Both Ashlyn Philpot and Laynie Smith grew up with the dream of playing Big Ten volleyball. Neither thought they were ever going to be good enough to reach that level, but it's called a dream for a reason.
Working hard and playing alongside equally motivated high school players, the club-turned-college teammates both turned that dream into a reality and have thrived in big roles in their freshman seasons at Illinois.
"My mindset has always been, 'I'm gonna do as much as I can to make sure I can be on the court.' I just saw it as a challenge," Smith said. "I was like, 'I want to start and I want to play, so I need to put in the work to do that.' I think a lot of it came from club and playing at such a high level with girls who all have the same common goal of playing college and making an impact. It's always been an expectation in my mind. I just had to be hard on myself and push myself because I wanted to play."
Growing up in Durham, North Carolina, Smith's volleyball journey did not begin until she was 12. Initially showing a disinterest due to her self-acknowledged lack of skill, Smith was intimidated by the bigger, better girls she played with and against, and it was not until she reached the high school level that she finally started to enjoy the sport.
Like Smith, Philpot also did not find instant satisfaction in the sport of volleyball. Her involvement began a few years earlier than Smith's, though, with Philpot picking up the sport at the age of 10 after being inspired to follow in the footsteps of her mom, who competed collegiately at UMKC.
Also admittedly falling short skill-wise, it took some time for Philpot's love for the sport to truly take off.
"At first, I remember not really liking it because I wasn't very good," Philpot said. My mom told me that I could quit once I was good because that's when it became fun. Then, I became good, and I liked it."
Philpot – who played for a local club team near her hometown of Greenville, North Carolina – decided to take her interest in the sport to the next level by joining Triangle Volleyball Club, located nearly two hours away. Despite the long commute, she viewed it as an essential step in her quest to, hopefully, play college volleyball.Â
"I knew that I wanted to play in college, and Triangle was the best opportunity for that," Philpot said. "I put in the work, and even though it may seem like a lot, it got me to where I want to be. I don't regret it at all."
That same year, Smith recognized her desire to take volleyball more seriously. Joining a club team located less than 15 minutes from home, Smith signed up for a program she thought would help take her to the next level: Triangle Volleyball Club.
Though competing for the same club at the same age level, Philpot and Smith played on different teams for their 15s season. The following year, the pair played together for the first time after both earning a spot on their club's top team.
Joining a group that had already spent time together, Smith needed some time to open up and gel with her new teammates. Near the middle of their 16s season, Philpot and Smith grew close, and the rest is history.
"I was one of the only new people, so it took me time to really start to get to know everyone, open up, and make friends with everybody. Everyone became really good friends, and Ash and I became pretty close.
"Ashlyn and I lived far away from each other, so we didn't really hang out outside of volleyball as much if we weren't at tournaments. Our families have always been really close and good friends with each other. Whenever Ashlyn was in town, we usually would have dinner or hang out with our families. It was really difficult to hang out when she lived a few hours away, but I feel like our families were pretty much always really close."
Surrounded by a group of players who also had the same goal of playing college volleyball, Philpot and Smith leaned on each other throughout their respective recruitment processes. Though they did their best to keep their plans to themselves, Philpot announced her commitment to Illinois in June 2022.
"I wanted to be in the Big Ten. I knew that really early on because it was just such a fun and competitive conference to watch," Philpot said. "Our coaching staff is like no other. They're amazing, and it just really felt like home whenever I was talking to them. That's why I made my decision.
"I definitely was pro-Illinois for Laynie to go there, but at the same time, I wanted it to be her decision. I didn't want to feel like it was pushed upon her in any way. I just shared my reasons for why I chose it, and then I let her make the final decision because, at the end of the day, it's not my decision, even if that's where I want her to be."
It took Smith a little bit longer to settle on her life-altering decision. Coming to a conclusion in early September of 2022, Smith joined her club teammate in choosing to spend her collegiate career representing the Orange and Blue.
"I always dreamed of playing in the Big Ten because that's what I thought was the pinnacle of volleyball," Smith said. "I just saw the opportunity to play somewhere in the Big Ten for a team that has such good potential and promise, and I thought it was an amazing opportunity to pursue my game and play for amazing coaches."
Philpot and Smith arrived at Illinois in the summer of 2024 without any expectations or promises when it came to their roles in their first seasons with the program. Working hard to better themselves both on and off the court, both North Carolina natives earned a spot in the Illini's first starting lineup of the 2024 season.
Smith's debut was one to remember, with the Illini outside hitter/opposite becoming Illinois' first true freshman since Jacqueline Quade in 2016 to record double-digit kills in their collegiate debut. Smith went on to earn Best Western Invitational all-tournament honors in the first competition of her collegiate career.
Philpot posted seven blocks in each of her first two collegiate matches before ultimately being named to the Cyclone Invitational all-tournament team in the second weekend of the season.
Now in the midst of Big Ten play, Smith has made 19 starts and registered nine matches with double-digit kills thus far, including a stretch of three consecutive 10+-kill performances in mid-September.
"It's been so fulfilling to have all my hard work pay off," Smith said when reflecting on her first collegiate season so far. "Obviously, you still have to work hard. You just have to give yourself a pat on the back, tell yourself good job sometimes, and continue to work hard.
"Sometimes, I have to step back and be like, 'I'm really doing what I didn't even think I could do two years ago.' I didn't think I could even play in college, period. Now, I'm playing at the highest level. That is so crazy to me. It's been really surreal."
Philpot has earned a spot in the starting lineup in all 20 of the Illini's matches thus far. She recorded the first double-double by a freshman middle blocke since 2015Â and has been a productive mainstay for the Orange and Blue all season long.
Philpot and Smith are only just getting started in their journey from club teammates to college stars.
"It's starting to set in for me because I would watch the Big Ten and I remember watching these matches," Philpot said. "It's just really cool to think about because I have a ton of family friends back at home who are like, 'Oh, I watched your game. Congratulations.' To know people are watching us play is just a really cool thing for me to think about.
"From the very beginning, we've worked hard to try and earn our place on the court. Every practice, we give it our all so we can be impactful and make a difference on this team. I'm not satisfied with where I'm at and always pushing every practice to get better every day is still important, no matter what role I have on the team. I think it's good to always hold yourself to a higher standard."
