The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Lake Catholic going for volleyball state title
One accomplishment remains missing from Ashley Browske’s already impressive prep career — a state championship. Browske and the Cougars are in the final four.
Ashley Browske is a fouryear captain on Lake Catholic’s volleyball team. She’s recorded more than 1,000 career digs and committed to continue playing at the University of Pittsburgh.
One accomplishment remains missing from Browske’s already-impressive high school career — a state championship.
“This would mean everything to me,” Browske said. “To be in this program for four years and playing on varsity, we always wanted to go to state and do the whole thing and win.”
Browske and the Cougars head to their third straight state berth. Lake Catholic plays Columbus Bishop Hartley in a Division II state semifinal at Wright State’s Nutter Center at 2 p.m. Nov. 9.
As a senior, Browske led the Cougars with 4.1 kills and 4.1 digs per set. Coach Rob Cline compares a volleyball player who averages more than four kills and four digs per set to a baseball player hitting 50 home runs and 50 doubles in a season.
Browske earned a captaincy as a freshman libero in 2015, when she also led the Cougars in digs. She was a captain alongside seniors Maggie Cvelbar and Colleen Wilhelm, and she says the designation put a target on her back early — one she welcomed.
Cline, in his first year at Lake Catholic, coached Browske prior to his hiring on Reynolds Road in Junior Olympic play at Cleveland Eastside Juniors Volleyball club. He compares her impact on the program to that of Jessica Sabath, a 2002 Lake Catholic graduate who helped the Cougars become a state powerhouse.
Cline has learned Browske is the rare type of high school student-athlete willing to say or do the right thing amid her peers, even if it isn’t popular.
“It’s harder and harder and harder to find kids that are willing to do that,” Cline said. “The kids that are willing to do that probably are going to be the leaders of society in the future.”
Browske began playing volleyball when she was 8 with her older sister, Kimberly, at the Renaissance Volleyball Club. She says her leadership ability derives from her competitiveness and a will to win.
Fellow senior Mallory Lough, Lake Catholic’s libero, met Browske in middle school when they played together at the Cleveland Volleyball Company. Lough says Browske holds her teammates accountable and leads by example.
“I love her,” Lough said. “She’s tough and she does her job. She’s very, very consistent.”
During practices, Browske’s been vocal when her teammates complete drills but don’t accomplish their intended result.
Browske has three older sisters and a younger brother. Growing up in a large family instilled in her the importance of team members fulfilling their obligations.
“We have certain roles in our family and we have to all get along in everything,” Browske said. “In order for our house to be not chaotic, we all have to hold ourselves accountable for things we do. I’ve kind of just grown up with that, and I enjoy seeing everyone doing their job.”
Off the court, Browske says she likes to socialize and hang out with friends. She describes herself as quirky and a bit weird, but as Cline says, “usually the geniuses are different.”
Browske’s affinity for dessert is well-known among her teammates. An employee at Pizzazz, Browske’s favorite dessert is the restaurant’s personal pan cookie she prepares in a particular way — the cookie slightly undercooked to remain doughy, with three heaping scoops of ice cream piled atop.
Dessert is a focal point of one of Lough’s favorite memories of her teammate, which she recounted through laughter. The Cougars attended a camp at Penn State over the summer when the team was in a dining hall on campus.
“She had her plate of dessert and she was walking back over,” Lough said. “It fell off the table, her tray went everywhere, her plate broke, she just started to cry, hysterically crying, everyone was so confused.”
Before Browske leaves for Pitt — currently 25-1 and ranked No. 10 in the nation — she has one final chance to achieve her ultimate goal at Lake Catholic.
Browske played on the Cougars’ 2016 team that advanced to state a perfect 27-0 before losing to Padua in a state semifinal. She helped lead them back a year later as underdogs before another loss to the Bruins.
“I’ve been through the frustration and the loss,” Browske said. “To be back here senior year and help lead these freshmen and everyone else on the team to this position, I’m so excited. I’m looking forward to the opportunity again. This championship would mean everything. I would be in tears.”