There are plenty of idioms to describe Andrean outside hitter Aleece Ehler’s freshman season.
Coach Grant Bell may have already used them all.
“It was trial by fire,” Bell said. “She was thrown to the wolves a little bit. That helps any young player grow a tough shell. They tend to roll with the punches. That was what we saw last year.
“This year, we’re looking for her to come out of that shell a bit and be more vocal on the court. We want her to take the lead.”
As a freshman last season, Ehler racked up 298 digs, 196 kills and 57 aces for Andrean (16-16, 10-2), earning All-Northwest Crossroads Conference and all-district honors. But after four contributing players graduated, leaving the 59ers without a senior on the roster, they’re counting on Ehler even more.
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Nobody sets a higher bar for Ehler than she does, although she has determined that her growth won’t come at the expense of enjoying the game.
“Every year, you want to improve your jumps or swings or whatever,” she said. “But I feel every year, the biggest thing I want to improve is my mentality.
“Work hard, play hard, do your best and just have fun. Being more vocal, uplifting teammates and keeping my mind in control. Being positive. Not letting myself get down.”
That mindset has been central to Ehler’s development, especially as she has worked to fit into a program that doesn’t slow down for younger players. Andrean’s sustained success in the NCC and the postseason has long demanded quick adaptation.
But a fast pace is nothing new for Ehler, who has been around the sport most of her life. Even before she started playing when she was 9, volleyball was already a part of her world.
“Two of my cousins played,” she said. “Seeing them be so passionate for it and getting to share that love of the sport and the environment was amazing. I wanted to try it out, and I fell in love with it.”
Those cousins, Molly Prisby and Trevor Prisby, both played volleyball at Andrean. Trevor Prisby was a member of the school’s first official boys volleyball team and closed out his career this past spring. He finished with 1,686 assists, 494 digs, 346 kills and 132 aces across three seasons.
Although they play different positions, Ehler is on track to surpass Trevor Prisby’s totals if she stays on her current trajectory.
“She’s for sure going to be a collegiate athlete in volleyball if that’s what she wants to do, and I think that’s what she wants and is going to choose to do,” Bell said. “Where she ends up, these next two years are a big tell for that.
“She’s a very athletic kid now. But to make that jump to the next level, we keep talking about getting quicker, getting stronger, jumping higher. Those are things she’ll keep focusing on, and they’ll dictate how far she goes.”
But Ehler’s not just athletic.
“I have a lot of trust in her on the court to make decisions on offense,” Andrean junior middle hitter Maya Mastalski said. “She’s very intelligent. She knows what to do in game scenarios pretty much all the time.”
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That’s exactly what the 59ers will need from Ehler if they’re going to contend with Hanover Central and newcomer Illiana Christian in the NCC. If she provides it, she’ll move one step closer to achieving her long-term goals in the sport.
“If it’s in college, if it’s past that, if it’s just high school, I want to finish on a good note, being proud of what I’ve done, knowing that I put all the work in and having that feeling of ‘I still love the sport,’” she said.
Noah Poser is a freelance reporter.