Ashley Branford '23 Recruiting Profile

Being born and raised in South Africa, we immigrated to the USA in July 2019. I’ve always had a strong passion and love for sports which has grown over the years and been influenced by coaches recognizing my natural athletic ability, having a teachable spirit and being so coachable. This has allowed me to perform at a high level and be selected for school varsity teams in SA and even representing my region in several sports. While sports have always grounded me, my academic performance and achievements is equally important. I have successfully held a GPA above 3.8 since freshman year.

Since moving to the US, I had to make some very difficult decisions to leave some much loved sports behind me (some not played in the US) and to take up a new sport for which I never dreamed I would be so passionate about - Volleyball!!

Following your heart is not always an easy decision but a quote I live by ‘If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you’ holds very true in many aspects of my life. I was determined as someone new to volleyball to work extra hard to succeed quickly and elevate myself to the level of my peers and beyond. With only playing volleyball for just under three years now, I have successfully earned my spot in the Varsity team while in my Junior year. Furthermore, I have played at Club level for 3 years in the Junior Olympic Teams. This year I made the Sky High Adidas 17 Black team. I’m proud of my achievement and attribute my success to being a committed, passionate athlete who always strives to give of her best, be self-motivated and driven and leverage my coaches to be the best I can be, not only for myself but for my team.

Playing volleyball in college is now my aspiration, together with qualifying as a Physical Therapist and opening up my own practice one day.