Long Beach State University Athletics
Lee Packs Big Punch
10/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | General
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Lee Has a Big Punch for a Small Package LONG BEACH - Ashley Lee tries not spending too much time daydreaming about what "might have been" or even, "what if?" Right now, she stands 5-foot-7 1/2 and, unless the soon-to-be-18-year-old (Nov. 5) outside hitter for the Long Beach State volleyball team hits a sudden growth spurt, she will continue to be dwarfed on the other side of the net by players some five or more inches taller. But since making her debut on the club circuit as a 12-year-old, her size - or, more specifically, the lack thereof - has proven to be only an issue in the minds of those who didn't take the time to ascertain that Lee handled herself quite well, thank you very much, at every aspect of volleyball. And that includes hammering shots around or over the top of would-be blockers whose frames can nearly eclipse hers at the net. "All my (volleyball-playing) life I've been told `you're too small' and `you're probably going to have to be a defensive player," the June graduate of Wilson High in Hacienda Heights said Tuesday afternoon after practice in the Walter Pyramid. She has systematically dispelled that notion, with the ease and efficiency of blowing out 18 candles on a birthday cake, on each ascending level of club play and is now doing so for the 49ers, who take a 10-5 (overall) and 4-1 (conference) records into their Big West match Friday night in Stockton against the host University of Pacific Tigers. She is third on the teams in kills, assists and digs and could be the latest 49er to bag conference Freshman of the Year honors at the end of the season. But isn't going to try to fool anyone: At times, what life must be on the long side of 6-feet in height is a thought something that does intrigue her. "Compared to most Asians (Lee is of Chinese descent), I'm pretty tall," she said, laughing. "But not compared to Alexis (senior teammate Alex Crimes, a 6-3 All-American middle blocker). Oh, yeah, I do fantasize sometimes `I wonder what it would be like to be that tall?' How much fun would hitting be, if I was right there (size-wise) with everyone else?"' The relative lack size may have kept Lee - whose parents, Norm and Jeannie, attended USC; her father also spent some time at UCLA - from climbing the recruiting pecking order of many college programs, locally, regionally and nationally. It didn't dissuade the Long Beach State coaching staff from pursuing her vigorously, though. "It was frustrating when I'd hear about schools like USC and UCLA offering scholarships to friends (from the club circuit) because they were 6-3," she said, without a tinge of bitterness to her voice. "But that's what I liked about Long Beach ... other coaches looked to see if you were `tall enough'. But not (head coach) Brian (Gimmillaro), (assistant) Debbie (Green) and (assistant) Melissa (Otta)." Gimmillaro said he first saw Lee in action as a ninth grader on the club level and was immediately impressed. "She obviously knew how to play the game (both her parents, as well as older brother David and older sister Chrystal, played)," he said. "And I just like the way she moved and was always on-balance." Despite not being able to overpower blockers at the net, Lee is an effective hitter, Gimmillaro explained, because of extraordinary technique and the speed of her right arm. And, to put it in simple terms, "she knows where to hit the ball." "It's very unusual to see someone that short hit as well as she does," he said. "But her swing is very fast. Most arms slow down as the player strikes a ball but hers gets faster. And she can find the opening before the blockers can close on her. She's a lot like (former 49ers and four-time Olympian) Tara Cross in that way; she can get the ball through an opening in fractions of a second." With that being said, Gimmillaro still isn't sure where she is best suited to be on the volleyball court at any given moment. She's rotated between the left and right (opposite) sides, often in the same matches. "And that can be disconcerting, even for an old pro, let alone a freshman," Gimmillaro said. "And she was already a very good back-row player before she got here and is even better now. I'm not sure what her best position is but I'm just happy we have her." Lee is happy for the structure the volleyball program provides for her, in and out of the Walter Pyramid, during her first extended experience of living away from her parents' La Habra Heights' home. "I love it (college life)," she said, laughing. "Living in the dorms . . . no chores. "But we're pretty much kept to a strict schedule, with classes, practice and study hall." She laughed again. "If not for volleyball," she said, "I'd probably drop out of school because I'd be waaaay too distracted. You go back to the dorm, there's a big TV and people everywhere, and my computer . . ." But her social life is fairly limited for more reasons than classes, study hall and daily treks to the Walter Pyramid. "My friends will ask me to go to clubs with them," she said. "But I tell them I'm only 17." And that's something that even that great arm speed can't compensate for. |
