Fresno State Athletics
What Makes a Team?
9/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 28, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. - As only one of three seniors, outside hitter/setter Malia Malu is one of the most experienced veterans on the team.
Malu made an impact in the starting Bulldog lineup her freshman year, earning a starting position in late September. During the past three seasons she has ranked among the team's leaders in assists, blocks and kills.
Now in her last season playing volleyball for the Fresno State Malu has already earned a spot in the record books, currently ranked No. 10 in assists with nearly 500 career assists. All of the individual accomplishments are not why Malu loves the game of volleyball, instead it is the team effort that she looks for.
She recently was awarded her first all-tournament team award at the Denver Invitational and states that the award reflects on how well the whole team performed not just the individual. She doesn't seek out the attention for her accomplishments but instead credits how well she played to how well the team performed.
"It's not that I don't like the attention it's that I don't mind if I get the attention or not. Everything is a team effort," Malu said.
Coming into this season Malu knew that she would take on a bigger leadership role. "I came into this season with the goal of being more vocal," Malu said. She sees her role on the team as a leader and helping the underclassmen adept to college volleyball.
Looking forward to her last volleyball season as a Bulldog, Malu doesn't know where all the time has gone. "It seems that only yesterday I checked in and now I'm playing in my senior season," Malu said.
Malu is looking forward to graduating in the spring of 2002 with a degree in deaf studies. Her initial major was liberal studies but took a sign language class here at Fresno State and realized the need for special education teachers. "Children with different disabilities are lumped into the same classroom and taught the same when they all have different disabilities and needs," Malu said. "I was always interested in sign language and then I realized how interested I was in special education."
The needs of others are more important to Malu and she rarely takes credit for her accomplishments. "The support of the team, family and church is the reason I've gotten through the past four seasons."
