DeLong way from home: Californian establishes herself among OVC's best

Karleigh DeLong came a long way to play volleyball for Southeast Missouri State.

The Californian has not regretted that decision one bit.

"I'm very happy with my decision," DeLong said.

That's understandable, considering the junior outside hitter ranks among the Ohio Valley Conference's top players and is also regarded as a model teammate.

"Not only is Karleigh a great player, she is one of those people you would want as a best friend, as your sister," Southeast coach Renata Nowacki said. "Just the quality of her."

If DeLong had heard those comments, it's likely she would have blushed. The first-team all-OVC selection as a sophomore and first-team preseason all-OVC pick this year likes to focus on team rather than individual accomplishments.

"I don't really worry about what I do individually, I'm more into team success," DeLong said.

Added Nowacki: "She's humble, so quick to thank her teammates. She's always saying how she's getting recognition because of the team."

That might partly be true, but it's hard denying DeLong's breakout season in 2007.

DeLong had a solid freshman campaign in 2006, starting 21 matches and recording 122 kills, but she took a backseat statistically to Southeast's more experienced players.

That wasn't the case last year, when DeLong led the Redhawks with 433 kills, 513.5 points and 31 aces. She was seventh in the OVC in kills and fourth in points.

DeLong said she did not expect that type of season.

"I kind of saw myself being eventually able to get into that kind of role," she said. "But I was surprised it happened so soon."

DeLong said she lived in several states while growing up before her family eventually settled in Corona, a community of more than 100,000 in Southern California.

DeLong had her college choice narrowed down to a few schools — including one in her home state — when Southeast suddenly entered the picture.

DeLong said a cousin of a friend just happened to be Jaime Burns, who was a Southeast assistant coach under Nowacki in 2005 and 2006.

"It was my senior year and I hadn't committed [to a college] yet," DeLong said. "I just came out here and I loved it.

"I wanted to win, be part of a successful program, try to help build it up. I thought we could do that here."

DeLong appears to be well on her way to accomplishing that, because last year former OVC power Southeast captured a share of the conference regular-season title for the program's first league championship since 2000.

"I definitely think we've gotten it [the program] back on track," DeLong said.

That has helped make being so far from home more than worth it for DeLong, also a strong student who is a Southeast Scholar Athlete and a member of the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll.

"I do miss home, but the team has become my home away from home. We're all so close," said DeLong, whose family is occasionally able to attend Southeast matches. "They watch when they can, but I talk to them a lot, and they keep up with how we're doing online."

DeLong, who said she has a cumulative grade-point average of approximately 3.4, laughed when asked about juggling her athletic and academic obligations.

"School's tough for me," she said. "I don't have a lot of interest [in school]. Volleyball is my life."

That's despite the fact she said she didn't even begin playing the sport until the relatively late age of 14.

But once her family moved from Texas and settled in volleyball-mad California for good, she became hooked.

So hooked, in fact, DeLong said she has her sights set on being a professional beach volleyball player once she graduates from Southeast.

"I've played it for the past six years. I love it," said DeLong, who in 2004 was a member of the United States under-21 team that competed in the world championships for beach volleyball in Portugal.

Asked about a career backup plan if being a professional athlete doesn't work out, a smiling DeLong said she would probably get into coaching volleyball.

"Volleyball is everything," she said.

But a career choice can wait for a while. Right now DeLong's focus is on helping the Redhawks repeat as OVC regular-season champions while also claiming the conference tournament title to gain the program's first NCAA tournament berth since 2000.

"That's our goals and I think we can accomplish them," DeLong said.