Leticia: leading Brazil from the backcourt

20-year-old Leticia Moura excels in the Brazilian team that will be battling for the bronze medal of the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women's U21 World Championship in the Mexican cities of León and Aguascalientes on Saturday with her defensive skills and motivating character from her libero position.

"We reached the semifinals of the tournament with great confidence in our game and fought to come back from a two-set deficit to reach the tie-breaker against China, but unfortunately we lost. That's sports, you don't always win," says Leticia, still disappointed by the defeat.

Brazil lost in Friday's semifinals to China in dramatic five-sets 3-2 (27-25, 25-17, 20-25, 19-25, 15-6).

The tournament is streamed live on the Volleyball World YouTube channel.

With conviction, she talks about the upcoming match: "The bronze medal match is a new story, we start again from scratch, and it will be a great game no matter the opponent because we will go after the medal."

For Leticia, known as 'Lele' by volleyball fans in her home country, this is not her first time at a World Championship. Prior to this experience, she was part of the Brazilian national team that competed in two FIVB Women's U20 Volleyball World Championships, in 2021 in the Netherlands and Belgium, and in 2019 in León and Aguascalientes.

With her fierce spirit on the court, Leticia is ranked number four among the best diggers in the tournament with 108 digs, an average of 15.43 per game, and a success rate of 78.83%.

2023 FIVB Volleyball Women’s U21 World Championship: Match Schedule and Results

Volleyball has been a family tradition for Leticia. Her mother and older sister played the sport and, at the same age she is now, they were also part of the Brazilian youth teams.

"Volleyball has had a great influence on my life since I was little. I grew up in a volleyball environment and I love playing, even though I also really like soccer, which I only play for fun. They say I'm very good at it, but I wouldn't trade volleyball for anything in the world," Leticia adds.

In Rio de Janeiro, where she resides, Leticia plays for Fluminense in the Brazilian Superliga since 2017. Additionally, as part of Brazil's national team, she was recognized as the Best libero of the Women's South American Under-21 Volleyball Championship in 2018.

"My dream is to be at the Olympics, to play professional volleyball, and when I return to Brazil, I'll be entering university to study Physical Education. It will be another complement to my life."

Leticia also enjoys life by the seaside; she loves the sea, the beach, and maritime life, which is why she displays tattoos of various marine animals on her right arm.

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FIVB Volleyball Women's U21 World Championship
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