University of South Alabama Athletics

AT SOUTH ALABAMA
FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Made an immediate impact on the Jaguar lineup as she became one of two offensive weapons for the club…Started 17 of the 19 matches in which she played and competed in 76 sets for USA…Missed 10 matches during the season due to a foot injury…Despite missing that time, she still was able to record 260 kills and average 3.42 kills per set en route to earning second-team all-Sun Belt Conference honors…Along with fellow teammate Mechell Daniel, the all-conference selection for her marked the first for the program since the 2001 season…Ranked fifth in the SBC in kills and points (3.80 per set)…Earned the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Week award (9/2) after being selected to the all-tournament team at the Jaguar Invitational during the opening weekend of play where she recorded double-figures kill tallies in all three matches and led the club with 52.5 points, 48 kills and a 4.36 kps average,while also registering 22 digs (2.00 dps), three block assists and three service aces on the weekend…The weekly league award was the first of three selections as she was named the top freshman on 10/14 and 10/21…Posted double-figure kill tallies on 17 occasions and led the team in that category 11 times…Had eight matches of 15 or more kills…Recorded 19 kills and hit .317 in her first collegiate match against Tennessee State (8/30)…Matched that total later on in the season at Texas State (10/20) where she also added 15 digs for her first career double-double…Registered her second double-double with a career-high 20 kills and 10 digs at Western Kentucky (11/15)…Was also a threat from behind the service line as she had 17 aces and averaged 0.22 per set…Had a .922 serving percentage in her 283 opportunities…Had a season-high five aces versus the Lady Toppers…Also added 126 digs and 21 total blocks during the season.

AT HUNTSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL: Lettered five seasons at Huntsville High School in Huntsville, Ala., for head coach Melanie Donahoo…During her prep career, helped guide the Panthers to four-straight 6A titles, earning Elite Eight Most Outstanding Player honors her final three seasons…As a senior, she recorded 1,289 kills and was named as one of Sports Illustrated’s November 2012 “Faces in the Crowd” after recording 18 kills in the state tournament championship match versus Vestavia Hills HS…As the only senior, capped off her career in grand fashion as her 18th and final prep kill clinched the 3-0 sweep for the Panthers in the championship match…Was named the MVP of the North-South All-Star game during the summer prior to her senior season after hitting .375 and recording a match-high 12 kills in the North’s fourth-straight win over the South squad…During her final four seasons, Huntsville posted a 188-25 and over the course of her junior and senior seasons, she compiled 2,139 kills, 193 aces, 379 blocks and 463 digs, while being named the Huntsville Times’ Elite Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011…Was a three-time 6A first-team all-state selection and received second-team accolades as a freshman…Named a Top 25 freshman by PrepVolleyball.com in 2009…Has also been a member of the Rocket City Volleyball Club for 10 years where she played with fellow signee Mallory Moore the final two seasons…Chose USA after being recruited by Southern Illinois, South Florida, Central Florida, Ohio and several other programs.

PERSONAL:  Jessica Lasahy Lewis...Born in Huntsville, Ala…Daughter of Natasha Williams…Mother was an assistant coach on her high school team…Has two older brothers and one older sister…Brothers Omar and Octavius Leftwich played four years of football at Ohio University, and sister Quita played four years of volleyball at Tennessee State…Favorite movies are “Love and Basketball”, “Law Abiding Citizen” and “V for Vendetta”…Favorite professional sports team is the Chicago Bulls…Favorite athletes are United States women’s national volleyball team members Destinee Hooker, Alisha Glass and Megan Hodge…Favorite musical artists are Chris Brown, Lady Antebellum and Arianna Grande…Hopes to play professionally overseas after graduation…Majoring in sport and recreation management.