“Honestly, there isn’t one thing she is weak at in the game of volleyball,” said North Idaho College volleyball coach Kandice Gregorak, when asked about her star sophomore, Yang Yang. “She is truly a coach’s ‘dream-come-true’ player.”
The six-foot international student is now in her second year at NIC, and has helped lead the Cardinals to a 20-4 record.
Yang said the biggest change in moving from Yong’an, China to North Idaho was priorities.
“Before I came here, when I was in China, volleyball was always the most important thing,” Yang said. “My coach was like, ‘It’s ok; you don’t need to worry about school.’ But here, we focus on school first, then volleyball.”
Though this change in priorities was initially a struggle for Yang, she said that she appreciates NIC’s emphasis on pushing their athletes to not only excel in sports, but also in their studies.
Yang started playing volleyball when she was twelve years old. Moving to the United States for her education, Yang admitted she had decided to not play volleyball anymore.
“I really just wanted to focus on my school,” she said.
However, when she learned that NIC had potential scholarships for international student athletes, she reconsidered. After learning more, she committed: “I will do it,” and she’s never looked back.
Gregorak cannot say enough about how impressed she has been with the way Yang has conquered many challenges.
“Coming from a different country, there are always a lot of obstacles foreign athletes face, not the least of which is English,” Gregorak said.
Despite the fact that Yang was not fluent in English, her proud coach boasted, “She still got a 3.23 GPA!”
In addition to the challenges Yang has encountered, there have been some new things she really enjoys about living in the United States.
For Yang, nothing beats playing volleyball. But, she also has a passion for football.
“Football is one of my favorite sports to watch,” Yang said.
Yang follows some of the local college football teams and has fun watching games whenever she gets the chance.
Reflecting on her favorite moment playing volleyball for NIC, Yang said it was last year in their first home game against the College of Southern Idaho. The Cardinals had a thrilling come from behind victory in which Yang was simply unstoppable as she helped her team to a win.
Yang wants to continue her volleyball career at the next level by going to a four-year school.
“I want to play,” Yang said. “I plan to go to a four-year school and to keep playing.”
While she is still unsure what uniform she’ll be wearing next year, Yang said she is considering both Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont., and Irvine Valley College in Southern California.
With regionals beginning Nov. 1, Yang is focused on trying to help her team make another postseason run in her final year as a Cardinal.
“I hate to think she won’t be playing for me next year,” Gregorak said. “But, whoever gets the opportunity to coach Yang is one lucky coach. She is about as wonderful of a person as she is a volleyball player.”
