When looking at the definition of the word “competitive” you will likely see two words, Courtney Crable. Crable is a star in the making on Auburn's campus. The sophomore outside hitter has been unstoppable this season, as she has tallied 138 kills to help lead the Tigers to a 9-4 record.
Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, Crable’s volleyball career started at an early age; her dad got her involved in the game at 8 years old, and she has loved it ever since.
She also enjoyed playing basketball, but when entering high school, she made the choice to focus on volleyball. She played for Mercy High School in Kentucky and played club volleyball for the Kentucky-Indiana Volleyball Association (KIVA).
In 2010, she was named the ESPNRise National Freshman of the year, but that was just the beginning. In 2013, she was named Kentucky’s “Miss Volleyball,” while also being named a 2013-2014 Under Armour First-Team All-American. Crable led her team to four straight regional titles and one state semifinal appearance.
She came to Auburn and fell in love with the atmosphere. During her official visit, she met some of her future teammates and developed a strong relationship with the coaches. Crable entered as an immediate impact player.
She played in all 31 matches her freshman year and led the team in kills, which she admits was very difficult due to the speed and demand of the game. Crable gives all credit to her teammates and coaches for “making the transition easy." Going into her sophomore season, she is more adjusted to the game.
Her current teammate and former rival Alexa Filley describes Crable as “competitive and driven." Crable and Filley grew up playing both with and against each other. They attended rival high schools, but both played for KIVA. Filley's school, Assumption, knocked Mercy High School out of the playoffs in 2013.
Crable has gained respect from her teammates as a silent leader.
“She is pretty quiet off of the court, but fired up during the game," Filley said.
Head coach Rick Nold concurred Filley’s sentiments, saying that she is a very competitive and driven player that they will rely on. ”We need her to be one of our go-to players," Nold said.
The team's season is off to a good start, and there is no surprise that Courtney is behind a lot of that success.
Outside of volleyball, Courtney is majoring in exercise science and hopes to go to physical therapy school one day.
The Tigers opened up SEC play on Friday, Sept. 25. The match was back and forth, with the Tigers winning 3-1. Crable led the team in kills with 16, another double-digit kill game for the sophomore.
This win was big moving forward with the rest of the season. Crable says she has high hopes for this team and wants to “make it to the tournament" this season.
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