By Brian Gosset
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
gmsportsmedia2023@gmail.com
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Ashtyn Richey was an all-state volleyball player throughout her high school career – splitting time at Pilot Point and Prosper. During her sophomore season, she chose her college home with a commitment to SMU. Now eight years after leaving high school, Richey is a coach – at Cypress Bridgeland in the Houston area. She previously spent three years at Lucas Lovejoy, winning a state championship in 2023.
But Richey’s life didn’t always go so smoothly.
She had to overcome many medical issues.
In the summer before her junior year with Prosper HS, Richey started experiencing some abnormal symptoms. She also went through intense concerns as a senior that changed her everyday life.
“I found out my first week of college that I had a benign pituitary adenoma, a non-cancerous brain tumor that was four times the size of the gland that has a part in almost every system of the body,” Richey said. “In my first year of D1 volleyball, I had gained a significant amount of weight, was getting blood drawn every month and to top it off, I had two hernia surgeries six months apart from each other that same year and I pretty much lost my freshman year.
“The mental battle in my first year of college is something to this day I don’t even know how I made it out. It was a time that I would never wish on my worst enemy.”
Richey would end up leaving SMU and transferred to Houston Christian – previously Houston Baptist University. The coaching staff allowed her to redshirt and Richey was still granted four full years.
GROWING UP
Richey grew up in Pilot Point and was a six-rotation starter for two years.
She received numerous accolades, but during her second semester of sophomore year, the family moved to Prosper, where she served as the starting middle blocker.
The 6-1 Richey helped the Eagles to 39 wins and regional tournament appearance as a senior.
Despite the medical issues, Richey said she enjoyed every bit of high school volleyball.
“My high school playing career was definitely great and I was very blessed, said Richey, who also played for Lone Star Volleyball Club, which doesn’t exist anymore. Richey would help her club team near the top of every qualifier including winning the Tour of Texas during her 18s year.
HOUSTON CHRISTIAN
Richey chose to leave SMU and wound up down south at Houston Christian. Her coach, Trent Herman, granted her four full years to play there. She started on the right side her first three years with HCU and was ready to play her fifth year – fourth in Houston, but God had other plans.
She was still battling the medical side.
“I still was battling a lot of health issues related to my tumor and had a blown out shoulder after my first season at HCU. I ultimately medically retired due to severe knee deterioration. However, when it came time to sit down and
tell my coaches, I’ll never forget the meeting,” Richey said.
Everyone in the meeting knew her struggles.
Her coaches were very supportive.
“They knew that I needed to not send myself through another season. My coaches said ‘You have to find what your identity is outside of volleyball. You love too hard to let this destroy you.’ I started my graduate degree as the sports information director grad assistant after I retired and I had a pretty big hatred towards volleyball for a long time. I wanted NOTHING to do with it,” Richey said. “I worked with mostly girls basketball, softball and men’s soccer while working stats for other sports around the school. I really enjoyed it. I originally got my undergrad to go into Marriage and Family Therapy, but I guess I just couldn’t escape being in the world of sports.”
GETTING BACK INTO VOLLEYBALL
Richey graduated college in 2020 and started to began her adult life a year later.
She slowly got back into the game she loved. She worked through college as an assistant coach for the youth program at Houston Volleyball Academy.
“I had really started to find why I loved volleyball in the first place. I had always LOVED how much I was taught about the game from some great coaches in my life and I also thrived at remembering some of the not so great coaches and how much I never wanted to be like them,” she said. “I started coaching beach, coaching club and even ran a couple of high school volleyball camps.”
Richey started to work a high school camp with a former HCU teammate and Needville coach Amy Schultz, who was there, came up to her and asked if she wanted to join her staff. Richey did join and helped coach Needville to the state semifinals during the 2021 season.
“I still didn’t know if this was really what I wanted to keep doing but I loved working for Amy and being around volleyball again that I was going to stick with it,” Richey said.
COACHING BACK IN DFW
A year later from Needville, Richey got the chance to come back closer to home and found herself at the powerhouse – Lucas Lovejoy. There was job opening and Richey got the job only a week after interviewing.
Lovejoy only started its volleyball program in 2007 and already has 10 state championships and 13 state appearances. She would help assistant the Leopards under Natalie Bates (Puckett), a former Lovejoy player who won three titles in high school.
“I knew the history of the program and would have been an idiot to not go for the job,” Richey said. “It was also a
chance for me to move back home and be closer to family, which I had REALLY missed.”
Richey spent three years at Lovejoy where the Leopards went to the regional semifinals in 2022, won a state title in 2023 and reached the regional final in 2024.
“It was the best three years I could’ve imagined. When we won state in 2023 and watched those girls, who I loved so very much, have all their hard work pay off…it was amazing,” said Richey, who also coached JV during that time and only lost three matches in three seasons.
“It taught me so much, more than I think a lot of coaches get to learn. I have relationships with people and memories that I will cherish forever. Truly an unforgettable experience,” she added. “Leaving was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
I decided to move back to Houston as my personal life was moving in a different direction and I actually
was going back and forth on whether or not I wanted to keep coaching.”
CYPRESS BRIDGELAND BEARS
The volleyball program is still new – having started in 2018, but quickly became one of the best teams in the state. In only their fourth year, the Bears reached the state tournament. In just seven years, they have three district titles and have win totals of 43, 41 and 39 – with two other seasons of 30 wins.
Richey saw an opening at Bridgeland and emailed coach Verena Khalil.
The interview couldn’t have gone any better.
“I knew without a doubt that if she was going to ask me to come coach with her, it was an easy yes. She offered me the job and as I’ve gotten to know her over the summer, and now that season has begun, being at Bridgeland has been
amazing and a decision I am so happy I made,” Richey said. “The people here are amazing and the players are such great kids and have welcomed me with open arms.”
Richey still has her medical struggles, but her tumor is almost gone after 10 years, and she’s even lost 100 pounds.
“I tell my athletes and students all the time and I hope that anyone who reads this – we should enjoy the journey, and in those seasons of life, when everything is coming at you and trying to steal your joy, you shouldn’t be afraid. Asking for help is not something that should be a daunting choice you give yourself. It is powerful, it is necessary, and it brings an indescribable peacefulness. Never let fear take away the passion you have to be great,” she said.
“God has shown me some astounding and miraculous things and has used me in ways that I used to deny. People ask me all the time if I regret playing in college or what I would do if I could go back. I wouldn’t change a thing. No matter how hard it all was, no matter the amount of times I wanted to give into the fear and anxiety, I sit and look at my life now and there is so much gratitude in suffering. From being in a place where I wanted nothing to do with the thing I spent most of my childhood loving…I can’t imagine a life that’s different from what I am living right now.”
“To everyone that has been a part of these seasons in my life, thank you.”
“The journey wasn’t easy, but I sure found greatness in it.”
