Ying Xiong is a talented volleyball player who hails from Oroville, California. He is 22 years old and is currently studying Computer Engineering at Chico State University. He comes from a large family with 9 siblings and is the second youngest. Ying enjoys going to school, meeting new teachers, and making new friends. His favorite subject is Math, but he is not a big fan of History.
Ying started playing volleyball in 3rd grade, taught by his second oldest brother, Wanchai Xiong, who also played for the Hmong volleyball community. However, it wasn’t until his sophomore year in high school where his interest in volleyball grew. Men’s volleyball was not popular in Oroville, so the sport wasn’t available as an extracurricular activity.
One day, Ying was out on the tennis courts in Oroville and played volleyball for fun. His friends, who were older than him, wanted to form a team and play for Oroville Hmong New Year because registration was free. After that tournament, Ying started to feel even more interested and passionate about volleyball. His dedication for the sport grew stronger, to the point where he was out every night to play volleyball. Every day after school, they would play and train. Ying was the tallest, youngest, and the ace player on his team, but they were not known and didn’t do too well in tournaments.
Volleyball Teams
Ying’s original team was Team Bonafide. After a couple of years, the team decided to break up. As a result, Ying and some of his other volleyball friends decided to form a new team called, “Team TC.” However, this team didn’t work out because their dedication, time, and effort were not the same. After the 2019 Oroville Hmong New Year, he reached out to his cousins/friends (Josh Thao and Jerry Vang) in Sacramento, to see if he could join their team. After a team discussion, Josh’s team allowed him to become a part of them, and that team is called MAXIMUM EFFORT!! To this day, Ying is still a MAXIMUM EFFORT player.
Aside from volleyball, Ying also played basketball throughout his high school years, enjoyed soccer since elementary, and started participating in tennis since his freshman year. He enjoys a lot of outdoor activities such as traveling, hiking, karaoke, and hanging out with his friends. He mainly enjoys making memories with the people in his life.
Growing up, Ying didn’t have a role model, but one of his favorite hitter was Andy Her from PrimeTime. During the Hmong New Year tournament, Ying would watch the other team played and Andy stood out the most to him.
When asked about the toughest aspect of being an athlete, Ying said that it’s being comfortable with your teammates. With this, it comes with trust also. Being able to know each other and how each other plays is important. With that said, having the knowledge of the game and how each player should perform is a key aspect.
Supporter
Ying’s biggest supporters are his friends and family in Oroville because what he does in the volleyball community is not only a representative of himself, but mainly each one of them.
Ying’s short-term goal for volleyball is to keep aiming high. He still wants to get better at volleyball and reach his fullest potential and to keep training and performing at his best. He wants the Hmong Volleyball Community to know that Fresno is not the only city in Cali with good players. Sacramento and up north of California still have good players as well. He also wants to win J4 with his team before he retire. It’s one of his big dreams. His short-term goal for life is to keep going to school and finish his major. He wants to be able to earn as much as possible to help support his parents and family.
In five to ten years, Ying sees himself getting a job within his Computer Engineering field. He would like to see himself earning enough money to build his own house. He wants to live a simple and happy life with his parents and his little family.
Ying is a talented and dedicated athlete who has a bright future ahead of him. His passion for volleyball is contagious and his commitment to his family and community is inspiring.