Commitment Profile
Blue Chip Senior Ashley Lahey Rides the Waves
by James Hill, 8 March 2016
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Blue Chip recruit Ashley Lahey of Hawthorne, Calif., is a resilient and determined young woman.
After reaching the 14s singles finals of the
Easter Bowl and
Hard Courts in 2013, Lahey suffered a foot injury, and surgery was necessary. She bounced back, but doctors determined there was a fracture in each foot, caused by overuse. Lahey was injured throughout 2014 and the beginning of 2015. But Lahey was persistent and worked hard to make a comeback.
Lahey studied at El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., taking extra college classes during her rehab period. The talented Lahey will become a member of the Pepperdine University women's tennis team this year. But it was not the visit to the campus, overlooking the Pacific in Malibu, Calif., which swayed her. Her decision to become a member of the Waves team was because of head coach Per Nilsson.
"The first time I visited Pepperdine, I was uninterested in the school," Lahey admitted. "I hadn't really considered it as one of my top choices and was only visiting for the experience. The coach (Per Nilsson) is one of the most enthusiastic and positive people I have ever met. His attitude is truly infectious, and his knowledge of the game is incredible. On top of that, he has demonstrated a lot of belief in me. After a few months, I knew I really wanted to work with him."
Nilsson is in his second season as head coach at Pepperdine. He took over in the summer of 2014 from 37-year veteran head coach Gualberto Escudero. Last year, Pepperdine defeated Auburn in the first round of the NCAA Division I Tournament, and then lost to 14th-seeded Stanford in the second. This year, the Waves have been ranked in the Top 10 of the Oracle/ITA Women's Team Rankings. Nilsson spent five years as an assistant coach with Pepperdine's men's team, and then was head coach at his alma mater, Mississippi State, for seven seasons.
