Dixie Division Table Tennis Tournament Set for Mississippi College 2014 Homecoming

Mississippi College table tennis players this fall include: Zijie Zheng, Zesheng "Leo" Huang, Yichi Zhang and Cheng Li, the coach and captain for 2014-15.

Ranked No. 2 in North America the past three seasons, Mississippi College's table tennis team opens its 8th season by hosting the Dixie Division tournament.

Teams like Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Tulane, Alabama and Alabama-Huntsville will pack their paddles and head to the Clinton campus to face the Choctaws on October 18. The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association action at Alumni Gym coincides with MC's 2014 Homecoming.

The event from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. that Saturday is free and open to the public.

"We hope to see a solid turnout of table tennis fans, including alumni, students, faculty, staff and others in metro Jackson," says MC table tennis sponsor Andy Kanengiser. "Our team is phenomenal. Tulane's women's team is also strong and advanced to the national championships near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last April."

Longtime supporters of the Mississippi College squad, including President Lee Royce and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ron Howard, will notice a few major changes when the hollow white balls start flying.

Cheng Li, the No. 1 collegiate table tennis player in North America last season, returns as the team captain. But he's also wearing a new hat as the squad's head coach.

"Cheng Li brings extraordinary talent and energy to his new assignment," Kanengiser says. "We believe the Mississippi College team is in very capable hands."

As an effective team captain, Cheng Li prevailed against some top-notch players on his way to the singles title at the 2014 TMS national tournament in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. In the finals in April, the business student defeated Mississippi College teammate Yichi Zhang to become the collegiate champion. Both players are natives of China.

The Mississippi College family expresses its thanks to Ken Qiu, who built the successful table tennis team from scratch starting with the 2007-2008 season. Ken served Mississippi College quite well as the team's first captain who played with passion for four seasons, and constantly recruited players. Qiu was honored as the NCTTA's coach of the year last season.

Over the past seven years, Ken worked well with his father, a college professor and table tennis coach in China. Ken's Dad encouraged stellar players in China to consider a Mississippi College education thousands of miles from their native land.

While Ken stepped down as coach, he continues to work with MC's Office of Global Education. In addition, he's working on the staff at MC's School of Business after recently passing his state accounting exams. He will continue to assist players he recruited when it comes to their academic achievements.

Another lineup change for the Choctaws is that the team's lone American player, Tyler Brogdon of Birmingham, Alabama, is away studying in China this fall. He hopes to return to the squad in January 2015. Just by living in China, where table tennis is king, Tyler's game should improve.

Cheng Li, Yichi Zhang and Zesheng "Leo" Huang are the three returning players. Huang, 19, was part of the nation's No. 2 ranked doubles team last season. MC's two newcomers are: Xiaojin Lin, the only woman on the team, and Zijie Zheng, a graduate student working towards an MBA. All are natives of China.

In addition, former MC Choctaws standout Johnson Liang has taken on a new role. He's teaming with Drew Ogden of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They are serving as co-directors of the NCTTA's Dixie Division.

Johnson and others with the Mississippi College team are assisting Brandon city leaders to launch a table tennis club this fall at the Brandon Civic Center off U.S. 80. Run by the city's Recreation & Parks Department, the club gets started in November. It's open to metro Jackson players of all ages and skill levels.

For more information on the MC team, contact Andy Kanengiser at 601-925-7760 or kanengis@mc.edu.