As the only senior on a record-breaking volleyball team, Ashton Evans has helped lead a transformation of a Harlan County High School program that has gone from five wins when Evans was an eighth grader in 2020 to a 22-6 squad that set a school record for victories last week with a win at Harlan and can set a county record with a win Thursday on Senior Night against Pineville.
Evans had no idea how big a part of her life volleyball would become when she joined the team five years ago.
“It was the year after we first got shut down with covid in schools, and I wanted to try something different. I went through quarantine, and my mom pushed me to try out for volleyball my eighth grade year,” Evans said. “So, after that, I just fell in love with it and kept playing, pushing through.”
Evans says this year’s team is close and shares a common goal of having the best team possible.
“My teammates and how much fun we have practices and in games and the environment we’re in and how fun it is are the main reasons I enjoy volleyball,” she said.
Evans knows she has a big responsibility to the team as the lone senior.
“It’s definitely a big role because you definitely have to be the leader,” she said. “t’s also just pressure making sure everything is done and everyone is in their right places and doing what they’re supposed to.”
With a solid academic background and her excellence in volleyball, college planning is the next step for Evans once the season ends.
“Maybe playing at LMU or the University of Cumberlands, but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. I’ve got accepted to LMU and the University of Cumberlands for exercise science to go into physical therapy,” she said.
HCHS coach Cathy York said Evans has played a huge role in the Lady Bears’ success.
“Ashton is an exceptional player. I have got to watch her progress since she was in the eighth grade,” she said. “Her leadership and her knowledge of volleyball have grown. She is an exceptional young lady on and off the court. I love her dearly.”
Evans is relishing her last season of high school volleyball. The Lady Bears will enter tournament play later this month as the third ranked team in the 13th Region.
”It’s my senior season, and it could be my last. I just want to play for my mom and for my family, just to watch me have one more go at it,” Evans said.
When asked about what she would say to motivate her team, Evans says “enjoy the years.”
“It goes by quicker than you think,” she said. “You know, most people only get four seasons — if you’re lucky you get five or six. I was one of the lucky ones to get at least five. So, just enjoy all the small things and even the hard practices. Just try to put a smile on somebody else’s face and enjoy it because it’s over a lot sooner than you’d think.”