flood of calls, the recruiting process was far from straightforward. COVID-19 made official visits impossible until after she had committed. Creighton hadn’t even been on Martin’s radar. But after receiving something in the mail, Ava realized Omaha could be a perfect fit.
“I was like, ‘Oh, that’s perfect. They’re like three hours from home,’” Martin said. “I knew I wanted to stay close to my family. … Some of the schools I was talking to, I just … didn’t feel like that’s where I was meant to be. … After talking to [former Creighton volleyball head coach Kirsten Bernthal] Booth and all the coaching staff, I knew this is the place for me.”
Martin entered her freshman year at Creighton knowing the odds were stacked against her. The roster was loaded with experiences — fifth-year and even sixth-year players lingering from the COVID era, woman who were 23 or 24 competing directly with a 17-year-old newcomer. She understood from the start that nothing would come easily.
Still, she didn’t flinch. She wasn’t naïve about how difficult it might be, but she also wasn’t wired to back down.
“I knew it was going to be difficult, but I’m also just so competitive that I wanted to find a spot in the court, wherever that could be,” Martin shared. “I’d love to play outside, but if there’s a potential for me on the right side, then I’m going to work my hardest to find that.”
After appearing off the bench to begin the season, Martin earned the opportunity to start at right side in the match against Nebraska at CHI Health Center, notching seven kills. Though it wasn’t her natural position, she was willing to do whatever she could if it meant she could play.
By the time Big East play arrived, Martin had found her footing and her role shifted to outside hitter, where she could fully showcase her skills. She finished the season with 254 kills, 71 digs, and a .253 hitting percentage, earning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors.
Over the next three seasons, Martin’s impact on the court has only grown. She has collected numerous honors along the way, including 2025 BIG EAST Player of the Year, AVCA All-American and AVCA National Player of the Week (11/22), and competed with USA Volleyball’s Women’s Collegiate National Team. On Nov. 14, 2025, Martin became just the fifth player in program history to surpass 1,500 career kills, a milestone that cements her place as one of the program’s all-time greats.
“Watching Ava get better and better every single year has been truly special. She is among the greats to ever play in this program,” Creighton volleyball head coach Brian Rosen said.
“She is one of the best all-around players in all of college volleyball. She is one of the best passers in the country. Obviously, offensively, she is dominant. Really good defensive player — she’s gotten so much better as a blocker through her entire career. Six-rotation player; really scores for us in the back row. Like a lot of players in her stature, when the games on the line, everyone knows it’s going to her and she still finds a way,” Rosen added.
While accolades and awards now mark her career, what resonates with Martin the most isn’t the stats — it’s the friendships she’s forged, the bond built through thrilling wins, crushing losses and countless hours spent together. For Martin, those relationships are the most meaningful part of her journey, the moments and connections that will outlast any record or trophy.
“I’ve met some of my best friends, my bridesmaids,” she shared. “We have such a family here.”
With the possibility of only three weeks left in a Creighton uniform, Martin is soaking in every moment, aware that each serve, each set could be one of the last in the jersey she’s worn with pride the past four years.
“It’s been amazing,” Martin reflected. “I can’t even believe it that I could have three weeks left. It’s crazy to think about. I love college volleyball, and I love Creighton.”
When the final ball drops and her time in the white and the blue comes to a close, Martin hopes people remember her not just for her play, but for the joy she brought to the court.
“I just really hope people can see the joy I have in playing the sport,” Ava said. “I’m a very energetic, positive person. … I just want to give off joy and energy. I hope that, from me playing, people can see that, and it hopefully brings them some joy too.”
After graduating in December, Ava will head to the Vibe in Atlanta, Ga. as the second-overall Major League Volleyball draft pick. Once a dream that felt impossible, she now steps into a professional career that she once could only imagine.
“I would tell people, ‘Oh, I want to be a professional volleyball player,’ and my parents would laugh. Looking back at the player I was … I didn’t think it was realistic,” Martin reflected. “I’m kind of in awe … I’ve dreamed of it my whole life … it’s unreal.”
Through it all, Martin hopes her story sends a message to young athletes — that with grit, belief and relentless effort, no dream is too big to chase. Ava’s story is living proof that dedication, heart and resilience can transform even the most ambitious dreams into reality.
“I just want people to know you don’t have to be the most athletic or the best player in the room. It comes down to hard work … if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it,” she said. “Dream big, give everything your all, work hard, and you never know what can happen.”