Guard/forward combo Ashley Sneed doesn’t take the fact that she’s a senior as a free pass; in fact, she’s one of the hardest-working players on the team.

In her four seasons at NIU, Sneed has never been the face of the team, but that’s not her main focus. For her, the emphasis is always on continuing to improve — within the framework of the team — no matter how few games she has remaining with the Huskies.

Sneed began her NIU career in the 2010-11 season after playing at Thornton High School. She was considered the Wildcats’ best defensive player and was named to the 2009-10 Northwest Indiana Times’ All-Area Second Team.

The 5-foot-10 Harvey native hadn’t been recruited by head coach Kathi Bennett, who had just begun her first season at the helm when Sneed joined the program in 2010; however, Sneed’s defensive capabilities fit right in with Bennett’s famed “pack” defense.

Bennett said Sneed has progressed a “tremendous amount” since her freshman season; she has continued to hone her craft over the years with a team-first mentality.

“I just do whatever coach wants me to do,” Sneed said. “She specified defense when she came in when I was a freshman, and I tried to focus mainly on that and let my offense comes from my defense.

“I’m OK with [coming off the bench]. Whatever Coach [Bennett] wants me to do for the betterment of the team, it’s fine with me. As long as the team is successful, I’m fine with coming off the bench, giving energy and doing what I need to do for my team.”

Redshirt junior guard Danny Pulliam, who began her NIU career the same year as Sneed, said it’s hard to miss the progressions Sneed has made on both ends of the court over the years.

“She’s just grown so much as a player and as a person,” Pulliam said. “I think her biggest thing is she continues to talk and she continues to fight. No matter how many minutes she might get or how many shots she might get, she just continues to play.”

Through 21 games, Sneed has averaged 3.6 points per game on a career-best 43.2 shooting percentage after she averaged a career-high 5.4 points per game on 38.6 percent shooting last season. Despite the scoring dip, Sneed said her better overall shooting comes from, well, practicing shooting.

“I just shoot,” Sneed said. “I shoot. After practice I’ll shoot. I’ll shoot with the coaches. Off-days, I’ll try to come in and work out. So, it’s just mainly working on your craft, trying to get better when nobody’s looking.”

Sneed used her final offseason at the collegiate level to not only continue progressing herself but also to help the incoming freshmen transition to the college game. She said she tried to take all the freshmen in over the summer and be a mentor to them.

One of the freshmen she said she instantly clicked with was guard Ally Lehman.

“For her to go out of her way, especially in the summer … as a person, that says it all,” Lehman said. “You have an upper classman that’s already gone next year that still cares to work with a freshman. That’s just leadership at its best.”