Rosewood's Ashley Thornton signs to play volleyball at Averett

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on May 12, 2015 1:48 PM

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Ashley Thornton stared at the envelope for a moment.

Then she opened it.

Inside was a Halloween card with a message: "From the Averett volleyball team and we all want you here." Every player on the current team had signed the card.

That made Thornton's decision easier.

"That really sparked my interest," said Thornton.

But Methodist remained on the Rosewood senior's mind.

Thornton showed the card to head coach Jennifer Cochran and asked her opinion. A former collegiate player who is the all-time winningest coach in RHS volleyball history, Cochran offered just three words of advice: "Go for it."

Thornton made an official visit, fell in love with small campus nestled in Roanoke, Va., and signed an academic grant to play for the Cougars next season. She turned down offers from Methodist, N.C. Wesleyan, William Peace University, Brevard and a couple of junior colleges.

"I like the program," Cochran said. "They've got a really good coaching staff there. They're not there to coach just volleyball, but are really good people. They have a good program that's going to help her off the court, as well as I think on the court.

"They're very competitive."

A back-row and serving specialist as a junior, Thornton's role changed during her senior campaign with the Eagles. Her leadership qualities shined through as she filled in voids left by injured teammates.

She took offseason lessons from Princeton head coach Paige Renfrow, who taught her how to be an offensive weapon from each area on the court. Cochran liked Thornton's instinct because she always watched how the defense moved and seemed to find an open spot inside the 10-foot line or rip a kill through a small seam in a middle block.

Thornton credited that improvement to Cochran, Princeton head coach Paige Renfrow and Eastern Elite Volleyball Club coach Mike Bolechowski. Each, in their own way, constantly worked to develop Thornton into an all-around player -- even passing the ball, which Thornton considered her main weakness.

"He (Bolechowski) challenges us every day because he can hit way better than any of us," Thornton smiles. "He's also like a father figure on the court. He always tells us to relax, that we've got this. He's helped me with my passing and with my setting.

"He's critiqued me and helped me fine-tune my skills."

One of the original charter members of the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - now the USA South - the Cougars are led by one of the nation's most successful coaches, Dan Miller. His squad finished 22-15 last season and 15-4 against conference opposition.

During his two-decade tenure on the bench, Miller has compiled 500-plus wins and coached six All-Americans -- three on the AVCA level and three who received Capital One Academic accolades.

Averett has won 14 regular-season conference titles, 10 tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament on four occasions. The Cougars' last trip occurred in 2006.

"There are a bunch of really good girls, they had a class of seven freshmen last year. So, that's going to be hard," said Thornton, who plans to pursue a double-major in business and education.

"I'm hoping I can improve like I did in high school and earn a starting spot."

Cochran, again, told her senior to "go for it."