It’s Zhou or never

Former Chinese Olympian brings a world of knowledge to women’s volleyball

CHISTOPHER TORRES Reporter @chris_t_torres

An Olympian is recognized as a proven winner and a world-class athlete. They are associated with hard work, mental toughness and for having a “whatever-it-takes” attitude.

As a former Olympian, new women’s volleyball head coach Edison Zhou has been allotted with the task to instill those same qualities in the minds of each individual on the team.

Zhou is high on establishing relationships with his players and considers all of them to be more than just athletes.

“I told them that on the volleyball court, I am your coach,” Zhou said. “Outside of the gym, we are friends. If you need any help just tell me and I will try my best to help you.”

Zhou started playing volleyball when he was 13 years old, attending a middle school known for the sport.

Zhou is still learning the English language but he lets his game speak for itself. According to the National Volleyball Association, Zhou is a fivetime national champion and a twotime national grand slam champion.

As a member of the Chinese National Team, he won the gold medal in the Asian Final Four in 2005 which took place in Japan.

He also made an appearance in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games where they finished as the second-ranked team in their group and the fifthranked team in the entire tournament.

“It was the best memory of my life,” said Zhou.

As a former Olympian, Zhou is no stranger to overcoming adversity. He said his most memorable moment competing in the Olympics was the rivalry match against Japan.

The match went to five sets and lasted almost an two hours. This highly competitive contest ended with China victorious.

The win over Japan also punched their ticket into the top eight and a spot in the quarterfinals.

Moriah Van Norman, athletic director, also competed in the Beijing Olympics where she played Water Polo for Team USA.

Although most of her conversations with Zhou is business related, she does acknowledge that having a fellow Olympian in the same

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