Joshua Mabry, Campus Carrier Asst. Sports Editor
Jordan Leitch, a junior setter for the Lady Vikings volleyball team, was selected to be a part of the USA Division III volleyball team in Brazil over the summer.
The top players from eight different states and 11 different colleges were present, according to Leitch. She enjoyed getting the opportunity to play with them.
“It was really exciting. I got to learn a whole bunch,” she said.
A coach from Bridgewater College was really helpful to Leitch.
“She was very intellectual on the game and gave me pieces of advice that I was very thankful for,” Leitch said.
Leitch said that she got to work a lot on her defense while in Brazil.
“I got to learn from another setter who is one of the top setters in the nation right now for D3. She taught me to relax in the game and have fun with it,” she said.
Leitch also learned how to work together with the other girls on her team.
“When everyone was able to click, it really lit a fire,” she said.
The Brazil trip was beneficial for Leitch in many ways.
“The trip really widened my horizon of knowledge of the game,” Leitch said.
The USA Division III volleyball team played teams from Jundiaí, Rio de Janeiro and Itatiba in Brazil.
According to Leitch, a lot of teams in Brazil are very fast paced and go after the ball. This helped her to learn a lot about patience.
Sightseeing was on the agenda during Leitch’s trip as well. She saw Sugarloaf Mountain, the Christ the Redeemer statue and the beach in Rio de Janeiro.
She also got to visit a creative learning school where students are taught to use their talents in various ways instead of simply memorizing information for a test.
Caitlyn Moriarty, head volleyball coach, has been on the same trip twice.
“I think it was neat that Jordan went by herself on the trip and had to get out of her comfort zone and play for a different coach and learn from her and meet the best players in DIII and learn from them,” Moriarty said.
According to Moriarty, going on the trip helped Leitch to grow and this is beneficial because she is entering into an upperclassman leadership role on the team.
