Andrea Malek, third year biochemistry major and libero on the Wesleyan volleyball team, has been ranked in the top 3 of the NAIA for her digs per set this week. Malek is ranked with an average of 6.73 digs per set overall.  

In the game that took place on Oct. 1 against John Brown University, Malek reached the number one spot. During that game she got 38 digs over four sets which gave her an average of 6.75 digs per set and the #1 ranking in the NAIA. 

“Two weeks ago, I was ranked five, and then last week I was ranked three. Then after this game, I just shot right up, and I got the number one spot,” Malek said. 

On top of her NAIA digs per set ranking, she has been announced as NAIA’s defensive player of the week five times and nominated several times throughout the 2022-2023 season.  

Malek started playing volleyball in seventh grade at the age of 13 and was not always planning on continuing the sport in college. In her final year of high school, right before graduation, she decided she wanted to play college volleyball and reached out to the coach at Texas Wesleyan. 

Malek’s success is celebrated not only by her but by Wesleyan coaches and players. Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Jessica Ransom said, “Dre has worked extremely hard in the offseason and practice to earn all of her accolades thus far. She pushes herself with conditioning, has relentless pursuit of the ball defensively, and is one of the constant voices leading the court.”  

Playing at Texas Wesleyan has helped Malek grow and mature with support from her teammates and coaches, especially head coach Jessica Ransom. “She’s always been supportive of me ever since I came in,” Malek said.  

Sydney Charlton, a fourth-year sports communication major and member of the women’s volleyball team said, “Andrea is a fantastic athlete overall,” and that “the team couldn’t be happier for her.”