Former Champlin Park Volleyball Players Play for NCAA Title

On Saturday night in Pittsburgh, Wisconsin plays Stanford for the NCAA volleyball championship. The Badgers have had a fabulous season and part of their success is because of a Champlin Park HS duo.

Junior Sydney Hilley and freshman Izzy Ashburn are Rebel alumni thriving with the Badgers. Hilley is one of Wisconsin’s top players and a key cog on the team, and Ashburn has excelled in her first year with the team. The Champlin Park connection is getting plenty of national attention on ESPN broadcasts.

It’s fun to hear Sydney Hilley from Brooklyn Park and Izzy Ashburn from Dayton, Minnesota,” said Champlin Park Assistant Volleyball Coach Allison Axness. “It’s totally fun to hear that and they have worked so hard to get to this point. Endless hours in the gym and the weight room. So many sacrifices along the way. It’s been fun to see that their hard work has paid off.”

School buzz

If the Badgers knock off the Cardinal, the Champlin Park tandem will be part of the first team in Wisconsin volleyball history to win a crown. Even though Hilley and Ashburn are playing far way in Pennsylvania, current Rebel students in Minnesota follow the action closely. 

“There’s just a buzz in our school and our community,” Axness said. “Been fun to see them on the big stage. It’s been fun to connect with other Champlin Park volleyball players and alum. It’s just an exciting time for them as well as the little Rebels and all of them. We are just having a great time watching them. We can not wait for Saturday night.”  

Hilley is the Big Ten’s setter of the year, while Ashburn led Champlin Park to the 2018 Minnesota Class 3-A title, Wisconsin (27-6) is going to need a great effort against Stanford (29-4). The Cardinal are trying to win their third title in four years and ninth in program history.

Brooklyn Park