KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Xiaoting Ma of Oklahoma City has been named NAIA volleyball national player of the week, the national office announced Tuesday.
Ma, a 6-foot senior right-side hitter from Dalian, China, was selected based on her performances from Oct. 18-24 and was chosen out of a pool of conference player of the week selections among 26 conference, independent or unaffiliated groupings.
Ma guided the Stars to a 2-0 record for the week with wins over John Brown (Ark.) and Mid-America Christian. In the 25-15, 23-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-12 victory over John Brown, Ma hammered down 28 kills, a single-match Oklahoma City record. The OCU standout again had a strong performance with 18 kills and 16 digs in the 25-13, 25-17, 16-25, 25-14 road win at Mid-America Christian.
Ma hit .376 and averaged 5.11 kills, 4.22 digs and 0.33 blocks a set in the two Sooner Athletic Conference matches.
“She deserves this honor,” OCU coach Jen Gomez said of Ma. “She's been a steady force on our team. Her consistent play has been an integral part of our success.”
This is the second time in Ma's career that she has received NAIA volleyball player of the week honors. The senior was named player of the week on Oct. 20, 2009, after the Stars upset then-fourth-ranked Columbia (Mo.) and then-No. 22 Lindenwood (Mo.). That instance last year marked the first time an OCU player picked up NAIA volleyball player of the week.
The Stars meet 20th-ranked Oklahoma Baptist at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Shawnee, Okla.
