Completed Event: Beach Volleyball versus No. 10 Arizona State on April 25, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 3
Final Score
Beach Volleyball
1
vs No. 10 Arizona State
3
Health and Heart Over Height: Samantha Leight
3/23/2022 4:15 PM | Beach Volleyball
In sports, athletes are often evaluated off their physical attributes. So much stock is put into who is the tallest, fastest, and strongest that sometimes the most important quality of a great player is often overlooked.
The most talented athletes are the ones that have the grit, determination, and all the intangibles that add to their physical being. These players let nothing stand in there way of achieving their dreams. Athletes like this often overcome obstacles and come from hardships that made them even stronger. These competitors can be hard to come by, but for the Utah Beach Volleyball team they have found one in freshman Samantha Leight.
Leight was on a family vacation the summer after she was in the first grade that she would encounter her first major hurdle to pursuing a life in athletics.
"We were in Wisconsin and I started to get really sick and had no energy," said Leight. "The first doctor didn't think it was anything, but the second doctor did some blood work and told me I needed to go to the hospital. We were there for 24 hours and eventually I diagnosed with type one diabetes."
Receiving this type of news would be tough for anyone - let alone a first grader. Thankfully for Leight, she had a strong support system to put her at ease when she received the news.
"It was all a rush, but luckily I had some really good nurses that helped calm me down," said Leight. "The thing I remember most vividly though was my parents telling me that 'no matter what were not going to let this keep you from having a normal life and we're going to do everything we can to help.' My parents let me pursue sports and always communicated with my coaches what I was dealing with. They always made sure people were watching over me when they couldn't be there like my aunts or school nurses. Looking back on finding out, it was scary at first but now that I've learned how to navigate it, it's gotten easier."
The Phoenix native is an only child and has developed a special bond with her parents Cheryl and Steve. The family enjoys watching movies going on hikes and especially biking together.
"My family and I are super close and we do a lot together," said Leight. "When I was younger, my dad and I would bike together in the Tour de Cure. I would ride with him on a tandem bike, and it was something I looked forward to every year. My mom helped with sponsor tents during the race and when I got diagnosed, she quit her job to help me navigate and figure everything out."
Leight grew up playing mostly soccer but when she was 10 years old, Leight's mom introduced her to volleyball. Not long after, she joined her first indoor club team and even though she had been navigating her diabetes, she wasn't nervous to pursue sports. Â
"I had played some other sports with it, so by the time I started volleyball I was used to it," said Leight. "Playing sports with type one diabetes really forced me to grow up faster and monitor what I was putting into my body from a young age."
She would go on to attend Sunnyslope high school, where she was one of the first members of her school's beach team.
"During my freshman year, my indoor coach wanted me to try out for our school's new beach team," said Leight. "I was looking for any opportunity to play more volleyball, so I tried out and made the team. It was a cool environment and I really enjoyed it."
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Over her four seasons, Leight helped build the program from the ground up. During her freshman season, she was a member of the fourth and fifth court pairings and made it to the second round of the state tournament in her first ever season playing beach. Her sophomore season played out in similar fashion and after one last indoor season the fall of her junior year she went full time as a beach player.
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The Arizona product was set to be on the first court her junior year of beach when the COVID-19 Pandemic canceled her season. She was hoping to make the most of her senior season on the court, but didn't get the chance due to an injury. Leight could have stepped away from the team but decide to contribute along the sideline instead.
Â
"After the injury I helped coach which was a great experience," said Leight. "By then I had started playing club beach, so I had the most beach experience and our coach looked for me to help me and it was really fun."
Â
Leight decide her junior year that she wanted to pursue playing beach in college. She grew up attending Arizona State athletic events so Leight knew she wanted to play in the Pac-12, but found the recruiting game to be frustrating until she had set her eyes on Utah.
Â
 "I was late to the recruiting game so most of the schools already had players for the class of 2021, making it a stressful process. The stars just allied for me to commit to Utah," said Leight. "Coach Whicker continued talking to me and not long after I came up for visit. The campus is just gorgeous, and it really felt like home so, shortly after my visit I realized that this is where I want to be."
Â
Leight was excited to find a team and is extremely grateful that Utah gave her this opportunity.
Â
"Being able to make it here meant a lot to me because I'm 5'8 and everyone told me I was too short to play Division 1 and that no Pac-12 school was ever going to take me," said Leight. "I always heard you're too short, and so having coach Whicker take a chance on me was incredible and important to me. She gave me the opportunity to make it and prove everyone wrong."
Â
"My parents where super giddy when I told them and my mom was in tears so that was a special moment," said Leight. "To get those calls from my coaches congratulating me and saying they were proud of me was really cool. A lot of people helped me on my journey so for them to all be proud of me is something I will never forget."
Â
Since she arrived on campus Leight, has loved being a part of the team and has already grown close with her teammates. She's excited for what the next four years will bring and will be prepared to adapt just as she has done her whole life.
Â
The most talented athletes are the ones that have the grit, determination, and all the intangibles that add to their physical being. These players let nothing stand in there way of achieving their dreams. Athletes like this often overcome obstacles and come from hardships that made them even stronger. These competitors can be hard to come by, but for the Utah Beach Volleyball team they have found one in freshman Samantha Leight.
Leight was on a family vacation the summer after she was in the first grade that she would encounter her first major hurdle to pursuing a life in athletics.
"We were in Wisconsin and I started to get really sick and had no energy," said Leight. "The first doctor didn't think it was anything, but the second doctor did some blood work and told me I needed to go to the hospital. We were there for 24 hours and eventually I diagnosed with type one diabetes."
Receiving this type of news would be tough for anyone - let alone a first grader. Thankfully for Leight, she had a strong support system to put her at ease when she received the news.
"It was all a rush, but luckily I had some really good nurses that helped calm me down," said Leight. "The thing I remember most vividly though was my parents telling me that 'no matter what were not going to let this keep you from having a normal life and we're going to do everything we can to help.' My parents let me pursue sports and always communicated with my coaches what I was dealing with. They always made sure people were watching over me when they couldn't be there like my aunts or school nurses. Looking back on finding out, it was scary at first but now that I've learned how to navigate it, it's gotten easier."
The Phoenix native is an only child and has developed a special bond with her parents Cheryl and Steve. The family enjoys watching movies going on hikes and especially biking together.
"My family and I are super close and we do a lot together," said Leight. "When I was younger, my dad and I would bike together in the Tour de Cure. I would ride with him on a tandem bike, and it was something I looked forward to every year. My mom helped with sponsor tents during the race and when I got diagnosed, she quit her job to help me navigate and figure everything out."
Leight grew up playing mostly soccer but when she was 10 years old, Leight's mom introduced her to volleyball. Not long after, she joined her first indoor club team and even though she had been navigating her diabetes, she wasn't nervous to pursue sports. Â
"I had played some other sports with it, so by the time I started volleyball I was used to it," said Leight. "Playing sports with type one diabetes really forced me to grow up faster and monitor what I was putting into my body from a young age."
She would go on to attend Sunnyslope high school, where she was one of the first members of her school's beach team.
"During my freshman year, my indoor coach wanted me to try out for our school's new beach team," said Leight. "I was looking for any opportunity to play more volleyball, so I tried out and made the team. It was a cool environment and I really enjoyed it."
Â
Over her four seasons, Leight helped build the program from the ground up. During her freshman season, she was a member of the fourth and fifth court pairings and made it to the second round of the state tournament in her first ever season playing beach. Her sophomore season played out in similar fashion and after one last indoor season the fall of her junior year she went full time as a beach player.
Â
The Arizona product was set to be on the first court her junior year of beach when the COVID-19 Pandemic canceled her season. She was hoping to make the most of her senior season on the court, but didn't get the chance due to an injury. Leight could have stepped away from the team but decide to contribute along the sideline instead.
Â
"After the injury I helped coach which was a great experience," said Leight. "By then I had started playing club beach, so I had the most beach experience and our coach looked for me to help me and it was really fun."
Â
Leight decide her junior year that she wanted to pursue playing beach in college. She grew up attending Arizona State athletic events so Leight knew she wanted to play in the Pac-12, but found the recruiting game to be frustrating until she had set her eyes on Utah.
Â
 "I was late to the recruiting game so most of the schools already had players for the class of 2021, making it a stressful process. The stars just allied for me to commit to Utah," said Leight. "Coach Whicker continued talking to me and not long after I came up for visit. The campus is just gorgeous, and it really felt like home so, shortly after my visit I realized that this is where I want to be."
Â
Leight was excited to find a team and is extremely grateful that Utah gave her this opportunity.
Â
"Being able to make it here meant a lot to me because I'm 5'8 and everyone told me I was too short to play Division 1 and that no Pac-12 school was ever going to take me," said Leight. "I always heard you're too short, and so having coach Whicker take a chance on me was incredible and important to me. She gave me the opportunity to make it and prove everyone wrong."
Â
"My parents where super giddy when I told them and my mom was in tears so that was a special moment," said Leight. "To get those calls from my coaches congratulating me and saying they were proud of me was really cool. A lot of people helped me on my journey so for them to all be proud of me is something I will never forget."
Â
Since she arrived on campus Leight, has loved being a part of the team and has already grown close with her teammates. She's excited for what the next four years will bring and will be prepared to adapt just as she has done her whole life.
Â
Players Mentioned
/ Beach Volleyball
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