LeRoy-Ostrander grad Sam Siskow has always been passionate about the sport of volleyball and next season she will travel across the country to keep playing the sport she has embraced.

Siskow, who played for Riverland Community College over the past two seasons, has committed to play volleyball and beach volleyball for St. Benedictine University, an NAIA school located in Mesa, Ariz., under an athletic scholarship.

Siskow has yet to make a visit to St. Bendictine, but she’s been in contact with the coaches through e-mail and phone calls.

“It’s a great opportunity. It’s great to follow my passion and continue playing,” Siskow said. “I was really looking for somewhere that I could continue my athletic career at and one of my friends recommended [St. Benidctine’s] to me and I e-mailed the coach and went from there.”

After a stellar year for the Cardinals, Siskow stepped up her game at RCC over the past two seasons. She led the Blue Devils with 316 kills and she added 276 digs and 36 blocks.

“I’ve been able to improve my skills and reading the defense [while playing at RCC],” Siskow said. “Communicating and understanding the game and I’ve gotten more stronger than I was in high school.”

Growing up in LO, Siskow looked up to the powerhouse Cardinal teams that featured Mac Bunne and Kaylee Bunne, who went on to have solid careers at St. Mary’s University in Winona. Siskow also kept her eye on Stewartville’s Paige and Hannah Tapp, who went on to start with the University of Minnesota Gophers.

“The Bunne’s were my role models and I used to go watch the Tapp twins as well,” Siskow said.

The Redhawks finished 13-14 overall in volleyball this season and the beach volleyball team is off to a 6-5 overall start, recently picking up the program’s first ever win over Division I team when it beat Abilene Christian University.

Siskow has never played competitive beach volleyball, but she has played the sport for fun in the summer. She’s looking forward to learning more about it next season.

“That is going to be really different from what I’m used to, but I think it’ll be really fun,” Siskow said. “It’ll be a change, but it’ll be fun.”