TN and Anderson County alumni going for a national title

[K2ruth]

Lee is undefeated and ranked number 1 in the country. They are in the final 4 going for a national championship this weekend.

 

With the exception of UT and maybe MTSU, Lee is the top college volleyball program in the state of Tennessee. They recruit all over the world, and have 2 hammers from Brazil. Last year Lee came close, but this could be their season.

 

Their all-star setter is Kelsey Leffew, the daughter of long time poster Hopi, and one of the scores of great collegiate players produced by Anderson County High School, one of the state's elite programs.

 

We were honored to have worked with Kelsey in club.

 

All of us in the state are pulling for one of our own who shows that our athletes can play at an elite level!

 

Good luck Kelsey and Lee!

[PHargis]

k2, this poster agrees with your post especially with Tennessee players and especially with the caliber as the one from Anderson Clunty. Lee is a great school and Tennessee is a great State for producing some very fine players. I am sure there are others. I do slightly take issue for schools having to think they have to go outsie the Country to find qualified players. They don't have to. Tennesseans support their own and provide money, etc, support for their schools. Schools don't have to search in South Florida to find high schools with 26, 27 year olds from out of the country. Too much of this is happening in small colleges all over the Southeast. There are qualified players in the States. Coaches seem to think that it is to their advantage and to their schools advantage to do this but it is absolutely not unless winning is everything even with players from outside the country and only to play a year there and only then transfer to an NCAA school for the rest of their eligability. Tennessee has great players and great teachers of the game.

[Hopi]

Lee is undefeated and ranked number 1 in the country. They are in the final 4 going for a national championship this weekend.

 

With the exception of UT and maybe MTSU, Lee is the top college volleyball program in the state of Tennessee. They recruit all over the world, and have 2 hammers from Brazil. Last year Lee came close, but this could be their season.

 

Their all-star setter is Kelsey Leffew, the daughter of long time poster Hopi, and one of the scores of great collegiate players produced by Anderson County High School, one of the state's elite programs.

 

We were honored to have worked with Kelsey in club.

 

All of us in the state are pulling for one of our own who shows that our athletes can play at an elite level!

 

Good luck Kelsey and Lee!

 

Thanks for the support for Kelsey and Lee University. Lee had a great season finishing 39-1, the one being the National semi finals lost Saturday. But it was a great run. They were very unfortunate in that their Captain a great front and back row player broke her foot the Friday before the Saturday they left for Nationals. That hurt them somewhat, they had to make some changes quickly and it showed they were very uncomfortable all week but still finished in the final four, which was great.

 

I also wanted to thank everyone who has been a big part of her development; all the Anderson Co coaches that she worked with, SMJVC with Jay, Chris Hymns and Carmen Foster.

 

Kelsey is a junior this season and is having the time of her life playing at Lee.

Edited December 13, 2010 by Hopi

[PHargis]

If it is the same HOPI that this site helped work thru an ACL two years ago, many of us think we not only know her but had an intricate relationship in helping her get over that ACL. Not sure that Hopi was volleyball but I hope this is the one and yes life goes on after an ACL.

[Hopi]

If it is the same HOPI that this site helped work thru an ACL two years ago, many of us think we not only know her but had an intricate relationship in helping her get over that ACL. Not sure that Hopi was volleyball but I hope this is the one and yes life goes on after an ACL.

 

PHargis

 

It is not the same ACL thank the Lord, Kelsey has been blessed thus far.

 

As for the foreign students most of the college campuses we have been on now days have some foreign players, Lee has three this year two of them transferred in from Texas at Brownsville.

 

However Tennessee is well represented at Lee, Kelsey (Jr) setter Gretchen Higdon (Jr) setter, Sara Smith (Jr) Libero, Christa Hutchinson (Jr) right side, and Libby Pigdin (Fr) Defensive specialists, before this group of juniors there has not been many from our state.

 

This group of juniors thus far has been a part of a very successful run at Lee, making school history finishes in the final four the past two seasons and school history being ranked #1 nationally this season. In the past three seasons they have a combined record 106-18 record. 10 of those loses came in their freshman season. Hopefully this group will finish it next season with a bang.

 

But however it ends the Lord has blessed her at Lee University.

 

Again thanks for the support and they hope to have another successful season in 2011.

 

Thanks

[clifford20]

NAIA volleyball teams cannot compete nationally (typically) if they dont have some foreign players. THe reason is because the eligibility rules for the NAIA are less strict the NCAA. Most of these girls could play at any program in the country, they just can't get through NCAA clearinghouse. THus, the best NAIA teams in the country are chalked full of these kids....as well as american kids that can no longer compete at the NCAA level because of grades or the transfer rule. THe top of the naia can compete with anyone because of this (this goes for baseball as well)

 

many of the brazil, Argentina, bulgaria etc kids are in their mid to late 20's when they come over here and play.

 

So if you want to win a championship in the NAIA, you better recruit them, cause if you dont, Cal Baptist, Lee, Columbia, Point Loma and Fresno Pacific will...as they should.

[PHargis]

Thats a good synopsys of the way it works but its commonly known, for players outside the country to get to the NCAA, its spend a year in NAIA and many do it. The second point is Tennessee VB players should be for what is good for them. They should get the scholarship, make the grades and finish it out. If someone is considering an NAIA school who has a lot of out of the country players playing volleyball and baseball, unless you are a 6'3" 26 year old, weigh what you are going to school for and realize you may not play much but you will get help on your education. There are some good and not so good points. The second point might be Volleyball in College takes a lot of traveling and a lot of extra work in the classroom. Its a part time job. If the course of study is a very strenuous one which has labs, etc., it takes a lot of study to get thru and keep up with a strenuous course of study. It just is the way it is. NCAA likely has a little more travel. All of this can be done and a diciplined person in some courses of study will have no problem. In other, more technical studies, it will be a little mnre dificult. Volleyball players are diciplined people and goal oriented and they do have an advantage.

[coachjohnson]

NAIA volleyball teams cannot compete nationally (typically) if they dont have some foreign players. THe reason is because the eligibility rules for the NAIA are less strict the NCAA. Most of these girls could play at any program in the country, they just can't get through NCAA clearinghouse. THus, the best NAIA teams in the country are chalked full of these kids....as well as american kids that can no longer compete at the NCAA level because of grades or the transfer rule. THe top of the naia can compete with anyone because of this (this goes for baseball as well)

 

many of the brazil, Argentina, bulgaria etc kids are in their mid to late 20's when they come over here and play.

 

So if you want to win a championship in the NAIA, you better recruit them, cause if you dont, Cal Baptist, Lee, Columbia, Point Loma and Fresno Pacific will...as they should.