Yuliang “Bill” Cai became a star table tennis player and team leader during his rookie season at Mississippi College.
And the energetic marketing student from China figures to be even better when the 2010-2011 season gets rolling on the Clinton campus in the heart of the Magnolia State.

Bill’s strong numbers tell the story about his game. Currently Cai’s NCTTA rating is 2367 putting the 23-year-old at the very top of an outstanding Mississippi College team.

At the 2010 NCTTA nationals in Wisconsin, the MC squad finished No. 5 in the nation, up from a 16th place finish at the 2009 tournament in Minnesota. Bill’s solid performance in Wisconsin was a big reason for the team’s rapid climb up the national collegiate table tennis ladder. He got a nice boost from his stellar MC teammates who are also natives of China.

Bill’s table tennis career goes back to his days as a youngster in China. He first picked up a paddle at age 8, liked the sport very much and played on the collegiate level in his native land. He grew up in Chaozhou in the Guangdong Province, the nearest province to Hong Kong. Bill obtained an associate marketing degree in China then transferred to MC last fall.

In a country well known as the home of the Great Wall of China, the headquarters of the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the center of a vibrant economy, table tennis is the national sport.

Among Mississippi College’s more than 300 international students, there are over 200 natives of China taking classes on the Clinton campus. Last season, eight of the ten members on the MC table tennis team hailed from China. As MC embarks on its 4th season of table tennis, Cai stands out with his skills during tournaments at MC’s Baptist Healthplex and at a blitz of practices at Alumni Gym. He’s a slender guy with a passion for the Olympic sport. He’s always willing to share his knowledge with others, whether it is about table tennis, China or the rapidly changing business world.

“Sometimes he helps me design practice plans and coordinate with some issues inside the team,” says MC team captain and coach Huan “Ken” Qiu. “I thank him a lot for helping me out.”

Cai, Qiu, and other players from China like Zhicheng “Johnson” Liang, Lishun Lu and Renping Ge have a goal in 2010-2011 to become America’s 4th best collegiate team. Bill’s personal goal is to work hard again this year and try to get his NCTTA rating up to more than 2400. Exceeding 2500 is not out of the question with his determination to succeed.

Off the court, Cai wants to graduate from Mississippi College with a strong grade point average, find a job and enjoy life. Bill likes sports like basketball, running and swimming, but table tennis will always remain No. 1 in his universe.

Although Bill Cai is taking classes thousands of miles from home he enjoys the pace of life in Mississippi and at MC. His university in the Deep South is located just miles from the capital city of Jackson. “It is quiet and there are many people caring for him,” Qiu said. “He likes his friends, the professors and the environment.”

While Baptist-affiliated Mississippi College, with nearly 5,000 students, is considered a small school in the United States, table tennis is a big deal on the Clinton campus. Every year, MC’s table tennis team gets cheered on stage by audiences at the university’s International Festival. Primarily spotlighting the musical and dance skills of student performers from nations like China, India and Nepal, the popular event at Swor Auditorium is scheduled just before the NCTTA Nationals in April.

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