Welcome to the Block Party: Ashlin Murphy
Sitting in the shadows of some top notch players seems intimidating to some. Ashlin Murphy would use this time to sharpen up her skills. An All-Thumb Dark Horse selection, Murphy has come out of the shadows and is having a…
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Continue ReadingSitting in the shadows of some top notch players seems intimidating to some. Ashlin Murphy would use this time to sharpen up her skills. An All-Thumb Dark Horse selection, Murphy has come out of the shadows and is having a breakout season.
Safe to say Ashlin Murphy took note from the best. Behind two current collegiate middle blockers in Lexi Laskowski (Saginaw Valley State) and Cameryn Brown (Grand Valley State). Ashlin is continuing a Caro tradition for tough middle blockers. Small in size, standing at 5’9. Make no mistake, Murphy is huge at the net.
After the departure of Lexi Laskowski, Murphy would be pulled up onto Bob Tobey‘s squad. “Timid” Tobey would comment on his current star back then playing alongside Brown. She would grow since then in not only confidence but prowess. In her debut for the Tiger program, Murphy posted decent numbers for a rookie, placing third on the team in both kills and blocks with 80 and 46.
“I was super intimidated by Cameryn. She was a really good player and a good blocker. I wanted to play like she did at the net. She pushed me to better my own game and helped shape me to how I play today” Murphy raved on her playing time alongside Brown.
Photo by Sports FinestThe following season would see the blocker begin to show signs of super-stardom. Alongside Brown still, Murphy became the perfect compliment, as Caro became one of the best blocking teams in the area behind the two. With more confidence and more reps in, she doubled her numbers from a season ago posting 174 kills on a kill percentage of 41% and 90 blocks. Murphy would help the Tigers to a tough district final loss against Birch Run.
Now onto her senior season with the departure of Brown, Murphy has more than stepped up her game. Leading the Tigers into a new era in the tough Greater Thumb West Conference. Ashlin is leading the team to one of the best records in recent program history, with a current record of 26-9-5. The season has seen Murphy do nothing but dominate the net, already surpassing her previous season numbers in kills, blocks and aces, more than doubling her kills and aces numbers. Murphy also currently leads the conference in total blocks, besting Preseason POY, Rylee Zimmer. With another game of regular season and the post season to begin, Murphy has stellar numbers. She leads her squad in both kills and blocks while second in aces. So far, Murphy has notched 300 kills, 123 blocks and 35 aces.
Photo by Quad N Productions“This season has been pretty successful. We began to play more like a team and had better chemistry than years past. We did experience a rough patch in the middle of the season, but after defeating Cass City, I think we are back to how we played at the beginning of the season.” Murphy spoke on the current season. “Moving forward towards the post season, I think if we play how I know we can, we can make a huge run which hasn’t been done for a very long time in Caro. Now that we are out of conference contention, we are hungrier than ever for a district title!”
In her most recent match in an upset victory over the current number 2 in the conference Cass City. Ashlin showcased her prowess with an outstanding double-double, knocking down 16 kills and 12 blocks.
When speaking on Murphy’s growth throughout her career, Tobey had nothing but good words to share. “(Murphy) has been a starter since her sophomore year. Although she played in the shadows of Cameryn Brown and McKenzie Smith, as she was timid. She still earned a kill on 41% of her attacks and continued that as a junior. This season she has improved to almost 45%. Her blocks per game has also improved year to year from 0.5 to 0.8 to 1.2 this season. As a senior, she has learned to dominate at the net. She is a captain and has contributed to the excellent team chemistry that our team has enjoyed this season.”
Murphy is currently undecided on her future, but after a season like this. Murphy is considering continuing her volleyball career into college.