Asjia O'Neal
Personal information
Born (1999-10-23) October 23, 1999
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
College / UniversityTexas (2018–2023)
Volleyball information
PositionMiddle blocker
Current clubTexas Longhorns
Number7

Asjia O'Neal (born October 23, 1999) is an American volleyball player who plays college volleyball for the Texas Longhorns.

Early life

O'Neal was born to National Basketball Association (NBA) player Jermaine O'Neal and his wife Mesha.[1] She practiced basketball with her father after fourth grade and took up volleyball in seventh grade in 2012 after moving from Miami to Dallas.[1] At age 13, she underwent her first open-heart surgery for a congenital mitral valve leak.[1][2] She committed to the University of Texas at Austin as a high school sophomore.[1][3] She played three years of varsity high school volleyball at Carroll Senior High School in Southlake, Texas.[4]

College career

O'Neal redshirted her first year at Texas in 2018.[5] She averaged a hitting percentage of .413 to start her first season, while having a worsening mitral valve leak and a new tricuspid valve leak that required a second open-heart surgery in January 2020.[1][6] That summer, she helped organize campus activism to rename landmarks and build statues of former black students during the George Floyd protests.[1][5] She helped Texas reach the final of the 2020 NCAA Championship held in the spring of 2021.[5] She received the Honda Inspiration Award for the 2020 season.[1][7]

O'Neal helped the Longhorns win the 2022 NCAA Championship alongside fellow first-team All-Americans Logan Eggleston and Zoe Fleck.[8][9] She averaged a career-high .443 hitting percentage that season.[10] She returned for a sixth year, due to her health and COVID-19 eligibility, in 2023.[5]

International career

O'Neal first played for the United States national team at the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kumar, Aishwarya (December 3, 2021). "The extraordinary courage of NCAA volleyball star Asjia O'Neal". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  2. ↑ Murphy, Mark (February 23, 2013). "Family struggle weighs on O'Neal". Boston Herald. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Southlake Carroll's Asjia O'Neal commits to Texas volleyball". WFAA. April 28, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  4. ↑ Riddle, Greg (July 31, 2017). "Texas pledge Asjia O'Neal, one of state's best volleyball players, won't play for Southlake Carroll as senior". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Davis, Danny (November 18, 2022). "From emulating Dennis Rodman to using her voice, Texas' O'Neal continues to be herself". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ Jones, Jeff (May 12, 2020). "Asjia O'Neal's journey back from multiple open-heart surgeries". KVUE. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  7. ↑ "UT's Asjia O'Neal Honored with Honda Inspiration Award". Big 12 Conference. June 22, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Rossow, Adam (July 26, 2023). "'Comfortable and confident': How Texas volleyball star Asjia O'Neal acclimated herself to Team USA". Dallas: Spectrum News. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  9. ↑ "2022 Women's DI All-Americans". American Volleyball Coaches Association. December 14, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Asjia O'Neal – Volleyball". University of Texas at Austin Athletics. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
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