I spoke to former Bearcat Jordan Thompson after 2020 Olympics that recently took place over the summer, and we talked what advice she was able to give to Mallon ahead of her senior year, and what Mallon had to say about the advice she learned from her former teammate after winning a gold medal this summer.
Thompson said the following.
“You know, I think it really goes back to that team mentality. I am still close with Maria Mallon to this day, so we will keep in touch, she’ll keep me updated on how the team is doing, stuff like that. Whenever we have the opportunity, to talk, I am always going to be there for her, share experiences I have had overseas, even watching practices, if I see something during practice, I will just give her a little tip here or there. I think we have had a really awesome relationship as teammates, and we still continue to have an awesome relationship as friends. In whatever way I can be there for her, I try to be, just because people who were playing professionally while I was in college, that gave me advice, it was so valuable. I really want to do a great job being able to pass that down gift to others and I think Maria Mallon, is someone I really try to do that with.”
Piggy backing off what Thompson said, here is what Mallon had to say about what she has learned as a player from someone like Jordan Thompson, who has now had a very decorative volleyball career herself, as she recently became the first volleyball player from the University of Cincinnati to play on the national team, representing this country on the biggest stage, where she eventually took home a gold medal.
“Jordan was always big for helping me a lot with the mental game. Jordan is the most positive, she’s just an amazing human being, being able to look up to someone, and be friends with someone who is so content with her life is so perfect for me. When she left, I was like wow she was not only one of my closest friends, but she was a huge part of this team. The advice she kept telling me, was be the leader that you know how to be, keep leading this team in a positive direction, her main advice though, was to keep your head on your shoulders, keep your mind set to win championships, to grow every individual to be the best person they can be.”
Maria Mallon has had a very decorative career here at the University of Cincinnati over the last four years, and has earned a ton of respect within the American Athletic Conference, as she has earned First Team All-AAC, her freshman season, as well as her sophomore season. Mallon also was named an AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention as a sophomore as well, which during her sophomore season she helped lead the Bearcats to their first ever Sweet 16 in program history. Her junior season, was an oddly strange season just due to the pandemic, however Mallon still made the best of it, earning Second Team All-AAC honors in what was a very shortened season due to the ongoing pandemic. Now her senior year, she has accomplished many more milestones in her playing career, 1000 career kills, 1000 career digs, has helped lead the Bearcats to an incredible 10 game winning streak, that included a huge win versus a top ranked Notre Dame team. Here is what Maria, had to say about her playing career at Cincinnati.
“I really try, to not think about the awards aspect of the sport because, I feel like when you’re thinking about, how many kills you have, or how many digs am I going to get, If I’m going to make first team or second team, I could get in my own head, and I don’t play at the level that I should be playing at if I do that. The awards come with the performance of the team, I wouldn’t have been able to get any of those awards if I didn’t have such a solid, dynamic crew of individuals behind me. It’s a fun thing to get after, it’s a fun thing to get awarded for all the hard work that you have put in, and to get the acknowledgement that you deserve, or think you deserve, isn’t my main focus. Growing up I was big on the awards, but now its like I just want to win, and that’s my main focus”
Maria now becomes the 9th player in Cincinnati history to join the 1000 kill, 1000 dig club. In the volleyball world, that’s such an elite and historic club to be in as it not only establishes you as an offensive threat at the net, but it shows you’re a dominant player all the way around. The last person at Cincinnati to join the 1000 kill, 1000 dig club was Jordan Thompson, here’s what Mallon had to say about joining that elite group of individuals within that special club.
