A two-time unanimous Maine All-State Volleyball first- team selection will be taking her considerable talents to the University of Maine next fall.

Woodland High School senior Ashley Marble, who led her Dragons to four straight state championship appearances and two straight state titles, will sign an official letter of intent today to play volleyball on a full athletic scholarship with the Black Bears.

“I’ve been coaching 13 years and we’ve had some talented people go through here, but she’s by far the best,” said Woodland volleyball coach Rich Nutter. “Her leaping ability, coordination, mental toughness, and her versatility make her the complete package.”

Nutter and Woodland school officials believe Marble is the first Woodland graduate to earn a division I athletic scholarship ever.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Maine. I used to go down and watch Maine basketball games with my parents,” Marble said. “I’ve been playing basketball for as long as I can remember and always imagined myself playing that there, so it’s kind of funny I’m going there for volleyball.”

Marble was still thinking hoops over nets until last year, when the volleyball bug really bit her. She then took another look at UMaine and liked what she saw.

“I went to the match they won against Northeastern. They’re really getting to be very successful,” Marble said. “What excites me is it’s a young team and I really like the players and coach [Sue] Medley.

“I didn’t want to go out of state and Orono is far enough away, but just close enough to home. Another thing is my relatives and friends and coach can come see me play.”

Marble is interested in pharmaceutical studies, but since Maine doesn’t have a program, she plans to study biology/medicine with an eye toward pharmacology later.

Although Nutter wishes he had her back another year, his fellow coaches are glad to see her go.

“I get that all the time from coaches: ‘She hasn’t graduated already? How many more years do I have to see her?’ so no, I don’t think they’ll miss her,” he said with a chuckle. “But for me it seems like her four years flew by.”

NCAA rules prohibit Medley from commenting on recruits until after they’ve signed letters of intent.

Marble holds six school records – one career, two season and three match – with single-match kills (26), digs (12) and aces (6). Seasonally, she holds the records for kills with 184 (twice) and 47 aces. She is also ranked among the top 10 in six of seven statistical categories. She has 493 kills (record), 530 good serves, 194 digs and 102 aces.

Marble helped lead the Dragons to a Class D state basketball championship last season and was a NEWS All-Maine third team selection. She has also been heavily recruited as a basketball player.

“I really love it, but volleyball is newer to me than basketball and it’s up-tempo, exciting and there’s still a lot for me to learn,” she said. “I know I can get better and I still have a lot of room to improve.”