COLUMBUS, Ohio—The Columbus Fury have signed two-time National Champion and two-time All-American Asjia O’Neal. The first overall draft pick in the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation Draft, O’Neal recently completed the rare feat of winning back-to-back national championships with the Texas Longhorns. UT defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers in straight sets to win the 2023 national championship in front of a record crowd of 19,727. The match also drew 1.7 million viewers on ABC, a record for the sport of volleyball. She was also named a first team All-American for the second consecutive year.
“We are thrilled to officially welcome Asjia to the Columbus Fury. She brings a lot of intangibles when you are trying to build a culture and a franchise,” explained head coach Ángel Pérez. “What caught our attention was her relentlessness. Asjia is a proven winner, a tough competitor, and a fighter. At the end of the day, the things she can do on the volleyball court made her an obvious choice. We are excited to get her on the court and competing at a high level.”
O’Neal was a premier talent on the collegiate stage over the past six seasons who has overcome challenges both on and off the court. She set the Texas program record for total blocks, ending her career with 601 total, the first player to reach 600 blocks for the Longhorns. In addition to her blocks record she finished her career on four top 10 lists at Texas including fourth all-time for blocks per set (1.24), third in career hitting percentage (.405), fourth in block assists in a season (154) and fifth for blocks per set in a season (1.58). O’Neal, the daughter of six-time NBA All Star Jermaine O’Neal, overcame health concerns off the court including two open heart surgeries, the second of which was between her freshman and sophomore seasons at UT. Despite these setbacks, she played four more seasons for the Longhorns, capped by the team’s back-to-back national championships.
“I’m so excited to kick off my professional career here with the Columbus Fury and in Pro Volleyball Federation,” stated O’Neal. “Being able to play high-level pro volleyball at home in the States is a dream come true, and I can’t wait to see all that this team accomplishes this season!”
The Fury are in the midst of training camp, taking place at Mintonette Sports (Fieldhouse USA) in the Polaris Fashion Mall, where the team is preparing for the beginning of the 2024 season. For information on the team and how to get tickets for the inaugural season, visit columbusfury.com or follow the Fury on social media @columbusfury.
For media inquiries and interviews contact Cassie Kelley at ckelley@columbusfury.com or Justin Holbrock at justin@irvinpr.com.
ABOUT THE COLUMBUS FURY
The Columbus Fury is a women's professional volleyball team in Columbus, OH, and is an inaugural member of Pro Volleyball Federation, the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. The Fury are the first major women’s professional sports team in Columbus, the capital city and the most populous city in Ohio, and the second most-populous city in the Midwest (behind only Chicago). The Fury play their home matches at Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus. The Fury's 2024 season begins on Thursday, January 25, at the Grand Rapids Rise. The first home match is Wednesday, February 21, against the Omaha Supernovas. Tickets for all Columbus Fury matches can be purchased by visiting ColumbusFury.com.