RELEASED: Nov. 24, 2004

DANVILLE, KY—Hometown: Butler, Ky.

Major: Art

Study Abroad: Strasbourg (Spring 2004): "Spring break in London, Barcelona, Rome and Florence was one of my favorite memories," Ballinger says. It was definitely an exhausting 10 days, but a trip I'll never forget."

Extracurricular activities: "I'm a setter on the Centre volleyball team and a member of Kappa Alpha Theta."

How was your senior season? "We had a great season. We finished 28-12, defeating DePauw for the first time in the history of Centre volleyball. We ended the year with a win over Rhodes—our biggest conference rival."

What will you miss most about Centre volleyball? "What I'll miss the most about Centre volleyball are the girls on the team. I'll miss the close bond that I had with my teammates and all the memories we shared from bus trips to games and practices."

Future plans: "After graduation I'm planning on going to graduate school for interior design."

Quotable: "My Centre experience couldn't have been better. In the past four years I've learned so much and met so many people, it's hard to imagine leaving this place. It was somewhat by chance that I ended up here but there's no place else I'd rather be."

What others say about Leah: "Leah has been the heart and soul of this team for the past four years and I'm sad to see her go. She set the standard for the way the team trained in the off season and she set the tone for every practice and every match. Leah's drive as a student and athlete can be matched by few. As a freshman, Leah came into Centre and had to learn how to 'study' to meet Centre's challenging classes. Now she has better than a 3.0 and it was due to the work ethic she established her first semester here. She's a strong, confident, caring, giving woman with incredibly strong values. It was an honor to have Leah named SCAC Player of the Week twice this season. These honors are a testament to how selflessly she works for her team. In volleyball the glory always goes to the big hitter and the setter rarely gets credit. It was great for Leah, our setter, to get some glory."

—Stephanie Dragan, head volleyball coach for Centre

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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