What is faith? The Webster dictionary describes faith as being ” belief and trust in and loyalty to God,” but to Ashley Acuna it is much more. Acuna is a graduating senior and is committed to play volleyball at Blinn College in Brenham.  Acuna is a record holder for digs and a has competed in the playoff each of the past two years. However, her love for God and the game started much earlier.

As a middle schooler, she tried out for the school volleyball team and made the A-team in the seventh grade, thats where is all started. ” Once i found out that there was many levels to the game, I didn’t want to stop,” she said. In middle school she wanted to reach the “highest level” and that she did, making A-team again her eigth grade year and her play continued into high school. Going into high school, like so many other athletes, she wanted to make the varsity team. “When sophomore year came around, I was so blessed to be given a spot on the varsity volleyball team.”  She was given that opportunity by Coach Patton and never looked back, racking up 378 digs in her first full year at the varsity level.

Now that she had a spot on the varsity roster, her next goal was to keep it. “To maintain the spot on varsity I had to work hard” she said, “my goal was to be the libero.” In order to get that spot she had to push herself “even harder.” The hard work paid off and she was awarded that starting libero spot her junior year. Her main goal was to not only maintain her spot as libero, but “help out my team by being the best player i can be.” And that she did. Acuna collected 378 digs at the libero position. As a senior she, competed at a extremely high level and it showed on her play on the court. She had 554 digs and broke the school record in a single game, not once, but twice and led the team to the playoffs for the third year in a row.

The first colleges came calling in November. At the end of it, Acuna had narrowed it down to four schools and after college visits would help make that decision.  At her visit to Blinn College, she met the coach and that was when she knew, that was the place. “Faith comes first,” the coach said, “and I think that really spoke to me because he is strong about his faith and so am I” Acuna said. Her long term goal is to play D1 but she wants to “play every game like it’s my last.”

Acuna will be playing volleyball at Blinn college this fall and will be majoring in communications. she hopes to get her bachelors, with dreams to be a minister at a church.

So i ask again, what is faith? Faith is a belief, a way of life. it’s waking up in the morning and knowing that you have a purpose. Knowing that you wake up every day with a new adventure awaiting you. For Ashley Acuna, faith led her drive, her work ethic, and has now helped lead her to a school where her future awaits.