Super League round 10 preview – Leomiti's leap of faith reaps its rewards

With no-one in her immediate family having moved away from home before, the now 24-year-old was taking a leap into the unknown when she swapped her native Southern California for the one of England’s most famous student cities. 

Back then, the versatile American – who has the ability to play as a setter, libero or middle – knew little of what awaited her as a student and in terms of the culture contrast, let alone what she could expect when she took to the court for her new team. 

But if there were any final doubts, she had another very good reason to cross the pond in the shape of fiancé, Liam, who she met university in America, but who hails from Wales.

 

That initial leap of faith came in January 2023 and now, two years on, the unknown has been replaced by a comforting familiarity academically, personally and in her sporting life, which is set to be capped by her wedding in May 2025. 

“I came over primarily through a mutual friend who told me there may be an opportunity,” said Krystalynn, who has studied Business Administration at ARU. “I was already intrigued about playing overseas so even before I came to the UK, I was inquiring about studying over here.  

“She reached out to me whilst I was visiting my fiancé in Wales and reached out to me and asked if I wanted to come along to practice. 

“I already loved the atmosphere, I already loved the opportunity, so that’s when I decided to come over to the UK and ARU was the school in Cambridge I chose to attend. 

“For some people it’s hard... some people are homebodies and miss their family a lot. I'm not saying I don’t miss my family, but I’m not really a homebody. 

“My biggest thing is I have siblings, I’m the second oldest out of five. I wanted to set the example for my younger siblings that they could do it. 

“Moving here hasn’t been hard in the end, it has been a very fun experience and it’s one that I cherish. I was also glad of the fact I was able to open this door for my siblings to venture into it if they ever wanted to.” 

Krystalynn grew up in a family passionate about American Football, but found herself stepping away from the sport when she took up volleyball in middle school. 

She encountered great success playing for her college team, Faulkner University, during her undergraduate degree in Alabama - which she attended on a volleyball scholarship - as they won their conference in the 2018-2019 season. 

After playing since the age of 13 and travelling across the globe to continue her volleyball pursuits, Krystalynn has plenty of experiences to reflect upon, but consistently returns back to the value of community within the sport. 

She said: “For me, team and community are a very big thing. Being a Polynesian coming from the States, my culture is deep rooted in it. I’m the type of person that will always reach out to people, will always want people around.

“I've learnt life lessons from the sport. I've gained many ‘forever friends’ who I would consider family through this sport. 

“Before all of that, though, it was the little girl that fell in love with the sport and me being able to just love the game.” 

Krystalynn’s ARU team sit seventh in the MAAREE Women’s Super League at the halfway stage of their 2024-25 campaign with 10 points from their first nine matches.

They are just two points below their Sunday opponents Durham Palatinates – the reigning champions – who have suffered an uncharacteristically slow start to their campaign.

Krystalynn is looking forward to the challenge that the talented North East side frequently pose – and hopes the team can turn around their fortunes after last weekend's 3-1 loss to Leeds.

“I’m very excited about taking on Durham, who have had a very big role in volleyball here in England,” she said. “They have a big reputation. 

“Playing against them is always fun. It’s always something to look forward to. It’s riveting. It will be a game that whether we win or we lose, it will be fun in general. We’re going to be learning regardless.”  

A mid-table side in recent seasons, Cambridge have, by and large, been strong performers against teams at the bottom end of the table, but have struggled to make significant impact against those vying at the top. 

An added interest at the end of this season is the top-fight's reconstruction from 10 teams to just eight for the start of the 2025-26 campaign, meaning that a top-six place is needed to guarantee the continuation of Super League volleyball and avoid the play-offs or instant relegation.  

Krystalynn said: “It is an added pressure. There’s a lot of changes going on, a lot of new faces on our team, but it’s a good pressure. It’s one of those that gives us something to strive for. 

“In our practices we try and put some pressure on ourselves, but also there’s an ongoing talk within us to just let it go. We are just here to get better. 

“We have a lot of young players right now, so we are just trying to communicate with them on a regular basis and be welcoming of mistakes. Not everything has to be perfect. Be welcoming of mistakes, learn from it and do better on the next one. 

“For the Super League, we obviously want to go as high as we can... that’s really it. The main thing is that we want to be competing in every match. 

“The results are not really something we dwell on too much. It’s more of an acceptance of them... as long as we play the best that we could play.”  

Article by Beth Owen

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