Early enrollee Victoria Leyva gets head start with UH women’s volleyball team

When the University of Hawaii women’s volleyball team opens up its 2024 season in two weeks against SMU, it will do so with solid senior leadership in setter Kate Lang and libero Tayli Ikenaga.

Behind Ikenaga is freshman Victoria Leyva, the program’s future at libero, who enrolled early at UH-Manoa in the spring to get a head start on her college career.

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“Playing under someone like Tayli, she is such an inspiration for me,” Leyva said. “I have learned so, so much from her. She’s become somebody that has become my rock and I talk to her in a lot of stuff for defending. This is Tayli’s last year with me, which I’m so sad. I wish I had more time with her, but just being able to pick up on as much as I can, being just like a sponge and soaking up all that knowledge just so that I can take that into future generations and for future DS and liberos who are coming after me as well.”

Leyva will get her reps behind Ikenaga in 2024 while trying to learn as much as she can from her. As for the team’s other senior in Lang, she shares a special Texas connection.

“Just two girls from Texas who found their way somehow to Hawaii,” Leyva said. “I just look at her as also as an inspiration. She’s such a leader for our team. On the court, off the court as well. She’s really helped me soak up the culture here at UH, just not UH, but also of the island itself.

“She’s such a public figure for the Wahine volleyball team. So for sure, she’s really helped me immerse myself here into the culture and just follow in her footsteps as well. So I think for sure, taking from what she’s taught me on and off the court, being a leader and just taking it into the team as well.”