Marrit Leenstra (volleyball)

Marrit Leenstra (born October 18, 1973) is a Dutch professional beach volleyball and indoor volleyball player born in Emmen, Drenthe.

In indoor volleyball Leenstra started her career in 1983 at OSV Pegasus Ter Apel. Other teams she played for were Etiflex Ommen, Martinus Amstelveen, Vini Monteschiavo Jesi, Granzotto San Dona, Fiqurella Firenze and Mirabi Iandia Teodora Ravenna. From 1988 to 1992 she was part of the Dutch youth teams in her age-range. In 1992 she joined the Dutch senior volleyball team and was selected for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, finishing 6th. Four years later, during the 1996 Summer Olympics she and her team finished 5th. Leenstra stayed in the Dutch team until 1998.

She started her international beach volleyball career already in 2001 after finishing her indoor contract in Italy. She teamed up with Dutch star Rebekka Kadijk whose sister Debora decided to quit beach volleyball after the 2000 Summer Olympics. In 2001, 2002 and 2004 Kadijk and Leenstra won three Dutch national titles. In Basel 2002 they reached the final of the European Championships. They lost this final, but still won a silver medal. Their main achievement was made in 2003 when they won the World Cup meeting in Lianyungang (China). They qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics which was not as successful as they hoped before the start. After the Olympics they decided to split up. Leenstra's next partner was Sanne Keizer with whom she did not reach any notable results with, except a 4th place at a tournament in Montreal.

External links

• Official site
• FIVB profile

Netherlands – 1995 European Championship (1st title) Cintha Boersma Erna Brinkman Marjolein de Jong Jolanda Elshof Riëtte Fledderus Jerine Fleurke Petra Groenland Marrit Leenstra Elles Leferink Irena Machovcak Ingrid Visser Henriëtte Weersing Coach: Bert Goedkoop

Netherlands – 1996 Summer Olympics (fifth place) 1 Jerine Fleurke 3 Saskia van Hintum 4 Erna Brinkman 5 Cintha Boersma (c) 7 Irena Machovcak 9 Marjolein de Jong 10 Henriëtte Weersing 11 Marrit Leenstra 12 Elles Leferink 13 Claudia van Thiel 14 Riëtte Fledderus 15 Ingrid Visser Coach: Bert Goedkoop