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League One Volleyball (LOVB, pronounced “love”) Austin middle blocker Asjia O'Neal and Houston outside hitter Jess Mruzik know there are still many unknowns about the professional level.
O'Neal, the daughter of former NBA star Jermaine O'Neal, is in her second year of professional play and first season with LOVB Austin. Before turning pro, O'Neal earned two national championships with the Texas Longhorns in 2022 and 2023 and is also a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team. Mruzik, a Livonia, Michigan native, is a rookie with LOVB Houston. She recently won a national championship with the Penn State Nittany Lions under head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley.
It's early in O'Neal and Mruzik's careers, which means there may be learning curves as they navigate the ebbs and flows of the pro level despite years of experience. Sometimes, that requires managing a busy schedule, taking care of their bodies full time and realizing that being a pro doesn't always mean success will find them. O'Neal says that's something her dad relays to her to keep her grounded.
"I think the best piece of advice he's given me is just trusting my process," O'Neal told For The Win. "That's pretty basic. But I think after having a really great college career and ending it the way that I did, I faced a lot of obstacles right off the bat coming out of college. And I think he's done a good job at encouraging me and realizing or teaching me that it's not always gonna be super smooth and super fluid. You're a pro now. Everyone's the highest of levels. And there's not gonna be that instant gratification ..."
During LOVB's inaugural season, O'Neal and Mruzik spoke with For The Win about a day in the life of a professional volleyball player, common misconceptions people make about the pro level, and the volleyball ick that totally grosses them out. We asked eight questions to learn more about pro volleyball.
These interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity.
O'Neal: I knew immediately once LOVB approached me that this is something I wanted to be a part of. I graduated from college in December 2023, played pro volleyball in another league, and then ended up signing with Love right after. But I just love the fact that League One has their grassroots side. I think it's really important for younger kids to see that there's professional volleyball.
When I was younger, I had no idea that pro volleyball even existed. It wasn't until I got to college that I really realized that was a thing. So I think it's just really cool to have this right in front of the youth's eyes, and they get to see us all the time and realize that it's not far from them at all. They can totally accomplish this, and that's really what stuck with me.
Mruzik: I worked with League One in college a little bit in a different angle, like the NIL space, and working more with clubs and youth volleyball players; that's been something that I've always loved ― coaching whenever I would go home. I would always go back to my club and help out and just be in the gym and even just play with some of the girls. It's always been really fun for me to be able to be around young volleyball players ...
I loved how they're in basically every facet of volleyball. They're in youth, they're in club, they're in college when I was in there, and now they're pro. So I thought that was really cool also that they are involved in so many different ways.
O'Neal: I think the most important thing for them to walk away with is just realizing how dynamic, explosive and cooperative volleyball is. I think it's a really special sport where it kind of incorporates everything. You're running and jumping and diving, and there's so much team community. Like one person can't really take over the whole entire game and that's something that I love about volleyball.
It's really a whole team dynamic, and one person can't win the match for everyone. I just really love those aspects of it, and I hope that when people watch it, they also see that and love it, too.
O'Neal: We're normally done with practice by 12 [p.m.] or one o'clock every day, and then after that, I just try to make my own recovery schedule. I normally go to this other gym. I do cold tub or sauna, maybe do some extra cardio if I feel like I didn't get enough, but then after that I try to just shut it down from volleyball.
I might watch some film, but I've grown to realize that have to give myself enough downtime from the sport. Like I can't be thinking about volleyball all day long every single day bcause then you just go crazy.So, I've tried to really balance that ...
Mruzik: Obviously this is my first year, so I'm still kind of learning everything, but some teams practice twice a day. We only practice once. So, we are basically at the gym from like 9 a.m. to 2 [p.m.]-ish, and we'll practice. Then we'll go lift and do our treatment and recovery, and we have massages and physical therapy and all of that after ...It's our job to take care of our bodies since that's how we earn our money, and that's how we win games. Really from like 3 [p.m.] until you go to bed, it's like all about recovery and trying to recover as quick as possible so that the next day you're full go again so you can practice. It's basically I just take care of my body every single day.
Mruzik: Usually, every night, I drink some cherry juice and magnesium. It was like a really big trend I feel like on TikTok a few years ago ― making the sleepy girl mocktail. It's like a poppy and cherry juice and magnesium, but it seriously helps so much. It's so good for my sleep, and it's so good for my recovery.
O'Neal: I think this maybe is a volleyball player specifically, but I want to dispel the idea that everyone thinks professional volleyball, or even college volleyball, is like high school gym class volleyball. Like it's not the same at all.
I think people always just assume that right away, and then they go watch a match and like, "Oh my God, this is so much cooler than I thought." Everyone who hasn't seen it needs to realize this is not like PE class volleyball at all.
O'Neal: I think 10-year-old Asjia would think that I am pretty cool. I was really shy as a kid. So, I think she would be really excited that I'm no longer shy and reserved and that also I'm playing professional volleyball and doing what I love. Yeah, I think she would think I'm pretty cool.
Mruzik: I think 10-year-old Jess would just be surprised at how far we've come, especially when I first started. I was just starting because I thought it, you know, looked fun, and I was doing competitive cheerleading at the time, so it was like a complete change of pace for me.
Everyone always asks: Is there a point where you realized you could be good or you felt like you were kind of an outlier in your age group? Honestly, no. And, sometimes, I think even like last year or two years ago, if I would see where I am now, I think I would be just really surprised and really proud of what I've gotten through and how I've gotten myself here.
O'Neal: Olivia Babcock. She's an opposite for Pittsburgh. She's incredible. Has a great career ahead of her, and I just love her personality and her fire and energy on the court.
Mruzik: Her name's Gillian Grimes. She plays at Penn State, and she was my libero, but I feel like she's just very underrated and especially in the libero position. It can be easy to be like really flashy and, be diving everywhere and like do all these crazy plays and stuff, but she's so simple, but she digs a lot of balls and I think that's something that a lot of people miss quite often.
O'Neal: My volleyball ick is ankle socks. It looks so bad. It's atrocious.
Mruzik: Black socks and black knee pads. I know that's pretty controversial, but that's just out.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 8 questions about volleyball, with LOVB pros Asjia O'Neal & Jess Mruzik
Continue reading...
O'Neal, the daughter of former NBA star Jermaine O'Neal, is in her second year of professional play and first season with LOVB Austin. Before turning pro, O'Neal earned two national championships with the Texas Longhorns in 2022 and 2023 and is also a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team. Mruzik, a Livonia, Michigan native, is a rookie with LOVB Houston. She recently won a national championship with the Penn State Nittany Lions under head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley.
It's early in O'Neal and Mruzik's careers, which means there may be learning curves as they navigate the ebbs and flows of the pro level despite years of experience. Sometimes, that requires managing a busy schedule, taking care of their bodies full time and realizing that being a pro doesn't always mean success will find them. O'Neal says that's something her dad relays to her to keep her grounded.
"I think the best piece of advice he's given me is just trusting my process," O'Neal told For The Win. "That's pretty basic. But I think after having a really great college career and ending it the way that I did, I faced a lot of obstacles right off the bat coming out of college. And I think he's done a good job at encouraging me and realizing or teaching me that it's not always gonna be super smooth and super fluid. You're a pro now. Everyone's the highest of levels. And there's not gonna be that instant gratification ..."
During LOVB's inaugural season, O'Neal and Mruzik spoke with For The Win about a day in the life of a professional volleyball player, common misconceptions people make about the pro level, and the volleyball ick that totally grosses them out. We asked eight questions to learn more about pro volleyball.
These interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity.
1. Why did you decide to join League One Volleyball?
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O'Neal: I knew immediately once LOVB approached me that this is something I wanted to be a part of. I graduated from college in December 2023, played pro volleyball in another league, and then ended up signing with Love right after. But I just love the fact that League One has their grassroots side. I think it's really important for younger kids to see that there's professional volleyball.
When I was younger, I had no idea that pro volleyball even existed. It wasn't until I got to college that I really realized that was a thing. So I think it's just really cool to have this right in front of the youth's eyes, and they get to see us all the time and realize that it's not far from them at all. They can totally accomplish this, and that's really what stuck with me.
Mruzik: I worked with League One in college a little bit in a different angle, like the NIL space, and working more with clubs and youth volleyball players; that's been something that I've always loved ― coaching whenever I would go home. I would always go back to my club and help out and just be in the gym and even just play with some of the girls. It's always been really fun for me to be able to be around young volleyball players ...
I loved how they're in basically every facet of volleyball. They're in youth, they're in club, they're in college when I was in there, and now they're pro. So I thought that was really cool also that they are involved in so many different ways.
2. How would you describe professional volleyball to someone who has never seen it?
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O'Neal: I think the most important thing for them to walk away with is just realizing how dynamic, explosive and cooperative volleyball is. I think it's a really special sport where it kind of incorporates everything. You're running and jumping and diving, and there's so much team community. Like one person can't really take over the whole entire game and that's something that I love about volleyball.
It's really a whole team dynamic, and one person can't win the match for everyone. I just really love those aspects of it, and I hope that when people watch it, they also see that and love it, too.
3. What is a typical day or week like for a pro volleyball player?
You must be registered for see images attach
O'Neal: We're normally done with practice by 12 [p.m.] or one o'clock every day, and then after that, I just try to make my own recovery schedule. I normally go to this other gym. I do cold tub or sauna, maybe do some extra cardio if I feel like I didn't get enough, but then after that I try to just shut it down from volleyball.
I might watch some film, but I've grown to realize that have to give myself enough downtime from the sport. Like I can't be thinking about volleyball all day long every single day bcause then you just go crazy.So, I've tried to really balance that ...
Mruzik: Obviously this is my first year, so I'm still kind of learning everything, but some teams practice twice a day. We only practice once. So, we are basically at the gym from like 9 a.m. to 2 [p.m.]-ish, and we'll practice. Then we'll go lift and do our treatment and recovery, and we have massages and physical therapy and all of that after ...It's our job to take care of our bodies since that's how we earn our money, and that's how we win games. Really from like 3 [p.m.] until you go to bed, it's like all about recovery and trying to recover as quick as possible so that the next day you're full go again so you can practice. It's basically I just take care of my body every single day.
4. Is there a special recovery hack that you love that gets your body ready to go for the next day?
You must be registered for see images attach
Mruzik: Usually, every night, I drink some cherry juice and magnesium. It was like a really big trend I feel like on TikTok a few years ago ― making the sleepy girl mocktail. It's like a poppy and cherry juice and magnesium, but it seriously helps so much. It's so good for my sleep, and it's so good for my recovery.
5. What's a common misconception about volleyball players that you want to dispel?
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O'Neal: I think this maybe is a volleyball player specifically, but I want to dispel the idea that everyone thinks professional volleyball, or even college volleyball, is like high school gym class volleyball. Like it's not the same at all.
I think people always just assume that right away, and then they go watch a match and like, "Oh my God, this is so much cooler than I thought." Everyone who hasn't seen it needs to realize this is not like PE class volleyball at all.
6. What would 10-year-old you think of you now?
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O'Neal: I think 10-year-old Asjia would think that I am pretty cool. I was really shy as a kid. So, I think she would be really excited that I'm no longer shy and reserved and that also I'm playing professional volleyball and doing what I love. Yeah, I think she would think I'm pretty cool.
Mruzik: I think 10-year-old Jess would just be surprised at how far we've come, especially when I first started. I was just starting because I thought it, you know, looked fun, and I was doing competitive cheerleading at the time, so it was like a complete change of pace for me.
Everyone always asks: Is there a point where you realized you could be good or you felt like you were kind of an outlier in your age group? Honestly, no. And, sometimes, I think even like last year or two years ago, if I would see where I am now, I think I would be just really surprised and really proud of what I've gotten through and how I've gotten myself here.
7. Is there a current college player that deserves more recognition?
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O'Neal: Olivia Babcock. She's an opposite for Pittsburgh. She's incredible. Has a great career ahead of her, and I just love her personality and her fire and energy on the court.
Mruzik: Her name's Gillian Grimes. She plays at Penn State, and she was my libero, but I feel like she's just very underrated and especially in the libero position. It can be easy to be like really flashy and, be diving everywhere and like do all these crazy plays and stuff, but she's so simple, but she digs a lot of balls and I think that's something that a lot of people miss quite often.
8. What's your volleyball ick?
You must be registered for see images
O'Neal: My volleyball ick is ankle socks. It looks so bad. It's atrocious.
Mruzik: Black socks and black knee pads. I know that's pretty controversial, but that's just out.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 8 questions about volleyball, with LOVB pros Asjia O'Neal & Jess Mruzik
Continue reading...
