Ainsley Wilson is an intimidating presence in the front row for Burlington Central.
Just with her height alone, the 6-foot-4 junior middle hitter stands out, but her athleticism has been validated already, in part, by her early commitment to play in college at Dayton.
Her teammates also hear what other teams say about her, including fellow middle hitter Peyton Strout, a senior who is committed to Minnesota State-Mankato.
“We just hear chatter through the conference like, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s so big,’” Strout said of Wilson. “She’s a D-I commit, all of this stuff. She’s a really big advantage to have on our side.”
Wilson played a pivotal role Thursday night for the host Rockets with three kills and three blocks in a wild 25-18, 15-25, 25-11 Fox Valley Conference victory over Cary-Grove.
Her presence also opened things up for everyone else.
Haidyn Schatz led Burlington Central (3-0, 2-0) with six kills and nine digs. Strout added five kills and three blocks, while Rukmini Gangavarapu came up with four kills.
Wilson led the conference in hitting percentage as a sophomore, foreshadowing her future success. After posting a team-best nine kills Tuesday against Crystal Lake South, she’s well on her way to topping last season’s numbers.
“It’s very, very difficult to anticipate what she’s going to do because she can play so high above the net,” Burlington Central coach Julia Smagacz said. “She can absolutely just crank on it. She can push. She can put it everywhere. She’s very difficult to defend, which is a huge asset for us.”
Burlington Central’s Ainsley Wilson (8) and Haidyn Schatz (2) put up a block against Cary-Grove during a Fox Valley Conference match in Burlington on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
Wilson said her focus in the offseason started in the gym.
In addition to building more strength, she worked on improving her vertical leap, making her an even more versatile and dangerous on offense in the process.
“I think that really helped me improve my game,” Wilson said. “I think it just improves my athleticism and allows me to get a higher block, get a higher contact on the ball.
“I can swing over the block and it really just gives me more options.”
It was a back-and-forth first game Thursday before Wilson took over down the stretch. Up 19-18, the Rockets pulled away behind a kill and two blocks from Wilson.
Things went sideways in the second game, however. Smagacz and the Rockets experimented with their lineup a little bit and Cary-Grove (0-2, 0-2) took advantage with eight aces.
“I give the girls credit for trusting each other and trying something new,” Smagacz said. “We can table that for later. That’s a testament to my team’s flexibility.
“We have some girls that can do a lot of different things. We learned what worked.”
Burlington Central’s Peyton Strout (1) prepares to serve against Cary-Grove during a Fox Valley Conference match in Burlington on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
The Rockets went back to their original lineup in the third game and that worked. Wilson’s block kill made it 17-8 and they cruised from there.
With such a unique player at Burlington Central’s disposal, Strout said the Rockets try to maximize that advantage as much as possible.
“Running her on the stuff that she’s really good at, quicker tempo, making sure the set it high enough for her,” Strout said of Wilson. “We try to utilize her in that way.”
A player with Wilson’s physical attributes will always attract college coaches, which wasn’t lost on Smagacz.
“She’s a very attractive player,” Smagacz said. “She’s kind of hard to ignore.”
Burlington Central’s Tiernan Naus (9), Ainsley Wilson (8) and Rukmini Gangavarapu (6) react against Cary-Grove during a Fox Valley Conference match on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
That led to a recruiting process for Wilson, and she ultimately settled on Dayton.
“It was really exciting,” Wilson said. “I felt like it was the place for me. It was definitely stressful, but once I got to Dayton, I just had that feeling, so it was easy to make the decision.”
With an experienced roster coming off the program’s first regional title in 10 years, Wilson is excited about where things are headed.
“We all work well together,” Wilson said. “We all have a good connection. We’re all best friends.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
