Sports : From a Vikette to a Spartan: VS senior strong to play volleyball for SWCC

After an All-Conference season in which she led the Vinton-Shellsburg volleyball team in kills, 2011 Vikette volleyball MVP Ashley Strong has accepted an offer to become a Spartan.

Strong, the daughter of Scott and Teresa Strong of Vinton, signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball for Southwest Community College. She and her mom, along with VSHS Volleyball Coach Stephanie Miller, met with SWCC head coach Melissa Blessington and assistant coach Rita Schroeder for the signing ceremony Monday afternoon at VSHS. The red and blue of SWCC covered the table as Ashley, wearing a new Spartan t-shirt, signed a commitment to play her first season of college volleyball there.

A First Team Wamac West honoree this year, Strong was an outside hitter who recorded 211 kills for the Vikettes in 2011. She also earned honors on the softball field and is a member of the Vikette girls basketball team.

Ashley chose SWCC for several reasons, including the opportunity to play both softball and volleyball there, said her mother. The small size of the college and its classrooms, as well as the tradition of academic and athletic success and the experiences of the coaching staff were also appealing to Ashley, who hopes to become a coach in the future.

"For Ashley, it's more about being able to play at a higher competitive level yet feeling comfortable enough to have some fun," said Teresa.

Ashley was recruited by 14 colleges, visiting six of them. She had considered attending Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill., where her brother, Josh, is the pitching coach for baseball and the Coordinator of a new $12M Wellness and Recreation center on campus.

"If they would've had volleyball there, then it would've been almost impossible to choose," said Teresa.

Ashley's high school honors include:

* 2010: (While still considered a sophomore) -- Honorable Mention All Wamac Softball * 2010: (Junior year) 2nd Team All Wamac Volleyball and All District Southeast Iowa Volleyball Team * 2011: Summer 2nd Team All Wamac Softball, All District Southeast Iowa Softball Team and All State Softball Team Honorable Mention * 2011: Senior year 1st Team All Wamac Volleyball, All District Southeast Iowa Volleyball Team.

At SWCC, Strong will play for a team that has coaches with decades of volleyball experience. Blessington is a first-year coach at SWCC, but she has coached for five years in Milwaukee and also coached a team in England as a graduate assistant. Blessington played two years for SWCC before finishing her four-year degree at Grand View College.

Blessington took over the head coaching duties after Schroeder, who was the head coach for 24 seasons at SWCC, stepped down. Schroeder's teams compiled a 705-372 record as she led the Spartans to 11 regional finals and two National Championship tournaments. SWCC finished third in the nation in 1999 and seventh in 1993. SWCC is located in Creston, southwest of Des Moines. See more information about the Creston program and its coaches HERE.