Eagle Volleyball On Verge Of 1,000th All-Time Victory

Waiting for a 1,000^th all-time win in program history is like watching the odometer on the car, waiting for it to turn over to those multiple zeros.
 
Ashland University's volleyball team is at 999 all-time victories, with the first opportunity to get to the 1,000-win plateau coming on Friday (Nov. 3) at 6 p.m. at the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium against Kentucky Wesleyan.
 
The Eagles are 20-7 overall and 13-2 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, and on a four-match winning streak, while the Panthers are 6-20, 4-11.
 
"A couple of the girls were like, 'Coach, is that real?," said Ashland head coach Katie Kuhn. "I think that's just so cool. It's (about) so many of the women ahead of us, and the coaches ahead that paved the way. There have been some stellar teams that have come through Ashland volleyball.
 
"Ashland volleyball is a privilege to be a part of, and this is a special program. Just knowing that statistic, that we are approaching 1,000 wins as a program, just solidifies what's special about the program."
 
Out of all Ashland athletic programs, volleyball's 999 wins trails only baseball (1,840), men's basketball (1,287) and softball (1,115 – fastpitch era only).
 
Let's take a look back at some of the key figures – coaches, players and statistics – and moments that got Ashland volleyball to the first 999 victories:
 
CONSISTENCY AND STABILITY
Since the program began in 1968, there have been just nine head coaches in the 56 seasons of Eagle volleyball – and only five since 1979. Of the 999 wins, nearly half (461) were earned by Sue Martensen in a 24-season span from 1979-2002.
 
Ashland has won at least 20 games on 25 occasions in program history – 11 of those coming since the turn of the century, and the latest coming this fall.
 
REACHING THE NATIONAL LEVEL
Ashland volleyball earned spots in the NCAA Division II playoffs nine times, first in 2004 and most recently in 2022.
 
The Eagles' deepest postseason run came in 2006, when they swept their way through the 2006 regional at Hillsdale (3-0 wins against Ferris State, the host Chargers and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville). Ashland then lost in the Elite Eight to eventual national runner-up North Alabama in a match played in Pensacola, Fla.
 
THE HALL OF FAMERS
Eleven former Eagles have been inducted into the Ashland Athletics Hall of Fame:

• Brandie Potter Albert
• Maureen Frederick
• Mary Kate Glowe
• Gweynn Hampel
• Kim Jones-Romanchick
• Judy MacNamee
• Sue Keck Nutter
• Carrie Ritchie
• Judy Schneider
• Lynsey Warren
• Bobbi Pugh Weaver

 
LEADERS ON THE COURT AND IN THE CLASSROOM
Six Eagles have earned Division II All-American status – Pugh, Ritchie, Warren, Glowe, Alli Cudworth and Erin Krupar.
 
Potter was the program's first Academic All-American in 1997, and joining her on the list have been Brittany Snider in 2012 and Cudworth in 2015 and 2016.
 
Pugh was a two-time AU female Student-Athlete of the Year (1991-92), Jennifer Bartlett earned the honor in 2000, and Glowe did the same in 2008.
 
THE 1,000-1,000 CLUB
Only four players in program history have recorded at least 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs – Glowe (2,136 kills, 1,969 digs), Casey Clark (1,137 kills, 1,463 digs), Cudworth (1,739 kills, 1,021 digs) and Krupar (1,822 kills, 1,296 digs).

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT TO BREAK A SCHOOL CAREER RECORD?
The most likely candidate is senior libero Katie Thompson, whose 1,784 career digs are second in Ashland history to Glowe. Thompson will return in 2024 to use the extra year of eligibility granted to athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

LEADING THE NATION AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
Ritchie continues to be the all-time Division II leader in kills per set in a career (6.38), attacks per set in a career (16.14) and attacks per set in a season (17.50 in 2003).