By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
Through her strong play and encouraging leadership, Ashlynn Marchan has become the cornerstone of the Pace Lady Vikings volleyball team.
Marchan, a senior and team captain, has played volleyball since her days at Vela Middle School, and she has been on the varsity squad at Pace since her junior year.
She began her varsity career as a hitter, but following the graduation of the team’s libero she was summoned to the back row to take over the position during her senior season.
“Most of our defense graduated last year, and she stepped up to the challenge,” Pace coach Gavin Rudder said. “That really shows how she’s grown, to switch positions like that, especially as a senior.”
Playing libero is unique in the sense that the position’s primary function is to anchor the defense. The defensive specialist must know not only its own team’s tendencies, but is required to predict the habits of other hitters. It’s a role Marchan has embraced.
“She’s the main part of the defense,” Rudder said. “She’s got the best passing average on the team, she can dig anybody, she’s in on every rotation and she’s going to probably touch the ball on every possession.”
Marchan also has been a reason for the growth of the team as a whole. She’s really noticed a difference in the chemistry of this year’s team in relation to last year’s squad.
“Last year we weren’t a team,” she said. “We would fight a lot, and there were a lot disagreements on the court. This year, we’ve really bonded and gotten to know each other. We have a relationship that no one can break. Without our team being the close team we are, like sisters, we wouldn’t have anything.”
Rudder added that Marchan has played a definite role in shaping this team.
“She’s helped bring the girls together,” he said. “She’s always happy and in a good mood. She never gets down. We’ve got a lot of competitors on this team, and they can be hard on themselves. When times get tough, she brings them back up.”
Marchan hopes to parlay her success on the Pace volleyball court into a career in college. She’d like to walk on to play defense for the University of Texas at San Antonio next year.
No matter the results of her post-high school athletic journey, she still plans to study kinesiology and ultimately become an athletic trainer or physical therapist.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.