Volleyball blocking schemes can only do so much to alter or slow down outside hitters that attack from opposite sides. 

Usually it comes down to a choice of defending one or the other. There aren’t enough bodies on the court to set up blockers for both. 

Ashland University volleyball has caused this headache for opposing coaches and teams with their pair of star outside hitters Alli Cudworth and Casey Clark. 

Both players took the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference by storm and helped propel a team that was expected to be good, but not great, to a school-record 15 conference wins. 

Cudworth was second in the GLIAC with 451 kills and third in kills per set at 3.70. 

Clark ranked in the top ten in kills with 328 and was equally impressive defensively with 327 digs, good for third on the team. 

Oh, by the way, last season was just their first year on campus.

“It was definitely a fun year to show what we could do,” Cudworth said. 

Last season might just have been the beginning. Expectations weren’t quite as high for Ashland in 2013 due to the graduation of All-American outside hitter Brittany Snider and All-GLIAC setter Crystal Elliot. Both players were responsible for the majority of Ashland’s offensive attack in 2012. 

“I think we surprised a lot of people last year,” said AU head coach Cass Dixon. “We started a lot of young players and they progressed and became much more experienced players.”

Enter Cudworth and Clark, who despite being freshmen were one of if not the most formidable outside hitter duo in the conference. 

In the first week of the 2013 season, Cudworth had 34 total kills in her first four collegiate contests and was tabbed the first GLIAC South “player of the week” recipient of the year. 

That award only opened the door to the possibilities to the kind of season Cudworth would have. 

“I was just shocked that I even got that first player of the week award,” Cudworth said. “I guess when I got into it, it became my goal to reach even higher and push harder to do even better.”

Cudworth was awarded player of the week a total of three times in 2013, and there were more accolades to follow.

She was picked GLIAC Freshmen of the Year, a first-team all-conference performer, and named to the Midwest all-region team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. 

“I wanted to do the best for my team,” Cudworth said. “I wanted the whole team to do well. Because of my teammates, I was able to do better.”

One of those teammates that helped open things up for Cudworth offensively was Casey Clark.

Clark’s presence on the opposite side of the floor often left opponents in a pick-and-choose situation as to which player to defend. One or the other was often left in a better situation to score, giving AU an overwhelming advantage. Clark put together a similarly impressive list of honors from her freshman year leading into this year’s season.

She was named first-team All-GLIAC, making her and Cudworth the first pair of freshmen from the same team to make the conference first-team since 2008.

In addition, Clark earned two GLIAC South “player of the week” awards back-to-back in the second and third weeks of the season.

Clark’s team presence stretches further than just her play on the court. She is one of the team’s three captains entering her sophomore season.

“It shows that our team is young, but we have a lot of leadership,” said Cudworth. “Casey [Clark] definitely is a great leader on the court and she knows what she is doing. All of our captains are good role models for everybody.”

Dixon sees a lot of leadership out of both Clark and Cudworth that should translate into even greater success on the court. 

“I expect them to set the standard,” said Dixon. “I expect them to work hard everyday and show everybody what it’s all about.”

With all the exposure that both players have gotten over the past year with their play on the court, opposing teams and programs have certainly taken notice. 

Rather than being the unknown freshmen on the court, Cudworth and Clark are now the highlighted names on opposing teams’ game plans. 

It’s acknowledged that it will be difficult to repeat the lofty results of 2013, but with a year of experience now under their belts and being able to take on greater responsibility with their team, both players are poised to step up.

“Now that people know who they are,” said Dixon, “they’re going to get double-blocked or even triple-blocked. But we’re going to put them in the best position for them to be successful. We expect for them to do what they can do.”

“More teams are going to recognize us and try to shut us down,” said Cudworth. “I think it’s good for us going into this season with experience because we know what its like and how to adjust now.”

After a record-setting conference season and making it the Midwest regional semifinal in 2013 and having several key players including Cudworth and Clark returning, it only makes sense that the Eagles are aiming for higher goals. 

“We have a good group coming in and we’re all pretty well rounded in what we are doing, so it should be fun,” Cudworth said. “We’re really pushing to go further than we did last year.”

There aren’t too many more steps from where the Eagles finished last year and a national championship.

Cudworth and Clark are going to be key pieces for the Eagles to make it further, and this is just year two for both of them.