Ashley Benson |
One of Bloomington's Own Excels on Volleyball Court for the Hoosiers
Nov. 5, 2007
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Freshman Ashley Benson was born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana and has been a life-long Hoosier fan. She leads the team in total blocks with 105 while her .267 hitting efficiency ranks second. Benson racked up a career-high 17 kills while hitting .485 last Friday at Ohio State, chipping in five blocks as well.
Those 105 blocks are currently the third most ever for a freshman in IU history, and she needs just 22 more stuffs to surpass Melissa Brewer's all-time freshman record of 126 blocks that she set in 2000.
Benson comes from an athletic family, evidenced by her sister, Gennie, having played volleyball at Vincennes University and her father Kent, should be a familiar name for Hoosier fans. Kent Benson led IU to a basketball national championship and is a member of the Indiana Hall of Fame.
The six-foot three middle blocker recently stopped in with iuhoosiers.com to answer a few questions and allow Hoosier fans to get to know her a little better...
Growing up in Bloomington, being a life-long Hoosier fan ... what was it like the first time you took the court donning the Cream and Crimson?
"It was amazing. Just practicing on the court was awesome, but then when you actually get to the game its even better."
Why did you choose to come to IU
"The reason I chose to come to IU is because it was close to home and ever since I was little I have always wanted to go to IU, play for IU athletics. And possible show up my dad (laughing)."
What type of advice has your dad given you about what it takes to succeed at Indiana?
"I actually talked to him today. He said you are going to have rough patches and coach is going to give you hard time. You are going to have ups and downs, but you just have to fight through it and in the end it will all be worth it."
Where is your favorite place to go on the Bloomington campus and why
"Favorite place to me has to be the training room because the trainers in there are really nice, they always help you. Even if you have the most random questions, they will answer them, even it they don't know them."
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What did the team learn from and can take with them from last weekend's disappointing road trip to Ohio State and Penn State in order to finish the season strong and make a surge for the NCAA Tournament?
"Even if we are playing the number one team in the nation, we should still fight. We should still work as hard as you can, give it your all, don't quit. They may have the top recruits in the nation, but it's always a great day for an upset."
Minnesota and Iowa come to Bloomington this weekend, your expectations?
"My expectations are to simply beat them, hopefully in three games. We beat Iowa earlier in five games, but that was our first match. We lost to Minnesota and you always want to beat a team that has beaten you earlier."
What is your favorite part about playing for Coach Dunbar and the rest of the Hoosier coaching staff
"Everyone is new, so we all start fresh. She knows what she wants and she doesn't expect anything but the best from you."
What are your thoughts on possibly breaking the freshman blocks record?
"I think it's great. I've only been in volleyball since my sixth grade year which wasn't that competitive. Once I got into club in high school, I started following the game more, but I still didn't know who everybody was and where they should be. Breaking a record would be amazing, I would have never thought I could do it."
With 91 blocks, your fellow frosh in the middle, Taylor Wittmer, has a chance to rank right behind you at #2 on the freshman block list ... how do feel about the opportunity to play next to her for the next three years?
"Me and Tay have been playing together since my first year of club. We both support each other no matter what. I support her one hundred percent and she gives me nothing but the same."
What is your favorite part about the travel of IU volleyball?
"All the good stories that you have coming back home or going to. We always have fun stories to tell on the way back."
