Kyleigh Brown digs deep for Lehigh volleyball

Lehigh volleyball senior Kyleigh Brown showcases how one doesn’t need to go far from home to find success. 

Since coming to Lehigh, the Bethlehem native has ranked third all-time in digs, culminating with a personal high of 39 digs in the team’s game on Oct. 5 against Loyola. 

Now a senior captain, Brown said  the Lehigh volleyball program has helped her mature, gain leadership skills and allowed her to meet her best friends.

Brown is a political science major, but said she’s waiting until volleyball season ends in December to begin her job search. 

For now, she said she’s focused on making the most of her final season. 

Brown said she has her eyes set on recording five digs per set, to move up from third among Lehigh’s all-time dig leaders. She  also said she wants to help the team earn a high seed for home-court advantage in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament.

Coach Alexa Keckler said Brown has been a tremendous part of the program since her first year and she commends her leadership, competitiveness and drive for success.

Keckler said program veterans are sometimes confronted with the challenge of the addition of new players to the roster because recruiters’ job is to find the best players they can. 

Keckler said there’s never been a situation where Brown hasn’t embraced a player, and despite having a newcomer in her position, Brown has continued to be supportive. 

“I do see that as being a good mentor and leader when you can still help a younger athlete grow, even if that means that they are challenging you for time (on the court),” Keckler said.

The team’s social media director, Paige Moen, who works closely with the players, said she agrees with Keckler’s sentiment about Brown’s leadership. 

She said Brown’s communication skills connect the coach and the players, and the girls know they can go to her for anything. 

Brown grew up just 10 minutes from Lehigh. She’s the youngest of seven, and all of her siblings played volleyball, including her sister, who played at Moravian University. 

She said she appreciates the fact that her family is able to come to her games because her and her siblings grew up watching each others sporting events. 

“I’m just used to them being at every game, so I think it’s really had an impact on me and my play,” Brown said. “I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.”

Brown said what she’ll miss the most next year is her teammates since she has grown so close with them throughout her Lehigh career.

While it may be Brown’s final season at Lehigh, Keckler said her legacy will remain for years. 

“In the record book, (Brown) will be there for quite some time,” Keckler said. “She’s done a remarkable job of putting that stamp in the program from a digging perspective, both sets, career, single matches, all of those things she’s done a great job…big shoes to fill.”

Keckler also said, though Brown is one of the most comical players on the team and can always find a way to lighten the mood, the team will miss her competitive nature and how serious she takes her gameplay. 

“She is unstoppable and will forever be remembered as a dynamic force on the court,” Moen said.