Russ Rose Then (2002): “Ashley needs to continue to learn the myriad of demands placed on student-athletes at the collegiate level. Her freshman year was a transitional year from all the success she had in high school basketball and volleyball. The freshman year is a tough year for some people, and hers was a tough year. Physically, Ashley is one of our best athletes. We need her to focus on getting stronger and attacking the volleyball to give us another offensive force we will need to compete at a high level. She is the type of player that can play either left or right side, so she might be one of the people that has the opportunity to get some swings on the right side. Ashley plays hard, and that’s what we liked when we recruited her.”
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.”
2002 Season (Sophomore) Highlights and Awards: Academic All-Big Ten.
Season Recap: Appeared in 98 of 112 sets and all 33 matches (starting 21) … hit .221 on the season, averaging 2.94 kills/set (4th on the team), 1.34 digs/set, and 0.63 blocks/set … recorded at least one kill in 32 matches … posted double-digit kills totals in 15 matches … notched two double-doubles on the year, totaling 14 kills and 12 digs at Michigan State (11/1) and 12 kills and 12 digs versus Illinois (11/9) … totaled 23 service aces, with her average of 0.23 service aces/set ranking 6th on the team … recorded a season-high 4 aces at Illinois (10/4) and posted 3 aces the next night at Purdue (10/5) … totaled a career-high 17 kills in a five-set loss to Wisconsin (10/26), 14 kills on 22 attempts to hit .500 against Michigan State (10/12), and 12 kills on 25 attempts to hit .400 at Ohio State (11/15) … recorded 12 digs against both Michigan State (11/1) and Illinois (11/9) … posted a career-high 5 blocks against Wisconsin (11/22).
NCAA Tournament: Tallied 16 kills and 3 digs in NCAA Tournament 1st round win over Penn (12/6).
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