William Warby/Flickr

Senior middle hitter Sydney Leimbach, a psychology major with an English minor from Atlanta,  is fresh off leading the team to their second ever national championship on Nov. 17, recording seven terminations and adding a team-high six blocks in the championship victory over No. 1 Calvin College (Mich.). The team won in three sets, downing Calvin 25-22, 25-16, 25-12.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Ryan Callahan, The Emory Wheel: Congratulations on your win at Nationals! What kind of emotions did you feel when you guys closed out that last game?

Sydney Leimbach: It was very surreal. It was super emotional because I really liked sharing the experience with [the] six seniors. I’ve known them forever and I really loved this team this year, so it was really exciting because not only was it a win but it was completely a team win. It was really exciting and I was really proud of how hard we worked all season to get there.

EW: How long have you been playing volleyball?

SL: I started playing in ninth grade, so not as long as some people.

EW: Do you have any pre-game rituals?

SL: [The team] always dances in the locker room, and we have a cheer that we do before every match. There’s generally a lot of dancing on this team.

EW: What song does the team listen to before matches?

SL: We listen to “Win” [by Jay Rock] before every match leading up to the championship and “Mo Bamba” [by Sheck Wes]. Those [songs] were big.

EW: What’s your favorite memory that you have on the volleyball team?

SL: Wow that’s tough. I think winning the national championship is my favorite memory. Aside from that, [the team] went to on a mission trip to Nicaragua last year for a week before we started playing, and that was really cool. I get to see [my teammates] all the time playing volleyball, but seeing everybody in a different setting was really awesome.

EW: What are some of the things that you did in Nicaragua?

SL: We worked with kids at a school and then went to a place where people with disabilities can work and worked with them a bit. We also got to play the Nicaraguan national [volleyball] team, so that was fun. We won once, and we lost twice. We played outside, too. I’ve never played on a concrete court before.

EW: Who is an athlete you look up to?

SL: Serena Williams.

EW: Who’s your favorite volleyball player?

SL: Kerri Walsh.

EW: What are some major life aspirations that you have?

SL: I’m hoping in the future to go into school counseling and maybe end up coaching volleyball as well, because that’s what my high school coach did. She was a counselor at my school and also coached us. I think that would be awesome.

EW: Do you have any plans after college?

SL: I’m thinking about playing abroad. I studied in Ireland so maybe somewhere close by there. I’m also thinking of teaching for a little bit before I go to grad school.

+ posts

Ryan Callahan (he/him) (22C) is from Richboro, Pennsylvania, majoring in philosophy, politics, and law. Callahan previously served as a managing editor, the Wheel's sports editor and is also the co-president of Emory's Pre-Law Society. He is currently an English tutor at Ringle, and previously interned for his state representative and district attorney. If he's not at Kaldi's, you can catch him complaining about the Sixers or replaying the Batman: Arkham games.