Every high school coaches’ hope is to instill a love of the game of volleyball, according to Leland coach Laurie Glass.
“Whether it’s informally playing in your backyard, later in life, joining a co-ed team, doing beach volleyball or playing at the collegiate level (the hope) is just continuing that love of the game and keeping it in your life,” Glass said.
Moord and Ryder chose their respective schools at an assembly last week in front of their peers.
Moord will be attending Haverford College in Pennsylvania, and Ryder will be suiting up for Kalamazoo College next fall.
The Haverford Black Squirrels finished 12-11 overall right in the middle of the pack of the Centennial Conference in 2023.
“I was looking at a lot of places all over and (Haverford) was a really good academic fit and the volleyball team was incredible. I really connected with the players,” Moord said. “It just came down to that connection I felt between the players. Right when I was on campus, it was kind of like, ‘yep’ this is it.”
Moord led the Comets with 567 kills and 130 aces in 2023. She also contributed 272 digs, seven blocks, and 40 assists.
Moord will commute roughly a 12 hours ride to Haverford, which is about 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia.
Haverford is a building program with youth as its advantage. Juniata College, a Haverford rival, won the division 3 championship in a 3-0 sweep over Hope earlier this month. Moord is excited for the academic opportunity with a keen interest with the studyabroad and research program opportunities.
All options were on the table for Moord to play volleyball, then as she expanded her academic desires, Haverford met those requirements.
“What I’ve experienced as a coach is that kids go someplace and they just feel at home. She did many different trips and she went to many different universities and college campuses … But got to Haverford and just felt like it was home,” coach Glass said. “I think that’s all you want… Would you attend college if you weren’t playing volleyball? That’s the question I ask.”
Olive Ryder will be staying a little closer to home as she trades her Comet colors to become a Hornet playing in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).
“(Kalamazoo College) I just really liked the feel. It was very homey, as soon as I stepped on the campus, it was gorgeous ... and the team was just very welcoming,” Ryder said.
At the end of the 2022 season, after the Comets loss in the quarterfinals during her junior year, Ryder knew she wanted to continue playing into her collegiate years.
“The next day I was already ready to be back at practice, and I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to just give up on volleyball after my senior year,” Ryder said.
Ryder was a leader for the Comets all season long earning 272 kills, 28 aces, and 487 digs.
Ryder is undecided what she wants to study at Kalamazoo College, but she is also attracted to study abroad opportunities. The Hornets finished 7-17 overall in 2023 with opportunities for freshmen to make an immediate impact coming into the program.
Kalamazzo will need more fire power to compete with Hope, Calvin, and Trine, who are in the top-tier of the MIAA.
“(Ryder) is a hard worker and bettering herself and enthusiasm is going to be huge,” Kalamazoo Interim coach Lydia Christian, an Elk Rapids graduate said. “If she continues to bring a positive attitude and hard work ethic she is going to do great.”
Ryder continues a lineage of Leland graduates and volleyball players to study and play at Kalamazoo College.
“I’m excited. I think it’s a great College. It really gives you that small town feel in a bigger town, but still has that sort of intimate experience educationally and I think she’s in the right place at the right time,” coach Glass said.
