Ashley Potts

Classroom

Potts is a biology major with a minor in chemistry. The Louisville, Ky., native is consistently named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List for her end-of-the-year GPA falling in the 3.5-4.0 range. Potts has been named to WKU Dean’s List or President’s List each semester of her college career. Last academic year, Potts earned a 3.89 GPA, as the volleyball team posted a 3.47 and earned its seventh-straight AVCA Team Academic Award.

Character

From WKU Head Coach Travis Hudson: “Ashley is a fantastic talent on the volleyball court, but it pales in comparison to the kind of human being she is off the court. She has a tremendous work ethic that has allowed her to go from being our backup libero as a freshman to the two-time SBC Defensive Player of the Year the last two seasons. Her talent is obvious, but her character is what garners the respect of her teammates. She is an all-out giver in the locker room as well as within any endeavor she tackles on our campus or in the community.”

Community

The life of a student-athlete can be time consuming, but Potts always finds time to give back to the community that supports her and her team. Potts participated the last two years in the United Way Day of Caring by playing volleyball at the Boys and Girls Club the first year and then cleaning up the stables/farm at the New Beginnings Therapeutic Riding Inc. this summer. She also takes part each year in Toys for Tots and Special Olympics. Potts brought school supplies to “Stuff the Bus” that supports kids in the surrounding communities. Potts helps raise money for various cancer research fundraisers, including Kela’s Crew and Dig for the Cure. Potts along with her teammates and coaches are involved with Hope for Harlie, as the team adopted Harlie, a child with a pediatric brain tumor, through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation and have officially made her a Lady Topper, offering support to Harlie during tough times and making her feel a part of the team.

Competition

Potts enters the 2012 season as the reigning SBC Defensive Player of the Year, as she earned the honor in 2011 and 2012. She was a key asset to WKU winning its second-consecutive SBC regular-season and tournament championships and making its third-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. A First-Team All-Conference selection in 2012, she led the team as the primary libero with 571 digs, which ranks third in WKU’s single-season records, while ranking in the top 100 nationally with 4.72 digs per set. A six-time SBC Defensive Player of the Week during her career, including four selections last season, her 208 digs in conference play propelled WKU to win every set but one against league opponents in 2012, as the team totaled 26 sweeps in the season. Recording double-digit digs in 35 of 37 matches, Potts helped WKU to its highest nationally ranking at No. 17 and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.