Hannah Leslie’s versatility as a volleyball player was one of the main reasons East Central College was interested in her services.
The feeling was mutual for Leslie, a senior at Washington High School. She recently signed a letter of intent to join the Falcons’ program.
“I’ve always been interested in ECC, especially with the A-plus program,” Leslie said. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about (ECC) Coach (Lisa) Mathes-Peters. I’m excited about the opportunity to play volleyball there.”
Leslie, 5-11, played mostly middle hitter and right-side hitter during her two seasons on the varsity volleyball team at Washington. She also played outside hitter during a victory over Borgia in her senior season.
“I like that Hannah can play all three positions on the front row,” said Mathes-Peters. “She has good height. We were a shorter team this year, so it’s nice to get some taller players. She’s very coachable and a very good student athlete.”
Washington head volleyball coach Kym Blankenship, who played college volleyball herself at Missouri Southern, believes ECC is a good fit for Leslie.
“Hannah is a versatile player. She has a good serve. She gets along well with her teammates,” Blankenship said. “I think ECC is a good fit for her. It’s nice that she has experience playing different positions. That should help her see some court time. I wish her all the luck.”
During her senior season with the Lady Jays, Leslie had a serving percentage of 95 percent. She collected 55 kills, 40 digs and seven blocks on the season.
Leslie said she’s prepared to play anywhere on the front row for the Lady Falcons.
“I really haven’t had one constant position for several years. I’ll play wherever they need me to play,” Leslie said. “I’m going to continue to work on a lot of things and improve as a player. I’m excited to get started.”
Mathes-Peters said Leslie will be a good addition to the ECC volleyball program.
“I watched Washington play a couple times this season. They were a team that always worked hard for every point,” Mathes-Peters said. “Hannah comes from a winning program. It’s exciting to have a player with Hannah’s versatility. I’m happy she wanted to stay home and play for us.”
Hannah and her twin sister, Kirstie, both are three-sport athletes at WHS, playing volleyball, basketball and track and field.
Kirstie also will compete on the college level, but hasn’t announced her future plans.
Hannah plans to major in biology education in college. She is the daughter of Steven and Sonia Leslie.
