NEW MEXICO
Senior Year | 2017: Posted a 20-7 record on the season with partner Devanne Sours … Played largely in the No. 2 position, with five matches at the No. 1 spot … Earned a three-set win over No. 11 Grand Canyon during the season’s opening weekend … Reeled off a five-match winning streak in March that featured two-set W’s over No. 13 Arizona, No. 17 Florida Atlantic and No. 12 Georgia State … Added a four-game winning streak in mid-April, taking down Lincoln Memorial, UT Martin and UAB twice … Finished the season with three straight wins, including a two-set victory over No. 20 California … Didn’t drop consecutive matches all season … Held her opponents to under 15 points in a set in 31 of the 61 sets she played all season … Finished with a career record of 41-26, tying for the third-most wins in program history
Junior Year | 2016: Finished the season with a 15-11 record, playing 22 matches in the No. 2 position … Opened the season playing with Cassie House in the No. 1 spot, going 1-4 over the first weekend of the season … Posted 13 wins in 15 matches, losing in a injury forfeit to CSUN and to No. 6 Arizona … During her run, lost just five sets in completed matches, and earned wins over Arizona State, Pacific, Sacramento State, Washington, TCU San Jose State (twice) and Colorado Mesa (twice) … Seven of those wins came consecutively, the second-longest win streak in program history … Dropped four straight matches, but capped her season with a sweep of New Orleans
Sophomore Year | 2015: Finished the inaugural season of New Mexico beach volleyball with a 6-8 record, primarily playing the No. 4 position with Ashley Newman … Split the opening weekend against LSU and TCU, beat the Horned Frogs’ No. 3 team 21-12, 21-12 … Subsequently fell in six straight matches, including a three-set loss to Grand Canyon in UNM’s home opener on March 21 … Finished the season winning five of their last six, however, including two wins vs. Arizona and a pair of winning vs. Colorado State
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2013 graduate of Sauda Vidergående Skole, department ToppVolleyball Norway – a volleyball-focused institution in Sand, Norway…competed for ToppVolleyball Norway for three seasons under coach Magnus Borge Johansen in the Norwegian 1st Division…helped her team finish fifth overall in their division in 2012-13 and second overall in 2011-12…in addition to attending and competing for ToppVolleyball Norway, has over three years experience playing on Norwegian national teams…was a member of the U17 national team that placed third at the Northern European Volleybal Zonal Association (NEVZA) Championships in 2010…was a setter and captain of the Norwegian U19 national team that placed second at the NEVZA Championships in 2012…also served as a setter/outside hitter for two club teams: KFUM Stavanger U19 and UiS Volleyball (an elite team that competes in the highest division of club volleyball in the country)…helped KFUM Stavanger place second at the 2012 Norwegian Championships while her UiS Volley team finished fifth in the Norwegian Elite League in 2013…named MVP in three matches within the Norwegian Elite League in 2013.
PERSONAL
Born May 20 in Stavanger, Norway to Kirsten and Terje Rugland…her name is pronounced, “Lee-say Roog-lund”…has three older siblings: Ingvar, Haakon and Karina…enjoys spending time with friends and family, walking her dog, listening to music and watching TV series…favorite athletes are Yoshie Takeshita and Marit Bjorgen…favorite food is Tandoori Chicken… lists The Blind Side as her favorite movie…her high school counselor had been to Albuquerque and encouraged her to look into attending New Mexico.