Skylight volleyball inks two standouts

Montana State University-Northern volleyball coach Bill Huebsch is adding to his 2017 recruiting class, with two exciting signees last week.

Huebsch recently announced 5-2 libero/defensive specialist Ashley Ponce has signed an NAIA national letter of intent to play for the Skylights starting next fall. Ponce comes to Northern from La Mirada, California.

Ponce was named First Team All-League each year she played on the varsity volleyball team for La Mirada High School and was recognized by her team as the MVP her last two seasons. As a junior, she led the team in serving percentage, and as a senior led her team in service reception and digs. Ashley was also the varsity team captain her senior year, where she helped lead her team to California Interscholastic Federation playoffs. 

As a member of the So-Cal Juniors, she has traveled to Nevada, Florida and Arizona playing in national volleyball tournaments as a libero against high level competition. Ponce has been playing travel and school volleyball since her eighth-grade year, which she says has helped develop her work and leadership skills. 

As a student-athlete, Ponce has a 4.1 overall GPA and is ranked top 50 in La Mirada High School, where she has also been a scholar athlete every year.  The daughter of Elias and Rosie Ponce, and sister to Dulce Ponce, Ashley said: “I chose Northern because of the amazing nursing program and the friendly environment.”

“Ashley is exactly the type of defensive player we want on the court,” Huebsch said. “She communicates and passes well in serve receive, reads well defensively, and fearlessly pursues the ball. We look for her to make us a better defensive team in 2017 and the future.”

Huebsch also announced the signing of Precious Atafua, a 6-0 outside hitter from America Samoa and Auburn, Washington.

While attending Auburn Riverside High School, she was nominated to the state team in 2014, earned the Offensive and Defensive Team Award (2013 and 2014), was recognized in the “Star Times” of the Seattle Times newspaper, and was a member of the KINGS News Team of the Year. As team captain, she helped lead her team to the 3A state championship in 2014, where she was also named the MVP of the state tournament.

Currently, Atafua is a sophomore at Casper College in Casper, Wyoming, where she has attended the past two years. As a freshman, she was named to the All-Freshman Team, the All-Region Team and the All-Tournament Team in 2015, and was recently named All-Region for 2016.

The daughter of Foaga and Jean Atafua, Precious (or “P” as she likes to be called) said, “I chose Northern because I felt so welcome there, and the volleyball program will be taking me to a whole new level in my playing. The volleyball team was amazing on my visit, and we connected right away. ”

“P is a true six-rotation outside hitter,” Huebsch said. “She has great net presence when blocking, has an arsenal of shots as a hitter, and is solid in both serve receive and back court defense. We look forward to her future as a Skylight and expect her to make an immediate impact on our team this fall.”