Bergen Record Female Athlete of the Week: Ashley Kingsley, Fair Lawn

September 15, 2022

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Ashley Kingsley had an off-ramp from her love affair with volleyball.

She had started playing in her backyard at age 6 and by the time she was 10, she was playing with a club team. Her dad, concerned that she might be being pushed externally, told her she could stop any time if she wasn’t having any fun.

Ashley Kingsley looked at her dad, Matt Kingsley, then the Glen Rock volleyball coach, and laughed. Then she went back to the court for another game.

Seven years later, she’s one of the best players in North Jersey and is trying to lead the Cutters deep into the Bergen and state tournaments, and to a league title. That route might put her in a head-on-collision with her dad, who now coaches Bergen Tech.

“He started me playing at a young age and I used to go with him to practice and games and began to really to learn and love the game,” Ashley said. “Everything I learned until I got into high school came from him and it’s why I love the game so much.”

Ashley comes from a outstanding Bergen County sports family. Her grandfather Bob Kingsley was the first baseball coach at Paramus, an outstanding official and a member of the inaugural Spartan Hall of Fame class. At age 92, he’s now her biggest fan and loves coming to watch her play.

Her high school coach, Peter Zisa, calls her “an amazing team leader who is steady, calm, enthusiastic and continuously able to rise to the occasion.”

“Volleyball is a mind game and everything you have to be able to do to be good is so amazing to me,” she said. “I don’t look at the stats, I just try and play hard, stay positive and use my volleyball IQ.”

It’s no wonder Ashley has been a team captain since her sophomore year and hopes to follow in her dad’s footsteps as a math teacher and volleyball coach. She’s looking at local schools like Kean University and New Jersey City Universities.

“Coaching and teaching are my main goals now,” she said. “I love sharing knowledge and helping my teammates with my technique because I’ve been lucky enough to play for so long and a lot of them didn’t start until high school.”

Ashley also credits her mom, Sonia, for her positive attitude and helpful spirit. “Mom taught me so much, to be kind, and everything that goes with that. She’s a big believer in good karma and I am too.”

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Bergen Record Female Athlete of the Week: Ashley Kingsley, Fair Lawn

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