Zach and Ashley both shared a love of volleyball throughout their college careers which plays a big part in their journey! Zach had just transferred to Olivet Nazarene University, where Ashley had been attending since her first year. It was their sophomore year, and they were both playing in a sand volleyball game at the beginning of the year. Zach says he remembers Ashley because it was game point, and she went in to serve—but missed the serve and the other team won. “No one told me it was game point.” – Ashley Anyway, Ashley’s friend Evan approached Zach and asked if he wanted to be on his intramural volleyball team, and Zach said yes. Little did Zach know there was going to be a 5'3 girl on the team who didn't know how to hit and only knew how to play the back row (Ashley). From there, Ashley met Zach—and the first thing she noticed was that he was like seven feet tall and had a Minnesotan accent! She also thought he was really cute and wanted to get to know him. That moment marked the beginning of their friendship. They became part of a big friend group made up of both of their friends. They played multiple intramural sports together—whether on a team or as partners, Zach and Ashley loved being active and competitive side by side. They also spent lots of time hanging out with friends and basically did everything together. Their friendship continued to grow until they eventually became best friends! Zach’s friends always suspected he liked Ashley, even if he never admitted it. Ashley’s friends knew that if Zach ever asked her on a date, she would have said yes in a heartbeat. After some time of “just being friends,” they both realized they weren’t just friends—they actually really liked each other! After a little while of talking, Zach and Ashley made it official on March 29th. And from there… their story continues! (Obviously, you can see how it’s going if you’re reading this on a wedding website!) Ashley fell for Zach’s humor, humility, kindness, compassion, light brown eyes, puffy hair—even though she tells him to cut it sometimes, the way he is around his family, and most importantly, his love for the Lord. Zach loved how Ashley lights up the room and brings a positive energy wherever she goes. He loves how she is always having fun and cares so much for others. She is kind to everyone she meets and is a woman of God. We would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support and love toward our relationship as we step into a new chapter of life. We may have started in college on a silly, fun intramural sand volleyball team, but our story is so much more than that—and it's still growing, thanks to the support we feel from all of you! We hope you enjoyed the short version of our story, because man—is it a fun one!