Career:
After two seasons in the program, she ranks 17th on the school's all-time chart in kills average (2.65 kps) ... Has compiled 30 matches of double-figure kills.

Sophomore (2018):
Outstanding second year in the program ... AVCA Honorable Mention All-American ... AVCA All-South Region ... UAA Most Valuable Player ... First Team All-UAA ... Member of the NCAA Championships All-Tournament Team after averaging 2.80 kills and 3.60 digs over 10 sets of play which covered three matches .... Ranked second on the club and 13th on the UAA list with a 2.72 kills-per-set average ...  Chalked up 13 matches of double-figure terminations ... No. 3 on the team with 39 service aces and she ranked 14th in the league with an average of 0.35 aces per set ... Led or shared for team honors in kills on six occasions ... Closed out the campaign second on the team and 17th among UAA players in digs average (2.53 dps) ... Recorded six double-doubles (kills/digs) ... Season-high 15 kills in a 3-1 win over Whitworth (Sept. 8) ranked second on the squad and tied her second-highest career total ... Tied for the team lead with 11 successful attack attempts, hit .368 (11-4--19), handled all 15 of her serve-receive attempts flawlessly and chipped in seven digs in a sweep of No. 4 Colorado College (Nov. 10) in the semifinals of the NCAA Mount Berry Regional ... NCAA Mount Berry Regional All-Tournament Team pick after averaging 3.11 kills and hitting .317 (28-9--60) over nine sets of play during the team's three matches ... Ranked second on the team in both kills (2.95 kps) and digs (3.32 dps) in the Eagles' six-match run in the NCAA Tournament ... Hit .370 after pounding out a team-high 12 kills with two errors in 27 swings, and was second among the Eagle contingent with a personal-best 20 digs in a 3-1 triumph at Lee University (Oct. 3) ... Emory Classic All-Tournament Team ... Emory National Tournament All-Tournament Team ... Solid all-around match with a club-best 11 kills, a season-high tying four service aces and 14 digs in a 3-1 verdict over No. 25 Ithaca (Nov. 15) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships ... Hit a team-high .417 with 11 terminations and one error in 24 attempts, while contributing 10 digs and four (0-4) blocks in a sweep of Carnegie Mellon (Nov. 2) in the semifinals of the UAA Championships ... Team highs in both kills (11) and digs (19) in a four-set match at No. 20 Berry (Oct. 9) ... Keyed a 3-0 triumph vs. Chicago (Oct. 13) at the UAA Round Robin II, racking up 11 kills (second on the team), an attack percentage of .368 (11-4--19), a team-high tying four service aces and 11 digs. 

Freshman (2017):
Saw action in 36 matches and her 124 sets of play were third most on the team ... Named UAA Rookie of the Year ... Honorable Mention All-UAA ... Posted 17 matches of double-figure kills ... Fourth on the squad and 14th among UAA players in kills average (2.60 kps) ... Led or shared for team honors in terminations on four occasions ... Second on the team with 10 kills and hit a club-best .381 (10-2--21) vs. Ithaca College (Nov. 16) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA D-III Championships ... Racked up a total of 322 kills, good for the No. 3 spot on the club ... Three double-doubles (kills/digs) to her credit including a 14-kills (second on the team), 14-digs effort in a 3-1 decision over No. 8-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Sept. 15) ... No. 2 on the team with 12 successful attack attempts and hit . 304 (12-5--23) vs. Washington University in the title match of the UAA Championships ... Helped Emory to a 3-2 win over No. 9 Carnegie Mellon (Nov. 3) in the semis of the UAA Championships after pounding out a season-high 16 kills ... Her hitting performance of .588 (12-2--17) against Case Western Reserve (Nov. 3) was the high-water mark by an Eagle during the season (12 or more kills) ... Keyed a 3-0 verdict over Transylvania (Sept. 22) with a match-high 15 kills, a hitting percentage of .423 (15-4--26) and seven digs ... Big outing in a 3-1 triumph vs. Heidelberg (Sept. 23) at the Transylvania Invitational saw her rank second on the team with 12 kills while pacing the squad with season highs in digs (16) and aces (3) ... No. 2 on the club with 11 kills and 15 digs in a 3-0 outcome at Berry College (Oct. 10). 

High School:
Four-year member of the volleyball program at St. Joseph's Catholic School where she played for head coach Jan Carino …Helped her team to three Class A and one Class AA state championships … No. 3-ranked player in the state of South Carolina … As a senior, she totaled 331 kills and hit .391 in leading her squad to a 29-9 record and a Class AA championship … All-region selection on three occasions … All-State honoree her junior and senior seasons … Chosen to play in the North-South All-Star Match … Also played on the basketball team while at St. Joseph's.

Played club volleyball for Axis Elite where she was mentored by Sean Fitzgerald and Mike Whitten. 

Personal:
Daughter of Steve and Joanne Saunders ... Born Oct. 15 ... Majors in anthropology and human biology.


Leah Saunders Career Stats

 
Leah Saunders Career-High Kill Matches