From injury to NCAA comeback: Lindsey Sparks’ redemption with Cal Poly Beach Volleyball

Lindsey Sparks sat on the side of UCLA’s beach volleyball courts for two and a half hours each day, unable to participate in practice yet required to attend every one.

Sparks was not far removed from becoming an NCAA Beach Volleyball champion, having played a pivotal role in the Bruins’ title-winning run as a freshman in 2019.

As a member of the fifth pairing Sparks had secured one of the three wins needed in the championship match, and was named to the 2019 NCAA All-Tournament Team.

In the summer after her sophomore season, the young star tore over a third of the cartilage on the backside of her kneecap as well as dislocating it, putting her final two years into jeopardy.

She underwent an experimental knee surgery for a torn medial patellofemoral ligament and injured cartilage on the patella, and was given a 50% chance she would ever play the sport she loved again.

For her entire junior and senior year seasons, Sparks had been relegated to watching practices and shagging balls when her knee was up to it.

Now, four years after the injury and six years after the championship, Sparks is back in the starting lineup, but this time for Cal Poly.

She just wrapped up her second and final regular season with the team while playing on the No. 3 line and was named an All-Big West Honorable Mention.

“I definitely lost hope I’d ever play again after the year mark,” Sparks said. “Then things took a turn for the better, and I’m just super lucky to be here.”

Finding her way back to the volleyball court was not an easy road for the graduate student, who is in her final year of eligibility after seven years on and off the injury report.

Sparks made her official comeback to NCAA action last season as a Mustang, but she had not expected to leave her former program UCLA, where she had rehabbed her injury.

In 2023, after two years of continuous work to strengthen her knee enough to take on the sand, she reached out to her coaches in the hopes of returning to the program for her sixth year.

Sparks found herself on a Zoom with one coach in September 2023 after receiving positive encouragement on her training all summer, when she received the most shocking news of her college career. 

UCLA cut her from the team.

After years of enduring the frustration of being cast aside while she couldn’t play, her shot to prove the doubters wrong had just disappeared with no warning.

Still determined to finish her career as an athlete, Sparks turned to the transfer portal and caught the attention of Todd Rogers, former gold medalist and Cal Poly’s head coach.

Sparks transfers to Cal Poly

Sparks had an initial interest in attending Cal Poly, stemming from her love of nature and positive experience in her visit before ultimately choosing UCLA. In fall of 2023, she reached out to Rogers.

Rogers, who previously tried to recruit her as a freshman, “welcomed [her] with open arms,”  according to Sparks. 

Sparks, after getting her Master’s in Transformative Coaching and Leadership from UCLA, she decided to pursue a Master’s in Nutrition at Cal Poly.

While Rogers knew he was not signing up for a 100 percent healthy Sparks this time around, he saw her as a valuable asset regardless due to her headstrong leadership. 

“We’ve always needed more of those people who are comfortable caring for someone but are also giving them the elbow and saying ‘hey, you can be better than that,’” Rogers said. 

Sparks got to work starting winter quarter 2024. Still in recovery, it took time for her to adjust to the practice regimen. 

While injuries persisted, Sparks noted that the coaching staff allowed her to be active in practice as a leader and supported her through the injury, contrasting with her experience at UCLA. 

“It means a lot for them to believe in me through the ups and the downs,” Sparks said. “They don’t just support me when I’m up.”

While it was uncertain where she would be in the lineup, if at all, she proved to be physically  capable enough to not just be a starter, but land herself in the No. 3 spot. 

Finally somewhat healthy, Sparks reclaimed some of the undeniable talent that had landed her on the All-Pac 12 Second Team in 2021 and the PAC-12 All-Freshman Team in 2019.

Sparks and Perry become reliable duo

That winter, Rogers selected then freshman Quinn Perry to be her partner for the season. Sparks began her Cal Poly career at 24 years old and Perry at 18, but the age gap did not matter, and neither did Sparks’s sudden appearance on the team. 

The pair put up an incredible season at the No. 3 spot in 2024, boasting an 18-5 record and earning All-Big West honorable mentions.

In 2025, Rogers separated the two through the first half of the season before bringing them back together. They still hold strong at an 11-4 record this season.  

Perry and Sparks work best with each other due to their willingness to have “uncomfortable conversations” about their play and conduct on the court, according to Perry. Their honesty with each other allows them to have a strong bond both on and off the sand. 

“My favorite thing about Lindsey is that she is unapologetically herself, which is refreshing especially in this day and age,” Perry said. 

Mustangs upset No. 2 UCLA 

On April 4, 2025, Sparks found herself in a pivotal matchup in what might have been her last shot to showcase her capabilities against her former team. 

Perry and Sparks won in straight sets with Sparks’s former coach Jenny Johnson Jordan coaching against her on the court.

In dramatic fashion, Izzy Martinez and Logan Walter took their matchup 20-18 in the third set, clinching a 3-2 Mustang win. 

Sparks had taken her matchup against the Bruins before, this win marked the first time the Mustangs beat the Bruins in program history. Sparks described it as “the sweetest satisfaction ever.”

“I’m not gonna gloat too much, but it really did feel good,” Sparks said. 

Sparks got her happy ending, but her sights are set higher. Cal Poly Beach Volleyball has entered the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row and will face off against LSU in the first round. 

The only possible scenario where the Mustangs can face off against the No. 1 Bruins again will be if both teams advance to the championship match. 

Sparks begins her final collegiate NCAA run at 1 p.m. against Louisiana State University on May 2.