Volleyball's 25: Ashley Mullis
Thursday, August 14, 2008 | Volleyball
By: Sean Cartell
UF Communications
Editor's Note: This is the 10th of a 25-part daily series on GatorZone.com honoring the great players in Florida volleyball history (in no particular rank or order) leading up to the start of the 25th season since Gator volleyball was reinstated as a varsity sport prior to the 1984 campaign.
Considering all of the talented athletes that Florida head coach Mary Wise has recruited to play for the Gators in her 17-year tenure as head coach, it's hard to believe that Wise was “heartbroken” after her first recruiting trip wearing Orange and Blue.
Wise drove down to Tampa to visit the home of Ashley Mullis, a place she was familiar with. As the associate head coach at Kentucky in the late 1980s, Wise had recruited Mullis' older sister, Merrill, who went on to play at Illinois. She was hoping to have better success with the younger Mullis.
“I went in with a promise and talked about the things we wanted to make happen, but I had nothing to back it up,” Wise told Chris Harry of the Tampa Tribune in a Dec. 16, 1993 article. “I believed we could do some big things at the University of Florida. With our surroundings and our support, I told Ashley I thought we could win here. I just didn't do a good enough job of convincing her.”
Mullis was a standout volleyball player at Tampa's Berkeley Prep. According to an article in the Tampa Tribune, sports writer Walter Lee Dozier wrote “Few athletes have impacted a program the way she has. Berkeley has won four consecutive state volleyball titles during Mullis' tenure.”
Mullis was a 1991 Volleyball Monthly first-team All-America selection and was a two-time all-state, all-area, all-county and all-conference selection. She was the 1991 Player of the Year by both the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times. She also attended the 1991 Junior National Elite Camp.
Mullis was intrigued by the Big 10, where she would have an annual opportunity to square off with her sister.
“I was attracted to the Big 10 Conference and just wanted to get away from home,” Mullis told Jim Peery of the Florida Alligator in an Oct. 15, 1993 article. “I knew they had a good volleyball program and I really liked the campus and the team.”
Mullis started in 14-of-30 matches, including each of the last 10 contests, her freshman season with the Buckeyes. She posted double-digit kills in 10 matches and faced off with her sister three times during the season. Mullis described the relationship between her and her sister in a Dec. 4, 1992 article entitled Volleyball sisters will spar again by Brad Schmaltz in the Columbus Dispatch.
“We fought a lot,” Mullis said. “She was the captain, our leader. Either she was harder on me than the others, or I thought she was. I thought she picked on me more than anyone else.”
Despite the opportunity to play her sister several times per year, the experience at Ohio State wasn't what Mullis was hoping for.
“It just didn't work out as well as I thought it would,” Mullis told Paul Jenkins of the Gainesville Sun in an Aug. 20, 1993 article. “When I went to Ohio State, I liked the Big 10, the coach, the team and the campus. I thought it would be nice to go somewhere where there is a change of seasons. The volleyball just wasn't what I expected.
“I knew I wanted to transfer, but I told myself I would stick it out,” Mullis told the Tampa Tribune. “I didn't come to a decision until July.”
“I had heard rumors that Ashley was thinking about leaving Ohio State and all I could do was sit and hope. Her father called here and left a message, but because of NCAA rules, I couldn't call him back.”
At 10 a.m. that July day, the phone in Wise's office rang. It was Ohio State on the other end, informing Wise that Mullis had asked for and been granted her release.
“I was on the phone with Ashley at 10:05,” Wise told the Gainesville Sun.
“Ashley was a player who broke my heart in the recruiting process,” Wise said to the Tampa Tribune. “But her decision to transfer is all part of the good luck theme that has been with me since I arrived here. She was sort of like finding that last piece to a puzzle.”
“It felt like it was a Christmas present or winning the lottery,” Wise told Steven Gorten of the Florida Alligator. “There was nothing I did, she just fell into our lap.”
Mullis, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter, was excited to be returning to her home state, as she told Jenkins of the Gainesville Sun.
“I knew that by coming here I'd have a chance to fight for a position,” Mullis said. “Hopefully I'll have an impact on the team this year. I'd definitely like to start, but if I don't that's OK. From what I've seen in practice so far, we're going to be a really strong team.”
Wise agreed that Mullis, who had been a member of the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival West team, would be a major contributor for the Gators her sophomore season.
“Ashley has a picture-perfect arm swing and I think people will love to see her swing at the ball,” Wise said in the outlook section of the team's 1993 media guide. “She gives us a real threat on the outside.”
After just over a week of practice, Wise knew that her recruiting instincts were right. She had a special talent in Mullis, a player who Florida's loyal fanbase would enjoy watching.
“If I had to put a team on the floor today, Ashley would be starting,” Wise said in an Aug. 20, 1993 article in the Gainesville Sun. “She just needs some experience playing at this level and she needs more upper body strength. That's not near what it will be. She's got a real whip of an arm. When you combine that arm speed with more strength, she's going to be scary.
“She's got that winning smile and she's such an excellent student,” Wise continued. “But when the competition starts, she's such a fighter. I think people are really going to enjoy watching her. She'll be a crowd favorite because of how hard she plays.”
Heading into the 1993 season, there were questions abound about whether the Gators could sustain their success. Florida had lost two talented players in Heidi Anderson and Gudula Staub to graduation in 1992 – two players who had been the cornerstone of the team's success under Wise.
And, after all, Florida had exceeded expectations in 1991 and then advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1992, winning SEC titles both seasons. It had to be a fluke, right?
Looking back on the dynasty that Wise has created, that perception is almost comical. But it was players like Mullis who helped keep Florida on the national stage during its meteoric rise to become a team among volleyball's elite.
“I think what Ashley brings to this program is a competitive spirit – she's a winner,” Wise said in an Oct. 15, 1993 article of the Florida Alligator. “Her biggest asset is her will to win.”
Wise predicted early on how much of a role that Ashley's sophomore class could have on the Florida volleyball program and how they were only scratching the surface of that potential. Classmates Missy Aggertt, Meg Fitzgerald and Aycan Gokberk joined Mullis as a talented collection of second-year players.
“This group really took a chance on an unproven Florida program and they've laid the groundwork for the future,” Wise told Jenkins in a Nov. 25, 1993 article in the Gainesville Sun. “Luck was part of it. We were lucky to get Aycan from Turkey and we were lucky to get Ashley from Ohio State. Meg and Missy were both in Volleyball Monthly's Fab 50 and they had lots of other options.”
What the Gators did that season was something that no one but they themselves thought that Florida could accomplish. The Gators finished the year with a 33-4 record, captured the SEC regular season and tournament titles and defeated No. 2 Texas on its home court to advance to the NCAA Final Four for a second consecutive year.
Mullis played in each of the team's matches that season, finishing second on the squad in kills (335), kills per game (2.89) and attempts (842). She posted double-digit kills in 18 matches that season.
“I couldn't have asked for any more out of the season.” Mullis told the Tampa Tribune's Harry. “When I decided to transfer, I had no idea that this year would be so successful. It's all so exciting. The state titles in high school meant a lot to me, but I have different goals now. The Texas match was the greatest moment of my career. Hopefully, it'll get better from here.”
Heading into 1994, Wise knew that Mullis would be a major part of the team's offensive attack and that the Gators would rely heavily upon her.
“We return two starters on the left side in Ashley Mullis and Meg Fitzgerald,” Wise said in the outlook section of the team's 1994 media guide. “They're two very different players. Ashley can give us that dynamic kill that she's capable of doing.”
Wise had no idea just how important Mullis' presence would be that season in stabilizing the lineup. The 1994 campaign was nothing like anyone expected as injuries decimated the team. Gokberk and Claire Roach both went down with season-ending injuries, forcing the Gators to play with just eight active student-athletes on the roster.
“It has been an extremely heartbreaking season,” Mullis told Joey Johnston in a Dec. 8, 1994 article in the Tampa Tribune. “With these injuries, you don't know what to say. You wonder why. But we're a team of fighters. Now we've been put in an underdog role, which is different, but we seem to be thriving on it.”
Still, when all was said an done, the Gators were champions of the SEC regular season and the league tournament and defeated No. 22 Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Florida dropped its NCAA Regional Semifinal match to No. 18 Houston, but the Gators had persevered remarkably considering the injuries the team was forced to combat.
Mullis was named to the All-South Region second team, was a member of the All-SEC first team and the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The following summer, Mullis was invited to the United States Olympic Festival in Colorado. She was a member of the South team that included fellow teammate Julie Stanhope, while Aggertt was a member of the North team.
In the first game of the first match, Mullis was inserted into the South's line-up with her team down 9-0 and helped inspire her team to a four-game win. She finished the match with 12 kills and led the squad with 24 digs.
“You want to be with the best,” Mullis told Gainesville Sun writer Pat Dooley of the experience at the Olympic Festival. “That's why you want to be here. It's definitely a stepping stone. Everyone says the order is the Olympic Festival, then the U.S. 'B' team, then the Olympics.”
Ultimately, Aggertt's North team won the gold medal after defeating Mullis' South team, but the experience with the team had been valuable for Mullis heading into her senior season. Mullis posted 48 kills in four matches played.
“Playing in the Festival is excellent preparation,” Mullis said in a Sept. 15, 1995 match-day program in which she was featured. “Playing for 10 days in the summer lets you get a head start on your game. You also are playing with and against the top collegiate and high school players in the country, so the level of competition is great experience.”
The 1995 season was the year that Wise had been waiting for. She thought that a veteran and talented senior class would spell national success for the Gators. Wise hoped that the year of injuries would be a learning experience that would make Florida a better team in 1995.
“If we draw anything from the injuries, it's to know how quickly it can all be taken away – so let's enjoy it while we can,” Wise said in the outlook section of the team's 1995 media guide. “For the seniors, I hope that's what will happen. When they walk off the floor after that final match, I want them to leave knowing they gave everything they had and had a good time doing it.
“We want to put off letting them go as long as possible,” Wise continued. “Ending our time with these players will be difficult and perhaps that, too, will be a driving force. The longer we win, the later we have to say goodbye.”
Wise also knew that the Olympic Festival experience that Mullis participated helped prepare her for the senior season she was capable of having.
“When players come off an Olympic Festival, they are always improved,” Wise said. “It's an experience we can't emulate on campus and will only help us.”
Mullis hoped that experience would be one that would help her lead her team to the NCAA National Championship.
“I had a great experience this summer playing at the U.S. Olympic Festival,” Mullis told Jim Harvin in an Aug. 24, 1995 edition of Gator Bait. “I know myself, as well as the rest of the seniors, are ready to have a great last year. We're going for the national championship, and we are very focused.”
Mullis entered her senior season ranked No. 4 all-time in career attacks at UF (2,345), fifth all-time in career kills (955) and fifth in career digs (776).
“Ashley is a player you don't have to worry about when it comes to being ready to play,” Wise told Harvin. “She's always ready, and she brings a lot of all-around ability in addition to being one of the top outside hitters in the game. She will obviously play a very critical role for us this season.”
Mullis helped the Gators to a fast start that season, winning each of their first 28 matches, including wins against No. 4 Long Beach State and two wins against nationally ranked Texas.
“I think that all of us seniors are very aware that this is our last year and it would be great to go out on a good note,” Mullis said. “Winning a national championship would be a good note. Now that we're seniors, it seems that time goes by fast and it doesn't seem like it has been four years since we started. I don't have any personal goals this year, only one team goal – winning the national championship.”
Florida was upset by unranked Nebraska in the final match of the regular season, but rebounded to win the SEC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals against Texas. But, on the Gators' home court, No. 4 UF fell to the No. 6 Longhorns in a five-game match to end Mullis' career.
At the time of her graduation, Mullis finished second all-time at UF in career kills (1,162) and third in attacks (2,736). She was named an AVCA second-team All-America selection that season and was a first-team All-SEC honoree for the second consecutive year.
“The legacy that Ashley is going to leave is how competitive of a player she was in practice and in matches,” Wise said in a Sept. 12, 1995 article in the Alligator. “If any of that rubs off on our younger players, she'll do a whole lot for Florida volleyball for years to come.”
END OF REPORT
