Russ Rose Then (2003): “Ashley struggled through her sophomore year like many young players do, but at times had flashes of great play. She played some big matches for us in conference play at the end of the season. Since she arrived here, Ashley has gotten stronger, quicker, and tougher and is becoming more of a go-to-player. We need her to hit from antenna to antenna and we’re going to be relying on her offense much more this season.”
Russ Rose Now (2025): “Ashley was an incredible athlete at Roosevelt High School in South Dakota. She could have been a college basketball player as well. She was kind of a unicorn at that time. She was an outside hitter, and in warm ups, she would hit a one-ball and she would bounce it. It’s hard to know what you’re gonna get with people when you recruit them — it’s easy to just look at some physical attributes. Ashley was very physical, she had a great arm, and she had a great jump. She carried us in a lot of matches and I never had to worry about her playing hard. Ashley and Syndie Nadeau were great pals, and always had smiles on their faces. And they were mischievous, which I liked. I was really pleased with what Ashley could do on the court and with her willingness to change positions to help the team. She was an outside, but on serve-reception you have to hit middle. Some players come out of club and are apprehensive to expand their horizons to help the team. But Ashley was somebody who was willing to do that. She coached in college after playing pro ball. Ashley was a great talent and she was tough. I’ve always been a big fan.”
2003 Season (Junior) Highlights and Awards: Academic All-Big Ten … Akron Zips Invitational All-Tournament Team … set a new Penn State record for attacks in a season with 1,444 … led the team with 3.94 kills/set, which ranked 11th on Penn State’s all-time single-season list … totaled 508 kills, good for ninth on the Penn State all-time single-season list.
Season Recap: Played in all 129 sets and 36 matches in the season … … posted double-digit kils in 29 of 36 matches … notched at least six kills in 35 of 36 matches … recorded a career-high 27 kills at Wisconsin (10/24) … recorded 78 blocks for the season, including a career-high 5 on 2 occasions … averaged 1.15 digs/set … recorded a season-high 13 digs against Michigan (11/14) … posted 2 double-doubles, including 19 kills and 13 digs versus Michigan (11/14) and 10 kills and 10 digs the following night against Michigan State (11/15) … notched a season-high 3 aces at Wisconsin (10/24).
Before Penn State: A four-year starter at Roosevelt High; led the team to the South Dakota State Championship in 2000; earned first-team All-State honors in each of her last three seasons; ended her prep career as Roosevelt’s all-time leader in kills and aces; also posted the highest hitting percentage in the schools history at .452; was chosen to participate in the 1998 Colorado Olympic Training and was a Youth National Team alternate in 1998 and 1999; also enjoyed a highly successful basketball career as she led the Roosevelt hoops squad to 83-consecutive wins and four-straight state titles; Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection; honored as the 2001 South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year.
“Penn State hitter picks up milestone,” The Daily Collegian, Sept. 13, 2004