Written by: Mariah Crownover for The Criterion on Oct. 1
Colorado native Sydney Leffler’s talent on the court has been recognized among national competition since her debut as a freshman at Colorado Mesa University and has continued into the opening weeks of the 2023 season.
Graduating from Eaton High School in 2020, Leffler was successful at the high school level, winning consecutive state championships with her team in 2018 and 2019. Following the 2019 state championship win, Leffler was named as an all-conference and all-state honorable mention and served as the team captain. During her senior season, Leffler hit .293 with 284 kills and concluded her high school career with 856 total kills. She committed to Colorado Mesa University (CMU) during her senior year.
“I chose Mesa because of the culture that [head coach Dave] Fleming shared with me and how competitive the atmosphere is. That’s just 100% who I am and everyone on the team knows that. On the court I am very hardcore and competitive, so when he shared that with me, that was one of the selling points. The family and team dynamics were another big part for me when it came to choosing Mesa. In terms of the campus, it just felt very welcoming. It doesn’t feel like you’re just another student or another athlete. Everyone does their part in making me feel important,” Leffler said.
During her freshman debut, Leffler was named as the AVCA South Central and RMAC Freshman of the year. She was also an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, second team all-region pick by the D2CCA and was selected to the all first team All-RMAC. Leffler closed out her freshman season with 340 total kills, the most for any CMU freshman since 2004 and led her team in terms of points. She ranked fourth in the RMAC for both total kills and kills per set.
“Being a freshman just two years ago, I just focused on building relationships with the underclassmen on the team. I joke around a lot and it’s important to our family culture to build relationships with everybody so that they feel welcome. I’ve also stepped up to show them what the culture is of being competitive and hardworking,” Leffler said.
Coming off her second season with the Mavericks, Leffler earned Second Team All-RMAC honors after another impressive season with 328 total kills. Adding to her impressive stats, she finished with 68 digs, 34 blocks and ten service aces. She went on to reach double digits in kills in the final six matches of the 2022 season, including four post-season games in the RMAC and NCAA Tournaments. Leffler finished the season with 18 kills against top ranked MSU Denver in the NCAA semifinal.
As dominant as she in on the court, Leffler was also named to the College Sports Communicators Academics All-District Team and to the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll.
Leffler opened the season in an impressive fashion at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic in Golden, Colorado. She was named as the tournament’s MVP after recording 74 kills and 79 total points in the opening four games of the 2023 season. Honors continued to pour in as she was named the RMAC Offensive Player of the week and later that week nabbed the American Volleyball Coaches Association/GameChanger NCAA Division II Player of the week, just the second Maverick to ever receive this honor.
Following the opening weekend, Leffler led the RMAC in both kills and total points and ranked second nationally in kills per set and fourth in points per set.
“I don’t think I have seen a better weekend from an outside hitter as far as how dominating she was in my 19 seasons here at Mesa. It was really fun to see and we know that it’s in there. Sydney’s only 5’ 10” but she touches over ten feet. There’s not a block in the country that can beat or stop her when she’s doing well. She took the first couple of swings and had some success and I think she just built off of that to have a great weekend. When she’s successful, she brings really good energy to the team and confidence to her teammate” Fleming said.
Leffler has orchestrated the attack with 210 kills so far, 227.5 total points, and is hitting .279 this season. She has had a large impact on the Mavericks,’ 13-1 start and has high hopes for the remainder of the year, including prospects towards a deep run in the national playoffs.
“I think we have a great shot at winning the RMAC and honestly going further to win a national title. I truly believe that we can do that. We are going so strong and that is definitely a goal for the team. Individually, I just want to keep providing for my team and the accolades will come along with that,” Leffler said.
