MARION, Ind. - The Indiana Wesleyan volleyball team welcomed a new piece of the puzzle to the program this month. Dayessi Luis, who hails from Camaguey, Cuba, was added to the roster at the beginning of the month. Her late arrival was due to her enrollment in the US Marine Corps this summer.

"I completed boot camp on September 1st. On September 2nd, I was here," Luis said.

Luis planned to move to New York in 2020 until the coronavirus pandemic halted the process. She later moved to New Jersey in 2021, where she attended Ocean County College, a two-year community college in Toms River, New Jersey. After two years at OCC, Luis was looking for a place to play volleyball and continue studying criminal justice. Due to her age and the fact that she had already attended a college, Luis was not NCAA eligible, so she began looking at NAIA schools.

"IWU was like a three in one because the volleyball team is good, the criminal justice program is good, and it's a Christian college," Luis said.

Wildcats' head volleyball coach Candace Moats thinks her experiences with the Marines and playing in Cuba will make a big difference for the team. Despite being 26 years old, Luis has four years of eligibility remaining and is in her freshman year at IWU. "She has a maturity about her that is very valuable. There's just uniqueness that she has that a normal freshman wouldn't bring," Moats said.

Sophomore setter Abbigail Porter also noticed the leadership qualities in Luis that Coach Moats talked about. "You can just tell she knows what she's talking about. She wants everyone to get better, and she's always leading," Porter said.

Luis admitted to the struggle of the adjustment coming to IWU. "In the beginning, I was a little lost, but my teammates helped me a lot," Luis said. It will take some time for Luis to find her role on the court here at IWU, but that's not her main focus. "I will bring all I have and help the team grow," Luis said.

The Wildcats are 15-0 this season, and Luis looks to be a strong addition to an already dangerous team.

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Story written by: Isaac Wolf, The Sojourn




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