Our Athlete of the Week is Ashley Harkness, a senior and varsity volleyball captain for the Grandview Wolves.

How did you start playing volleyball? 

I started playing volleyball when I was 10 years old. I had been playing soccer for all my life and I just really wasn’t as passionate about it anymore. So I wanted to try something else and when I tried volleyball, I just fell in love. 

What motivates you to keep going throughout the season?

I think just playing for my teammates and playing to be the best person and player. I can be focusing on the fact that we can always get better.  And I feel like that motivates me to help my teammates too.

How do you build chemistry with your teammates? 

We do a lot of team bonding. We go to Cold Stone after games. We have team dinners together and also we just have these things before practices called share time, where we just tell each other about our days- which is really fun. 

What year did you make varsity? And how did you feel about it? 

I made varsity as a sophomore and I felt amazing about it. It was a crazy experience and I was so grateful to be able to play with all the upperclassmen and just get that opportunity. 

How has playing volleyball influenced your own personal life?

Playing volleyball has brought me a lot of new friends and I’ve learned a lot about leadership and teamwork. 

Where do you see yourself in your volleyball career after high school? 

I see myself playing beach volleyball in California. Hopefully for a club team at a college that I will be playing at. 

From another perspective, the girl’s volleyball coach Rob Graham, commented on what it means to coach Harkness. 

How is coaching Ashley? 

Ashley is by far the biggest spark plug on our team. She has the most energy. She is always the most in tune to what other athletes need. Always positive. Works the hardest. She’s one of the greatest kids. 

How has Ashley developed as a player on the court? 

She’s always been a great kid. She’s always been positive, but as a senior, she’s definitely becoming more of a leader. So she’s using her voice a lot more this year. She’s communicating with the athletes a lot better. She’s talking to the coaches a lot more. She’s really grown as a young woman. 

How has she developed off the court? 

Well, I know that she takes incredibly hard classes.  She’s probably got, I would guess, upward of 10 to 12 AP classes that she’s taken over the years. Her goal is to get into the University of Southern California and she has to have a certain GPA and test scores. So everything that she’s doing outside of the classroom is just to build her future. 

What role does Ashley play as a leader? 

She literally is the energy of our team and the true leader. We have two other captains and they’re great, but Ashley is the one who brings all the energy.