There were plenty of times during her childhood when Ashton Ehle can recall being in the gym watching the practices of the volleyball teams that her mother coached.
Ehle remembers her eyes being drawn to the best players on the court and one day hoping to look like them as she got her glimpse behind the scenes.
Ehle has succeeded in that mission.
The senior outside hitter and Northwood commit is in her fourth season making a mark on varsity for Ovid-Elsie volleyball and is pushing for a strong finish to her high school career.
Ehle, who was voted the latest One North LSJ girls high school athlete of the week winner, has had a big mark in a strong start to the season for Ovid-Elsie (8-3-2). She helped the Marauders capture the title at the Mt. Morris tournament on Sept. 6 with wins over Chelsea and Manchester in the final two matches.
That tournament victory capped off a big week for Ehle, who surpassed 1,000 career kills in a five-set win over Mt. Morris on Sept. 4.
“It’s honestly everything I’ve ever hoped for,” Ehle said of her career. “I never knew that I could achieve playing college volleyball. It was always a goal in the back of my mind, but I never actually believed that I could do it. I actually have done it and I’ve proved to myself that I can do it. It just motivates me to practice even harder and show up for my team every single day.”
Showing up for Ovid-Elsie has been a big desire for Ehle, especially with older sister and former setter Kyden no longer by her side and now playing at Northwood. Ehle has led with more than her play.
Her mother, Ovid-Elsie coach Angela Ehle, has had an up-close view of Ashton’s development and believes Northwood is getting a versatile player.
“She is a six-rotation player,” Coach Ehle said. “She has a very solid skill set. Her serve percentage is in the 90s. She serves at a high percentage, she’s got a high kill percentage. She’s just a goood all-around player.
“Shot selection, she’s savvy in the front row, she does a lot of those little things that would be easy to not pick up on. (She) really, really helps balance out her team.”
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Northwood commit Ashton Ehle leading charge in strong start for Ovid-Elsie volleyball
Reporting by Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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