Crawfordsville, IN — Goshen
College head women’s volleyball coach Jewel Lehman announced
the program’s first signing of the offseason Friday, adding
2006 Crawfordsville High School graduate Ashley Janssen to the
program just one month following the conlusion of the 2005 season.
Lehman said that Jansen, a 5-10 middle blocker, has the potential
to give the Leafs a talented athlete on both sides of the
net.
“We are very excited to have Ashley joining our program as
our first signed recruit this year,” Lehman said. “In
addition to being a talented athlete, Ashley is a great student,
a strong
Christian and she has a vibrant personality. She will be an asset
to both the college and the volleyball program.”
Lehman acquires an aggressive hitter and strong defender in Janssen,
as the middle blocker led her high school team in kills and hitting
percentage for the past two seasons. After generating 272 kills
this fall and 295 attacks for points as a junior, Janssen was named
to First Team All-Sagamore Conference honors in both years. Her
58 service aces was a team-best this fall, while her 188 digs and
45 blocks were second on the squad. Janssen was named the county’s
Most Valuable Player following her senior season, leading Crawfordsville
to a 38-22 overall record in 2005 and 2006.
“Ashley is an outstanding young lady and student athlete,” said
Kelly Johnson, Crawfordsville High School head volleyball
coach. “She not only excels on the court, but also
in the classroom and in her involvement in other activities.
Ashley was a leader and mentor on our volleyball team. I
am very proud of Ashley and her accomplishments and I am
sure she will be a great addition to the Goshen program.”
Janssen, who ranks in the top 15 in her class, said she plans
to major in biology once arriving at Goshen. Her decision to
attend
the institution was made easy once she visited, she said.
“Goshen was the type of school I always dreamed of attending,” Janssen
said. “I wanted to play volleyball in college and attend
a small, Christian school. Goshen is a perfect fit. As soon as
I walked onto the campus at Goshen, my first impression was outstanding.
Everyone was so welcoming and friendly. My future teammates were
so nice to me and it made it that much easier to sign on to next
year’s team.”
Lehman will most likely need an immediate contribution from
Janssen in ’06, as the team lost all-time kill and dig
leader Anna Herdeck to graduation following the fall of 2005
(click here for
article). A strong nucleus returns, but a solid recruiting class
is a must. Lehman
said that
Janssen
is
the
perfect
start
to those efforts.
“We are delighted that Ashley is focusing solely on volleyball
here at Goshen, because she has been a standout in other sports
(in
high school),” Lehman said. “She has the chance
to be very good for us up front. One of our goals this off-season
is to improve our team depth with quality players, and Ashley
certainly
fits that mold.”
In addition to being recognized on the court, Janssen has gathered
accolades off of it, being named in the Who’s Who Among American
High School Students directory along with making high honor roll
in each semester during her prep career. She was also a girl’s
state delegate alternate in 2005.
“While at Goshen I hope to learn what my main purpose in
the world will be,” Janssen said. “I also hope
to reach out to as many people as possible. Goshen will definitely
help
me do that.”
Check back to this website for continual off-season information,
including the latest in recruit signings and team news. To contact
head coach Jewel Lehman, call her at (574) 535-7658 or click here to
send her an email.
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  Ashley
Janssen
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