Vocal. Competitive. Energetic. Positive. Articulate.

Those are all terms ISU head volleyball coach Linda Crum uses to define Ashlie McWee, a middle blocker for this year’s ISU volleyball squad.

McWee has one more to add to the list — loudmouth.

The redshirt freshman said she sees it as her job to get everyone on the team ready to go.

“I bring the competitive fire onto the court,” McWee said. “I’m the one who does the dirty work in that I light the fire out there and get everyone going. I consider myself some sort of a cheerleader. I’m out there to get my team hyped.”

Crum said somebody’s got to do it, and McWee is the woman for the job. “She is a very vocal person, so that brings a sense of leadership because always on the court you need people being vocal to create your chemistry,” she said.

McWee, who has played in nine matches this season, is averaging 6.67 kills and 4.22 blocks per match. She had a career night Oct. 5 against Baylor when she recorded 12 kills.

Crum said McWee’s position at middle blocker lends itself to a lot of the quick sets.

“An area of her strength to our team is some of her quicker attacks which are the one-set attacks which is probably the quickest attack you can run in volleyball,” Crum said.

“She can run that very effectively off of the dig. It’s very important because if we dig — it’s a good dig — most likely she is up in transition and it is going to be a kill for us. She is also a very good blocker. She gets a lot of good touches and blocks on the ball.”

Crum said McWee’s abilities off the court are just as good as what she does for the volleyball team.

“She’s one of those great student-athletes that you enjoy interacting with,” Crum said. “Very positive, very energetic, very articulate. You really enjoy sitting down and talking to her. She is a lot of fun. Her teammates and the coaching staff really enjoy being around her.”

McWee, who hails from Aurora, Colo., said she gets her athleticism from her dad. She has been playing volleyball since third grade.

“I have a love for sports and I have played all kinds of sports and I just found a passion for volleyball so I stuck with it,” she said.

She received interest from other schools, but McWee chose Iowa State because they recruited her the hardest and offered her a scholarship. She also liked the coaches and she wanted to play in the Big 12 Conference. “I like to play at that kind of level,” McWee said.

After a freshman season that ended prematurely due to a stress fracture in her foot, McWee is back and ready to play this season. She plays despite a new stress fracture in the same foot that has caused her to miss some matches this season. Outside of practice and games, she can be seen wearing a protective boot.

“My foot is not totally healed, but it is at the point where it is tolerable and I can play on it,” McWee said. “Right now, I can play through any kind of pain. I just want to be out there on the court contributing some way to the team.”

Looking back on her redshirt season, McWee is able to see the positive outcomes. She considered it an opportunity to learn more about the Big 12 Conference and volleyball at the collegiate level.

Redshirting also led her to her chosen major and career path — psychology.

“I want to be a sports psychologist,” McWee said. “Redshirting, you find out a whole other aspect of the game — the mental part. I needed someone to talk to me when I was out, so I want to be the one to help the athletes someday.”

While it is tough to be a student-athlete and balance both worlds, McWee said all that is needed is discipline and a tough mentality. She said it’s a good test of a person’s abilities.

With strength for blocking, McWee knows that there is still room for progress.

“I think I always have room for improvement whether it be hitting, passing, serving, everything,” McWee said. “I don’t think I am close to what I can become yet.”