“I am just blown away at the opportunities I gain from Michigan State, the love, the support and the trust I have from not only my team at Michigan State, but also my academic coordinator and a couple of our student-athlete committees,” Long said. “I’m our SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) president, so just being able to have trust from the community also has been super cool to see, and it just means a lot coming here.”

Long hopes to push discussions on eligibility and name, image, and likeness this year. She said the commission’s makeup gives its members a unique perspective because they have firsthand experience as college athletes.

“I think we have a great committee that is really striving to give our athletes the best-case scenario possible,” Long said. “I think everyone has us athletes’ best interest, and I think it’s super cool that everyone in the committee has been an athlete or is an athlete, so they just understand us on a whole different level.”

Long also hopes to bring the perspective of a volleyball player to the commission. She said the sport continues to change through new rules and eligibility policies, allowing her to contribute a perspective from outside the other sports represented on the commission.

“Volleyball is an ever-changing sport,” Long said. “There’s things changing every single year, whether it’s rules, eligibility that just passed in August, and it’s just going to keep changing. I don’t think that it’s been totally honed in. I feel like there’s still some stuff they have to work through, but I know that we trust the Big Ten.”

Long said she wants to use the commission to understand the challenges facing athletes across the conference, not just those on the volleyball court, and carry that perspective back to MSU.

MSU volleyball head coach Kristen Kelsay said Long has embraced opportunities to make an impact beyond her role as a setter.

“The thing I love about Malayah Long is her holistic approach to this experience,” Kelsay said. “She’s president of SAAC. She leads our team impact efforts. She’s our starting setter. She’s young, right? And she’s received votes back-to-back years to be in our leadership council. And I think she gets it.”

Kelsay said Long understands the broader opportunities available to her as a student-athlete and made an effort to take advantage of them, both on and off the court.

Long’s selection comes after she established herself as MSU’s starting setter during her first season with the Spartans.

She played all 113 sets across 30 matches, starting in 29. She led MSU with 983 assists and averaged 8.70 assists per set. Her assist total ranked sixth among freshmen in program history, while her assists-per-set mark ranked seventh.

Long also led the Spartans with 31 service aces and finished third on the team with 235 digs. She recorded nine double-doubles and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice.