Ava Ignatowich’s Pickleball Journey: Ava Ignatowich, a rising name in professional pickleball, is making waves as a pro and as a student-athlete. While pursuing her degree at the University of Miami, Ignatowich plays on the college’s club team and also competes on the UPA Tour, offering rare insight into the gap between collegiate and professional levels of the sport.
From Campus to Center Court
Ignatowich turned pro in 2024, all while continuing her education in South Florida. She recently competed in the Lapiplasty Pickleball World Championships and the DUPR Collegiate National Championships, showing her ability to switch between two very different playing styles.
“There’s a lot less stacking in college and the points don’t go quite as long,” explained Ignatowich. “It’s a drastic shift when I have to go between playing them.”
Shifting Gears Between Two Worlds
Switching between college and pro tournaments is no small task. Ignatowich described the mental and physical challenge of adapting her game speed and tactics depending on the level of competition.
“I really have to change gears when I play both. With the pros, I have to play at a much faster pace, so it can be difficult alternating between the two different levels. There are some pretty great players in college pickleball, but there’s also a lot of beginners. That’s what makes it fun, though.” – (Ava Ignatowich)
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Taking on a Leadership Role
As a professional on a college team, Ignatowich naturally finds herself in a mentoring position. She’s stepped into the role with humility and determination, offering support and strategy to her teammates.
“I do the best that I can. If my teammates have tactical or strategic questions, I do my best to help them and work with them because everyone wants to get better. They do look to me as more of a coaching role. It’s been really good for me to learn how to take a leadership role.” – (Ava Ignatowich)
“I’ve honestly never had a situation in my life where I’ve been forced to be the leader, and it’s funny because I have the least strong personality on the team. But, we make it work.” – (Ava Ignatowich)
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Advice to Aspiring Pros
Having successfully transitioned to the pro level, Ignatowich encourages other college players to take that leap—even if the start is rocky.
“Just start. Just sign up for qualifiers and see how you do. Results are a good indicator of where you’re at in your pickleball journey, and results are a reflection of how hard you’ve been working in practice. Keep drilling, watch a lot of pro pickleball, try to adopt the habits you see the pros have, and give it your all.” – (Ava Ignatowich)
“Sometimes, you just have to take the leap and jump in with the sharks and go for it. That’s what I did. And I think I went 0-16 for my first eight tournaments. I didn’t win a match. I doubted if I could even do it. And then I kept going, and now I have some wins under my belt and I’m improving.” – (Ava Ignatowich)
Hope for the Future of College Pickleball
As she nears graduation, Ignatowich is excited about how quickly college pickleball is growing and hopes it reaches even greater heights.
“College pickleball is so awesome, and it’s getting bigger every year. It’s growing so much, and every year there’s more players, more teams, more funding. DUPR is just doing such a great job of creating it so that we can actually win scholarship money through DUPR.” – (Ava Ignatowich)
“Right now, pickleball isn’t an NCAA Division I sport, so there aren’t really any opportunities to get scholarship money from schools for pickleball clubs and teams. DUPR is really paving the way for college pickleball to become more competitive at the collegiate level because there’s money involved, people want to win, they want to get better, and they want the sport to grow. I hope to see it become a Division I sport in the future.” – (Ava Ignatowich)
News in Brief: Ava Ignatowich’s Pickleball Journey
Ava Ignatowich, a University of Miami student and pro pickleball player, is thriving in collegiate and professional circuits. She advises aspiring pros to start by entering qualifiers, shares mentorship duties on her college team, and hopes to see college pickleball grow into a Division I NCAA sport soon.
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