Volleyball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- dengy@missouri.edu
- Phone:
- 882-3894
- Joined Mizzou:
- 17th Season
- Hometown:
- Chang Zhou, China
- Alma Mater:
- Columbia College, 2002
Mizzou volleyball assistant coach Deng Yang enters her 15th season with the Tigers in 2014. She has been extremely valuable to the Tigers in numerous ways, not only with her teaching on the court, but also in the Tigers continued relationship with the volleyball teams of China. She, along with Lindsey Hunter, was named Coach of the Year at the WIN Awards.
A do-it-all coach, Deng Yang works primarily with the hitters in practice and aids in the day-to-day operations of the volleyball office while also assisting in the coordination of recruiting. Prior to the program hiring former All-American Lindsey Hunter, Deng Yang focused on coaching the setters at Mizzou before turning her attention to the hitters. Her work with the Tiger setters has been one of the many reasons for the program's success over the past decade and a half. In fact, she is responsible for coaching former Tiger All-American (and current assistant coach) Lindsey Hunter, who was just recently voted Mizzou's Female Athlete of the Decade by Tiger fans and athletic department personnel.
Hunter is Mizzou's all-time leader in total assists with 6,907 during her four-year career and she also holds the school's single-season record with 1,690 helpers during the 2002 season; she also holds three of the top four single-season assist marks in program history. Hunter had 21 matches with 60 or more assists during her career - the next closest Tiger finished her career with nine such matches. Hunter was a First Team All-American in 2004, a three-time All-Big 12 First Team honoree and an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection in 2002.
Deng Yang seems to be playing a vital role in to coaching current Tiger setter Molly Kreklow as well. In 2010, Deng Yang guided Kreklow to AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year honors along with honorable mention status on the All-Central Region team. Kreklow also landed on the All-Big 12 honorable mention team and wound up highlighting the All-Big 12 Freshman team. She was also named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week four times and quarterbacked a Mizzou offense that ranked among the league's best nearly all season long.
Yang also worked closely with Lei Wang-Francisco during her years at Mizzou and helped her become one of the best all-around players in program history. Yang guided Wang-Francisco to finish her career ranked in the program's all-time top 10 in four different categories, highlighted by a third-place nod in career assists. She also played in more sets than any other Tiger during her time at Mizzou.
Deng Yang's relationship with China began in the summer of 2001 when the Tigers were able to visit the province for two weeks and train and travel around the countryside experiencing the Chinese culture to its fullest. The relationship continued to grow in the spring of 2002, when the Tigers welcomed the Southeast University squad from the Jiang Su Province for a week's stay in Columbia and returned back to China in May 2005, visiting Beijing and the surrounding provinces. In April 2006, the team welcomed Beihang University of Beijing to Columbia.
Yang came to Missouri from Columbia College where she was a member of the Kreklow's men's volleyball coaching staff. Prior to joining the coaching staff, Yang was part of the Cougar women's volleyball program. As a player, Yang was a two-time NAIA first team All-American (outside hitter in 1998 and setter in 1999) and was named 1999 NAIA National Player of the Year. She was also selected as the Most Valuable Player at the national tournament where the Cougars placed first.
Prior to moving to the United States, Yang played for the Chinese Junior National team for three years and the Chinese National team for one year. She was a member of the 1995 World Cup Championship team as well as a member of the Asia Princess Cup III Championship teams (1993 and 1996). She was recognized as the best setter in Asia in 1993. She is a native of Chang Zhou, China,
Yang welcomed her first child, Logan Chen, into the world on August 31, 2005.
