Syracuse 5-star recruit Ashlee Volpe has executed at high level as left-handed attack
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Ashlee Volpe doesn’t know how to go less than 100% on the field, Corning-Painted Post High School head lacrosse coach Kevin Scanlon said. Volpe is always trying more creative offensive plays. After a while, defenses adapted, but so did she, attempting highlight-reel shots out of necessity.
“She doesn’t have a half-speed or three-quarter speed, she’s never loafing,” Scanlon said.
Volpe, a five-star 2023 recruit joining the Syracuse women’s lacrosse program next fall, has developed herself into one of the best attacks in the state. Scanlon said as a left-handed attack, she can think quickly on her feet and execute at a high level. Volpe grew up playing with the boys until fifth grade when she eventually played in all-girls leagues. By eighth grade, she was promoted to the Corning-Painted Post’s varsity team.
Scanlon recounted a moment where Volpe had the ball and no options near the end of a game. Surrounded by multiple defenders, she shot behind the back that went in to get her team the win.
The shot selection wasn’t an attempt to show off, Scanlon said. Volpe had practiced these kinds of shots in the past, and was prepared for a situation where she might need to take it.
“She has this wherewithal to know now’s the time, it’s needed, it’s a lift, it’s appropriate versus not,” Scanlon said.
But Scanlon knew prior to that goal that Volpe was going to be a standout athlete. Scanlon had coached Volpe on the seventh grade girls basketball team, the first time that Scanlon had ever coached Volpe.
“My impression of her immediately was…this kid’s an athlete,” Scanlon said.
Scanlon said Volpe had great speed and her ability to utilize it “the right way,” Scanlon said. Because of her speed, opponents put additional attention on Volpe. But rather than forcing offensive possessions on her stick, Volpe learned to adapt as a facilitator.
“She’s learned that teams are gonna send more than one defender at her, and she knows that opens up other kids,” Scanlon said.
Volpe always had a lacrosse stick in her hand. Growing up in Painted Post, New York, playing lacrosse at a young age was pretty normal, but her level of play was not. Volpe’s father and brother both played lacrosse and she started the sport, competing against boys and girls, in kindergarten. She also played up a level, too, competing an age group up with her brother, Nick, to improve her skill set.
By sophomore year, Volpe was playing varsity lacrosse, basketball and soccer until she tore her ACL for the first time her sophomore year. Ultimately, this forced Volpe to stop playing basketball and soccer, focusing her recovery toward lacrosse. Giving up on lacrosse wasn’t even on the table, she said.
“After that (the ACL tear), I realized I can do it, overcoming so many challenges in life…it played with your mind so much,” Volpe said.
After the recovery, she returned to the sport at a high level, which helped her prove to herself that she could play at a much stronger level, she said.
Volpe is always looking to get her teammates involved, especially when the opposing team is face guarding her. She’s learned some strategies to score even when being heavily guarded, taking advantage of screens for her.
Volpe prides herself on her ability to play with others. When teammates set screens for her, she is either open right away or she will attract the switch defender and her teammate will be open, though she tries to feed her teammates off the screen first.
“Having good communication with your teammates helps when you get shut off,” said Volpe.
But in the summer of 2021, Volpe tore her ACL once again. Volpe remained diligent with her recovery, but this time had experience with the rehabilitation exercises.
“Her character coming out of it (her second ACL tear) truly shows you the person she is,” said Brookelyn Batzing, a teammate of Volpe’s since second grade.
Throughout her high school career, Volpe also played club lacrosse with Monster Elite Lacrosse. Yet again, Volpe played up a level. Head coach Ronnie Davis had her competing with more talented athletes from the class of 2022.
“It was absolutely iron sharpening iron,” Scanlon said.
This talent-rich area prepared Volpe for the competitive landscape of Syracuse lacrosse, she said. As she becomes the next five-star recruit to join one of the best collegiate programs, she knows she’s up for the challenge.
“I want to come in and be humble and play like who I am,” Volpe said. “I know I have to work for what I’m going to get at Syracuse.”
