There is much hope for the future for the N.C . State women’s tennis team. It is a young team, with five of its eight players either freshmen or sophomores. However they must now say goodbye to one of their most important players, Ashley Miller. The senior from Montgomery, N.Y . will be graduating this summer with a degree concentrating in program management.
“Ashley’s just been so important to our team for years now,” head coach Hans Olsen said. “This year she was our captain and she’s led with such great integrity and character and is such a tremendous person.”
Miller started playing tennis at age 10 and says her tennis idol growing up was Roger Federer because, “He was really classy on the court.” She won multiple honors at Valley Central High School, including a New York State Championship. After playing for South Carolina for her freshman year, Miller transferred to N.C . State to play for the Wolfpack .
“Even on my first visit, I felt like I had a lot in common with the girls and it kind of just clicked,” Miller said. “Also with my coach [Olsen], he was very different from the South Carolina coaches. They were just focused on winning, but my coach was focused on everything that comes with the team and playing.”
Miller plays an old school style of tennis, serving and volleying on almost every point. Miller’s style of play isn’t the only thing that’s old school about her though.
“She’s tough,” Olsen said. “Anytime she’s had, as athletes do, a challenge for her physically, her toughness has just been tremendous. She was doing some training and tripped and shattered her wrist two years ago. We all knew that she had completely done something bad to her wrist and she was so tough right away. She was saying, ‘Hey guys, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine,’ and she’s saying this while she’s laying there on the ground.”
Even though she had to have two surgeries on her wrist, Miller ended her senior season at N.C . State as a key member of the team. She regularly played both No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles for the Wolfpack . Miller and her doubles partner, sophomore Joelle Kissell , also finished the season ranked as the No. 76 doubles team in the nation.
Miller played a number of key matches for the Wolfpack this season in both singles and doubles.
“At Clemson, the doubles point came down to our match and we had all these fans cheering for us,” Kissell said. “We ended up winning in a tiebreaker and it was my favorite memory ever.”
Olsen reminisced over another match that showed Miller’s stoicism.
“She played this year one of the most amazing singles matches that I’ve ever seen,” Olsen said. “It was senior day at Maryland and the match came down to her court. She won the match 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, which being around tennis it’s so unusual to see a score like that at any time, but then also to be the deciding match in a winning effort in the ACC was amazing.”
Miller said her favorite off-court memories still involved her on-court family.
“All the dinners that me and my teammates would go to and just doing everything with them. I’d spend pretty much all day with them besides class. We’d eat together all the time, go to the movies, hang out or do whatever.”
When told that Miller said she wanted to be remembered for her “wackiness,” Kissell agreed and pointed out she will miss her captain’s selfless nature.
“Wacky is a good word for her. Also amazing. She was one of the best teammates anyone could ask for. Anytime you needed something, a ride anywhere, she was always up for it. She was looking out for everyone and it was amazing to have her on the team and she’s going to be missed so much.”
Although she’ll be leaving the State squad, Miller’s character will live on.
“I can’t be more proud of her to be our captain and to be the person that she is,” Olsen said. “All of us would want people to say that about us, but it is true about Ashley that the most important thing, the biggest asset for her is her character as a person.”
