8/15/2009
Star Picks EKU
Marquette's Ashley Edmond
Reprinted with permission from The News Dispatch

Adam Parkhouse
The News-Dispatch

Ashley Edmond didn't necessarily have a timetable, but the Marquette volleyball standout wanted to make sure she found the right fit for her both athletically and academically.

After a trip last week to Richmond, Kent., Edmond felt at home. The dominating outside hitter committed to Eastern Kentucky on Thursday evening.

"The school's not huge, but it's not small," Edmond said, adding that EKU has one of the top nursing programs around. "It's in a great area."

Edmond had considered myriad other programs during her recruiting process, including Alabama-Birmingham, Bowling Green, Jacksonville and Valparaiso.

But the coaches at EKU saw Edmond play for the first time at a recent camp at Purdue. They invited her down for a visit and offered her a scholarship on the spot.

Though she made the decision prior to the season, Edmond said that wasn't a requirement of hers.

"When it came down to it, it wasn't that," Edmond said. "Once you find a school you really love and get a chance to be there, you wanna jump on it."

Edmond has enjoyed tremendous success at Marquette. The Blazers have won the Class A state championship in each of her three seasons.

That said, Edmond recognizes the jump to D-1 volleyball will be substantial.

"I think Marquette's gonna prepare me for going into college," Edmond said. "We have hard workouts and that will help in the long run.

"But there's always gonna be an adjustment."