Jones Turns Setback Into Comeback in Hard-Fought Return to Pitch
10/21/2025 1:05:00 PM | Women's Soccer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It was an early September day in 2024. The University of Michigan women's soccer team was on the pitch preparing for an upcoming match against a ranked Alabama squad, but junior Vickie Jones was sitting on the training table fighting back tears.
Just one month prior, Jones was in the midst of preseason, training for a larger role on the squad after a promising rookie campaign and an injury-riddled sophomore season. But on just the second day of camp, she suffered a torn ACL in her left knee.
"That was a day in my life I'll truly never forget," said Jones. "I kept comparing myself to my peers and all the success they were having, thinking, 'Why me? Why is this happening to me?'"
So while the rest of the Wolverines readied for a big match against the Crimson Tide, Jones and athletic trainer Carter Pallet had a heart-to-heart that altered the course of her soccer career.
"I was just so tired," Jones said. "I was crying, and Carter came up to me and said, 'Well, you have two decisions, you can give up and stay where you're at right now or you can keep doing this rehab and get a little better than you were yesterday.'"
Jones decided to go with option two.
Before she was sidelined for what should have been a breakout junior season, Jones was a standout freshman for head coach Jennifer Klein during the 2022 season.
Jones was one of the squad's top-five defenders, playing in 17 of 18 matches. She earned heavy minutes in ranked wins over Washington State and Rutgers, where she earned her first career point.
"Vickie was very steady and composed as a freshman," Klein said. "She provided good depth for us, and her ability on the ball to help us keep possession was really impressive."
U-M narrowly missed out on the Big Ten Tournament that season, but Jones was thrilled with her role and was optimistic about where the team was headed going into 2023.
Jones continued working on her craft over the summer, playing with the Oakland Soul of the USL-W League all offseason. However, a week before her return to Ann Arbor, she suffered a sprained ACL and a bone bruise in her right knee that sidelined her for the team's first seven matches.
"Sophomore season was the toughest for me, trying to come back off that early injury," Jones said. "But my teammates were so supportive, and I was able to get some minutes later in the year. I was constantly comparing it to my freshman year, but it just wasn't the same."
While it was not the successful continuation of her stellar first year as she had hoped, 2023 saw Jones earn 300 minutes in 11 matches played, including action in upset wins over No. 11 Notre Dame and No. 18 Northwestern.
"Playing against Notre Dame in my first game back was so nerve-wracking," Jones said. "But I had my teammates supporting me, and I also had great players like Avery Kalitta in my position to look up to. She was so supportive of me and kept telling me how she was going to be on that field with me and be there for me. I got some good minutes, and I was able to trust myself and all the work I put in to come back healthy."
Following her sophomore year, it was back to the grind for Jones, who put in even more work in the ensuing offseason to prepare for her larger role as the premier player on Michigan's backline in 2024. Confident in her summer training that included more weightlifting, technical skills and playing time with the Oakland Soul, Jones was primed to become a true leader on the Wolverine squad.
Then she tore her ACL.
The 2024 season was over before it started for Jones, and she was facing yet another setback due to injury. She waited for a couple of weeks before surgery and then was staring down the gauntlet of a grueling, yearlong rehab plan that would see her miss the entirety of her junior season.
"For a while it was hard for me to grasp that I was going to be out for a whole year," Jones said. "My teammates were so supportive, though. They were always checking in and making sure I knew I had their support. That was the most reassuring thing for me, knowing that my teammates had my back through it all."
So, after her hard conversation with Pallet in September, Jones dove into rehab with as much strength as she could muster.
"The way we attacked rehab was just picking a goal," Pallet said. "Whether it was passing the leg press test, trying to get through a full practice, or getting better touch on the ball, for her it was trying to limit how big the picture was."
"If you're standing at the bottom of Mount Everest looking up, it seems impossible to get to the top of it," he continued. "But if you focus on checkpoint one, then two, then three, all of a sudden, you look up and the summit is right there."
As her knee continued to get one percent better each day, Jones was also learning more about herself off the pitch after losing part of her identity as a Division I soccer player.
"As time went on, I was able to discover a new sense of self," Jones said. I found out who I am without soccer and how I can use this really unfortunate thing as a blessing. Looking back on it now, I realize I wouldn't be who I am now without that injury."
Now, as a senior in 2025, Jones is the key contributor she always knew she could be since she took the Big Ten by storm as a rookie in 2022.
Heading into the final week of the 2025 season, Jones is top-five on the team with more than 1,000 minutes, playing in 16 of 17 games and making the first 12 starts of her career. As Michigan fights for a spot in the Big Ten Tournament, Jones turned up the intensity, scoring her first career goal in a 4-3 win against Maryland last Thursday.
"I feel so at peace now," Jones said. "I'm super grateful that I'm able to step out onto the field with my teammates again. It feels like all the work I put in is finally paying off. Going through all those bad moments and injuries, I'm just so happy that now I'm able to earn the trust of my teammates and coaches, where I can be a high-minute player and contribute to our success."
With Michigan playing Sunday for a playoff spot, Jones is sure to impact the game using the lessons she learned from her soccer journey that was anything but linear. Going from a promising freshman to a sidelined sophomore, to a season-ending ACL tear and a grueling comeback, Jones' story stands as a testament to persistence in the face of adversity.
"Looking back at what I've gone through, I'm just proud of myself because I'm still here. I'm still playing the game that I love, and I learned so much going through that ACL injury. The lessons I learned about myself as a player and person are things I'll take with me for the rest of my life."
So while she plays her final game at U-M Soccer Stadium against Illinois on Sunday, Vickie Jones carries with her the quiet confidence of someone who has already won some of life's toughest battles.
