Player of the Week: May 6, 2019
Each week of the spring and fall seasons, one player who was originally reported as a recruit by AVSR Global is named Player of the Week for an exceptional performance.
Spring Week #8: Maryna Samoday
Florida International University.
NCAA Division I. Graduated in 2015.
Current: Pro beach player/FIVB World Tour.
Reported to AVSR Global subscribers in 2009.
6'0" Outside Hitter/Opposite/Beach.
Home: Sumy, Ukraine.
See Maryna Samoday’s bio at bvbinfo.com.
Latest Action:
• Samoday jumped higher in the beach world rankings after tourneys in China, Thailand and Malaysia on the FIVB World Tour.
• She’s on track for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Samoday and her partner, Diana Lunina, stand 21st in the latest Olympic ranking.
• Samoday’s next event will be the Aydin Masters in Turkey next week. She’s in her fourth year as a pro beach player.
• Samoday played both indoor and beach at Florida International.
• She remains the top player in FIU beach volleyball history. She reached the Final Four of the national championship pairs tourney.
• Samoday’s brother, Valeriy Samoday, is a pro beach player. He won the FIVB World Championship at the under-21 and under-19 levels.
Excerpts from 2009 AVSR Global report:
“Sleek athlete and veteran player from an elite volleyball family. … Can play LH or RH in upper-Division I. … Surgical shotmaking skills and a light jump. … Comfortable, adaptive ball control.”