Ting Liu has adjusted to American culture and become a leader for the Hornets.

Liu Embraces Leadership Role at Emporia State

By David Boyce

At an early age Ting Liu had a knack for playing volleyball. Her destiny was set.

Liu grew up in Beijing, China.

"They have volleyball schools there," said Emporia state senior hitter Arica Shepard. "They grow up going into a certain sport and that's what they play all through their grade school and high school years.

"She was in a volleyball school there. I guess they are extremely strict over there."

Knowledge from different cultures can be learned from textbooks, but nothing tops the living version.

Liu is in her third season at Emporia State, and she and her teammates have gained so much more than just wins and losses on the court.

Actually, on the court this season, the Hornets haven't tasted a loss. With Liu's ability as the most dominant setter in the MIAA, Emporia State is off to an 8-0 start after winning the conference title last year.

On Monday Liu, who is averaging 11.62 assists per set, was selected specialist of the week in the MIAA and Emporia State's Brianne Boner was hitter of the week. A week ago, Shepard was hitter of the week.

Liu has already earned many honors because of her volleyball skills. Some of them include MIAA freshman of the year and last season she was conference player of the year.

Learning English probably means just as much to Liu. Before she ever played a match for the Hornets, she spent a year in Emporia trying to understand a new language.

"I actually learned some English before I came to America," Liu said. "I really wanted to learn English. I knew coming to America would help me learn English better and that's why I chose Emporia State."

Once Liu gained a basic grasp of English she found out that there is so much more to know about different meanings of words.

Each generation takes words and completely redefines them. A person not familiar with American slang might think bad is bad and sick means an illness. But bad and sick can actually mean something good.

"Ting speaks English very well," Shepard said. "I guess the big problem is slang. She doesn't know a lot of our terms.

"She also didn't understand the concept of sarcasm. People would say something and she would get offended, but we were joking. She has picked up on it and gives it right back."

Liu couldn't think of any specific slang words that gave her problems. But she laughed when the subject of slang words came up.

"My teammates have helped me with some American slang," she said. "That's the part I never knew before. They have helped me learn America culture."

On the court, Liu and her teammates speak the same volleyball language, and that's bad news for future MIAA opponents.

Shepard said Liu really makes the offense flow. Her consistency makes it easy on the hitters.

"I'm really excited about my team because we play together really well," Liu said. "I really enjoy playing with them."

As good as Liu was last season, she might be better this season because she's become more of a team leader and is more vocal because she understands the English language better.

Emporia State coach Bing Xu wanted Liu to assume a leadership role this year and is glad to see she has accepted the responsibility.

"In our first two tournaments you can tell the difference," Xu said. "She's been talking a lot and encouraging all the young players.

Her ability on the court automatically commands respect. Liu is a key reason why Emporia State has made such a dramatic improvement in a short time.

The Hornets went 15-16 in 2006 when Liu was in Emporia studying. In her freshman season, Emporia State improved to 27-9 and last year the Hornets were 34-4.

Of course, Liu needs talented hitters like Shepard and Boner to set the ball for kills.

"She has made a big difference," Xu said. "She runs a smooth offense. She knows our hitters very well. She knows what kind of balls they like.

"On the other side, all the players help her. It's really teamwork. We rely on her but we teach our team that we rely on everybody."

Shepard said Liu's height at 6-foot-1 makes her a dominant setter.

"That makes a big difference when you have a tall setter," she said. "Also, she has really quick hands. That's what we are trying to do this year, a lot quicker stuff. Quick hands definitely help in that aspect."

It all translates into Liu having a ball on the court. Oops, that's slang. Liu truly enjoys college volleyball in the United States.

"In America you play more games," Liu said. "We have home games and away games. That's the part I really enjoy. You can play more games here.

"When you play on the court you will want to win the game. When you win the game you are more excited than when you lose. I want to win the games."

On Thursday: Feature on the friendship that has developed between Northwest Missouri defensive coordinator Scott Bostwick and Pittsburg State offensive coordinator Tim Beck.

David Boyce wrote for The Kansas City Star for 21 years, covering high schools, area colleges, the Royals, the Wizards and boxing. Boyce was also a contributing writer for the Royals Gameday magazine this summer.