Recruit Profile: BC’s Alana Leung looks forward to new challenge joining Gee-Gees

The Gee-Gees women's volleyball team is proud to announce the commitment of Alana Leung, as their final addition to the recruiting class for the 2019-20 season.

Leung, a 5-10 native of Burnaby, British Columbia, is a product of high level volleyball at the high school, club, and provincial level. Despite having played various positions throughout her volleyball career, Leung will utilize her athleticism and size as a middle with the Gee-Gees.

"Alana is another 'pure athlete' who will match really well with our intended style of play," said head coach Lionel Woods. "It will be great to have Alana bring her high-level club and Team BC experience to our team. She has the potential for some versatility in positions over the long term."

"Added to her athletic and volleyball potential, Alana plays with passion and an excitement that fits with our overall team personality. We are really excited to have Alana round out our 2019 recruiting class," said Woods.

Leung first began playing volleyball upon arriving to high school at Moscrop S.S. in Burnaby. After one year playing at the high school level, she joined a club for the first time, finding a home with Vancouver's Apex Volleyball Club. From the U15 level to the U18 level, she was able to grow alongside the same group of players and experience high-level competition.

At the provincial level, she first was invited to the Team BC Baden Cup in 2017, which gave her provincial exposure in a four-day high performance development camp. Last year, she was selected to join Team BC Red and had the opportunity to play at the Canada Cup.

In 2018, she was named a club season All-Star, as well as more recently, a 2018-19 AAAA Senior Girls Honourable Mention All-Star for her high school season.

Upon first considering her choices for university, Ottawa was not immediately on her radar, at least not until she received some parental encouragement.

"My mom actually went to Ottawa for a business trip and loved the campus, and told me that she would love to see me at Ottawa," said Leung. "So after that, I got into contact with Lionel and the whole process started."

Once she got a chance to visit Ottawa and experience life around the team, Leung felt at home with the Gee-Gees.

"When I came on my visit in March, I got a really good feel of what my life would be like as a student-athlete," she said. "I got to see the buildings and facilities I'd be going to school, training, and competing in and it felt really comfortable."

"It came down to deciding if Ottawa was where I could see myself spending the next five years of my life and it just felt like the right fit for volleyball and school."

On the academic side, Leung will be studying Civil Engineering at uOttawa. Balancing a challenging program along with playing a varsity sport may be concerning to some, but Leung looks at the task with excitement.

"I liked to be pushed and have a challenge, I know there's other girls on the team that are in similar situations, so it shows me that it's possible. It's nice to know that even with an intense program, you don't have to compromise what you love to do."