Micah Kupono Maʻa is an American setter for Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya and the United States men’s national team. The 192 cm playmaker from Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi, made his senior U.S. debut in 2018 and won an Olympic bronze medal at Paris 2024.
Maʻa’s profile is unusual even among international setters. At UCLA he regularly contributed as both a setter and attacker, finished his college career with school records for single-season and career service aces, and recorded the nation’s only triple-double of the 2019 NCAA season. His professional career has since taken him through France, Poland, Türkiye and Russia, with major titles including the French Cup, two Turkish Cups and the Turkish league championship.
Player Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Micah Kupono Maʻa |
| Date of Birth | April 16, 1997 |
| Place of Birth | Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Position | Setter |
| Height | 192 cm |
| Weight | 88 kg |
| Spike Reach | 333 cm |
| Block Reach | 318 cm |
| College | UCLA |
| Current Club | Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya |
| Club Number | 7 |
| Previous Clubs | Stade Poitevin Poitiers, GKS Katowice, Halkbank Ankara, Fakel Yamal |
| National Team | United States Men’s National Volleyball Team |
| Senior National Team | 2018–present |
| National-Team Number | 14 |
| Olympic Appearances | Paris 2024 |
| Olympic Medals | Bronze — Paris 2024 |
| Career Status | Active |
| @micahmaa |
Official U.S. and international listings place Maʻa at 192 cm. GKS Katowice listed him at 88 kg, while established player records give a 333 cm spike reach and 318 cm block reach.
Early Life & Volleyball Beginnings
Maʻa grew up in Kāneʻohe in a family with deep volleyball connections. His father, Pono Maʻa, played for the U.S. men’s national team in 1986, was a two-time All-American at the University of Hawaiʻi and later competed professionally in beach volleyball. His mother, Lisa Strand-Maʻa, played professional beach volleyball after winning two collegiate national championships at Hawaiʻi. Maʻa also has three sisters, Misty, Mehana and Maluhia.
Despite that background, volleyball was only one part of his athletic life at Punahou School. Maʻa was a three-sport athlete who competed in volleyball, basketball and football. He played setter and outside hitter in volleyball, shooting guard in basketball and wide receiver in football.
Punahou won four consecutive state volleyball championships during his high-school career. Maʻa was named Hawaiʻi State Volleyball Player of the Year as a senior in 2015, while his wider high-school résumé also included state championships in basketball and football.
His club development was similarly successful. USA Volleyball credits him with the 2015 Boys Junior National Championship 18 Open title, while an FIVB profile of his early career described a youth environment in which winning became normal long before he reached college.
International competition started early as well. Maʻa represented the United States at the 2014 NORCECA U19 Championship, where the Americans won gold and he was named Best Setter. He later appeared at the 2015 U19 World Championship and the 2017 U21 World Championship.
Club Career
UCLA Bruins
Maʻa joined UCLA in 2015 and developed into one of the most versatile setters in NCAA men’s volleyball.
His value went beyond conventional setting. UCLA used him in systems that allowed him to set, serve and attack, and he spent meaningful stretches of his college career working as both a setter and hitter. As a freshman in 2016, he helped run a 6–2 offense while also reaching double figures in kills in multiple matches.
Serving quickly became one of his defining weapons. Maʻa earned Off the Block’s National Server of the Year award in 2016 and became an AVCA First Team All-American.
His role continued to expand as UCLA returned to national contention. In 2018, the Bruins reached the NCAA championship match at Pauley Pavilion. Maʻa produced 52 assists, eight digs and five blocks in the five-set final, but Long Beach State won the deciding set 15–12 to take the national championship. Maʻa was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
That result is an important distinction in his college record: UCLA was the 2018 NCAA runner-up, not the champion.
His senior season in 2019 provided perhaps the clearest demonstration of how different his game could be from that of a traditional setter. Maʻa started 22 matches at setter and six at outside hitter. Against BYU, he recorded 15 kills, 44 assists and 15 digs for the only triple-double in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball that season.
He also broke two major UCLA serving records. Maʻa finished 2019 with 67 aces, setting the program’s single-season record, and closed his college career with 208 aces, the UCLA career record.
AVCA First Team All-America recognition in 2019 followed the same honor in 2016 and 2018, making him a three-time First Team All-American. He also finished his career among UCLA’s leading setters with 3,427 assists.
Stade Poitevin Poitiers
Maʻa moved to France after graduating from UCLA, beginning his professional career with Stade Poitevin Poitiers in 2019.
The adjustment placed him in a full professional environment for the first time, but his responsibilities remained familiar: distribute the offense, create pressure from the service line and give his team an attacking threat from the setter position.
His first European period also produced his first professional trophy.
Poitiers won the 2019–20 French Cup, completing an unusual campaign disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Maʻa later discussed the season, the team culture and his transition to professional volleyball in an FIVB feature about his early career in France.
He remained with Poitiers for a second season before moving to Poland.
GKS Katowice
Maʻa joined GKS Katowice for the 2021–22 PlusLiga season.
Polish volleyball gave him a different tactical challenge from France. The combination of heavy serving, physical blocking and high-level opposites meant that the setter often had to create offense from imperfect first contacts rather than simply distribute in-system balls.
Maʻa’s own serve remained an important weapon. During one March 2022 victory over Projekt Warszawa, he produced five aces while setting Katowice to a .337 attacking percentage.
His single season in Poland prepared him for the most successful club chapter of his career to that point.
Halkbank Ankara
Maʻa signed with Halkbank Ankara in 2022 and remained with the Turkish club for three seasons.
The move immediately placed him in CEV Champions League competition. Before his first Champions League match with Halkbank, Maʻa discussed adapting to a demanding schedule and drawing on his previous PlusLiga experience in a CEV interview ahead of his European debut with the club.
Halkbank reached the Champions League semifinals in 2022–23 and won the Turkish Cup that same season, defeating Fenerbahçe 3–0 in the final.
The following campaign was even more successful domestically.
Halkbank retained the Turkish Cup in March 2024 with a 3–1 victory over Arkas Spor. The club then won the 2023–24 Efeler Ligi championship, its tenth Turkish league title.
Maʻa was selected as Best Setter in the league’s end-of-season Dream Team.
His influence had expanded beyond distribution. By 2024–25, Halkbank was publicly referring to him as its captain, placing organizational responsibility on a player who already controlled the team’s offense on court.
That leadership role also appeared in European competition. Maʻa spoke for the team before Champions League matches and was regularly trusted to manage an offense built around experienced international attackers.
His three-year Halkbank period ended in June 2025.
Fakel Yamal
Maʻa moved to Russia for the 2025–26 season, joining Fakel Yamal.
The Russian Superleague added another high-level domestic competition to a career already spanning France, Poland and Türkiye. Fakel became his first club outside the European Union and offered a new tactical environment before his return to Turkish volleyball.
He spent one season with Fakel before signing with Galatasaray in the summer of 2026.
Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya
Galatasaray signed Maʻa ahead of the 2026–27 season.
The transfer brought him back to the Turkish Efeler Ligi after a year in Russia and placed him in a roster featuring Jean Patry, Stephen Maar, Efe Mandıracı and Roamy Alonso. Galatasaray assigned Maʻa No. 7 and installed him as one of the team’s primary setters.
His first official trophy arrived before the league season had even begun.
On October 12, 2026, Galatasaray faced Ziraat Bankkart in the AXA Sigorta Champions Cup. Maʻa started at setter as Galatasaray won 3–1 to claim the trophy, the club’s second victory in the competition.
The result gave Maʻa another Turkish domestic title just over two months after his transfer.
Club Career Timeline
| Seasons | Team | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2015–2019 | UCLA Bruins | United States |
| 2019–2021 | Stade Poitevin Poitiers | France |
| 2021–2022 | GKS Katowice | Poland |
| 2022–2025 | Halkbank Ankara | Türkiye |
| 2025–2026 | Fakel Yamal | Russia |
| 2026–present | Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya | Türkiye |
National Team Career
Youth National Teams
Maʻa entered the USA Volleyball pathway before becoming a college player.
At the 2014 NORCECA U19 Championship, the United States won gold and Maʻa received the Best Setter award. He continued with the youth program at the 2015 FIVB U19 World Championship, where the U.S. finished fifth.
He later played for the U21 national team at the 2017 World Championship.
Those tournaments gave him international setting experience before he became part of the senior U.S. program.
Senior Debut and the 2019 International Season
USA Volleyball records Maʻa’s senior national-team debut in 2018, during U.S. friendlies in Argentina.
His first major senior medal season followed in 2019.
The United States reached the Volleyball Nations League final in Chicago and finished with silver. The team then won its Olympic qualification tournament, securing a place at Tokyo 2020, before ending the year with bronze at the FIVB World Cup in Japan.
Maʻa remained behind established starter Micah Christenson in the setter hierarchy, but the international season established him as a reliable second option in the senior program.
2023 VNL, NORCECA Gold and Olympic Qualification
After several seasons moving between European club volleyball and the U.S. program, Maʻa returned to major medal competition in 2023.
The United States again reached the VNL final, taking silver after a strong tournament run.
Later that summer, the Americans won the 2023 NORCECA Continental Championship in Charleston.
The season concluded with the Road to Paris Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tokyo. The United States completed the tournament undefeated and secured qualification for Paris 2024.
For Maʻa, that result opened the door to his first Olympic selection.
Paris 2024 Olympic Bronze
USA Volleyball selected Maʻa as one of two setters for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games alongside Micah Christenson.
It was his Olympic debut.
The United States won all three pool matches, defeating Argentina, Germany and Japan. The Americans then beat Brazil 3–1 in the quarterfinal before losing an intense five-set semifinal to Poland.
That sent the U.S. into the bronze-medal match against Italy.
The Americans won 3–0, taking the sets 25–23, 30–28 and 26–24 to secure the Olympic bronze medal.
For Maʻa, Paris represented the highest-level medal of his career and completed a progression from USA Volleyball youth teams to the Olympic podium.
2026 VNL Silver
Maʻa remained in the U.S. national-team group under Karch Kiraly in 2026.
He appeared during all three VNL preliminary weeks and was selected for the Final in Ningbo alongside setters Micah Christenson and Andrew Rowan.
Volleyball World recorded 15 points for Maʻa over the competition, including five attack points, six blocks and four aces. Those numbers are significant for a setter because direct scoring is normally a secondary part of the position.
The United States swept reigning world champion Italy in the quarterfinal and then defeated previously unbeaten Japan in five sets.
Poland won the final 3–2, leaving the U.S. with the 2026 VNL silver medal.
2026 NORCECA Championship
Maʻa continued into the September NORCECA Continental Championship in Moncton, Canada.
The United States used Maʻa and Andrew Rowan at setter during an unbeaten tournament. In the semifinal against the Dominican Republic, the two setters directed the U.S. to a .450 attacking efficiency, while Maʻa personally added seven points, including a team-high five aces.
The Americans then defeated Canada in five sets in the final to win NORCECA gold.
The championship closed the 2026 U.S. national-team season and confirmed Maʻa’s continued place in the senior setter rotation eight years after his debut.
Playing Style & Strengths
Maʻa is a setter with a broader offensive toolkit than is typical for the position.
His college background explains much of that profile. UCLA did not use him exclusively as a stationary distributor; he spent meaningful periods as an outside hitter and opposite-style attacker and was capable of taking full attacking swings when the system required it.
That history still matters because it gives opposing blockers another responsibility. A setter who can attack on second contact or terminate an available ball forces the front-row defense to respect more than the conventional set.
Serving is another defining part of his game.
The UCLA records of 67 aces in a season and 208 in a career were not produced by simply putting the ball safely in play. Maʻa has consistently used his serve as an attacking tool, and his five-ace performance in the 2026 NORCECA semifinal showed that the skill remains relevant deep into his international career.
His physicality also gives him more blocking value than many setters. At 192 cm, Maʻa has enough size to compete at the net, while his timing and athletic background help him contribute direct block points. Six blocks during the 2026 VNL represented a notable share of his 15 total points.
As a distributor, Maʻa has experience operating both 6–2 and conventional setter systems. His college years required him to shift between setting and hitting responsibilities, while his professional career has paired him with high-volume attackers such as Nimir Abdel-Aziz, Earvin Ngapeth, Marek Sotola and, more recently, Jean Patry and Stephen Maar.
The setter’s central task remains creating favorable attacking situations. Maʻa’s ability to threaten from the service line and front row adds pressure around that primary responsibility rather than replacing it.
Leadership has become another part of his profile. Halkbank made him captain during his final season in Ankara, and his role with both club and country increasingly reflects the experience of a player who has competed in multiple elite leagues, Champions League volleyball and an Olympic medal match.
Major Achievements
Selected National Team Honors
| Year | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | NORCECA U19 Championship | Gold Medal |
| 2019 | Volleyball Nations League | Silver Medal |
| 2019 | Olympic Qualification Tournament | First Place / Olympic Qualification |
| 2019 | FIVB World Cup | Bronze Medal |
| 2023 | Volleyball Nations League | Silver Medal |
| 2023 | NORCECA Continental Championship | Gold Medal |
| 2023 | Road to Paris Olympic Qualifier | First Place / Olympic Qualification |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Bronze Medal |
| 2026 | Volleyball Nations League | Silver Medal |
| 2026 | NORCECA Continental Championship | Gold Medal |
Selected Club Honors
| Year / Season | Competition | Result | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | French Cup | Winner | Stade Poitevin Poitiers |
| 2022–23 | Turkish Cup | Winner | Halkbank Ankara |
| 2023–24 | Turkish Cup | Winner | Halkbank Ankara |
| 2023–24 | Turkish Efeler Ligi | Champion | Halkbank Ankara |
| 2026 | AXA Sigorta Champions Cup | Winner | Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya |
Selected Individual & College Awards
| Year / Season | Competition / Organization | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | NORCECA U19 Championship | Best Setter |
| 2016 | AVCA | First Team All-American |
| 2016 | Off the Block | National Server of the Year |
| 2018 | AVCA | First Team All-American |
| 2018 | NCAA Championship | All-Tournament Team |
| 2019 | AVCA | First Team All-American |
| 2019 | Off the Block | Co-National Server of the Year |
| 2023–24 | Turkish Efeler Ligi | Best Setter / Dream Team |
Personal Life & Interests
Volleyball is deeply embedded in Maʻa’s family background. His father played for the U.S. national team and at the University of Hawaiʻi, while his mother competed at a high level indoors and later professionally on the beach.
Maʻa graduated from UCLA in 2019 after studying political science.
His interests outside conventional professional volleyball include music and literature, both of which Halkbank highlighted during his time in Ankara.
He is also closely associated with Out of System, the volleyball media and events project he co-founded with Joe and Gage Worsley. The official Out of System profile describes Maʻa as its “Chief of Volleyball” and reflects the deliberately informal role he has within a project built around volleyball content, events and community.
That project also connects back to his Hawaiʻi volleyball network. Maʻa and the Worsleys were part of the same broader generation of players who grew up around the state’s unusually strong school and club volleyball culture.
Where Is Micah Maʻa Playing Now?
Micah Maʻa plays for Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya in Türkiye’s Efeler Ligi for the 2026–27 season.
Galatasaray’s official roster lists him as No. 7 and one of the team’s setters.
His first official appearance of the season immediately produced silverware. Maʻa started the October 12 AXA Sigorta Champions Cup against Ziraat Bankkart, and Galatasaray won 3–1.
The club is also competing in the 2026–27 CEV Champions League.
Internationally, Maʻa remains active with the United States Men’s National Volleyball Team. He wore No. 14 during both the 2026 VNL and NORCECA Championship, finishing the national-team season with a silver medal and a gold medal respectively.
Recent Performance Snapshot
| Competition / Period | Team | Performance / Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paris 2024 Olympic Games | United States | Bronze Medal |
| 2023–24 Efeler Ligi | Halkbank Ankara | Champion; Best Setter |
| 2026 Volleyball Nations League | United States | 15 points — 5 attacks, 6 blocks, 4 aces |
| 2026 Volleyball Nations League | United States | Silver Medal |
| 2026 NORCECA semifinal vs. Dominican Republic | United States | 7 points, including 5 aces |
| 2026 NORCECA Continental Championship | United States | Gold Medal |
| 2026 AXA Sigorta Champions Cup | Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya | Champion; starting setter |
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Micah Maʻa?
Micah Maʻa was born on April 16, 1997. He is 29 years old as of October 2026.
How tall is Micah Maʻa?
Maʻa is listed at 192 cm, or approximately 6-foot-3, by Volleyball World and USA Volleyball.
What position does Micah Maʻa play?
Maʻa is a setter. He also has extensive experience attacking, including collegiate starts as an outside hitter.
Which club does Micah Maʻa play for?
Maʻa plays for Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya in Türkiye. He joined the club for the 2026–27 season after spending 2025–26 with Fakel Yamal in Russia.
What number does Micah Maʻa wear?
Maʻa wears No. 7 for Galatasaray Madeş Mobilya and No. 14 for the United States men’s national team.
Did Micah Maʻa win an Olympic medal?
Yes. Maʻa won bronze with the United States at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, his first Olympic appearance.
Did Micah Maʻa win the 2018 NCAA championship with UCLA?
No. UCLA reached the 2018 NCAA championship match but lost to Long Beach State in five sets. Maʻa was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
What records did Micah Maʻa set at UCLA?
Maʻa finished his UCLA career with a school-record 208 service aces. His 67 aces in 2019 also set UCLA’s single-season record. In the same season, he recorded the nation’s only triple-double with 15 kills, 44 assists and 15 digs against BYU.
When did Micah Maʻa make his U.S. senior national-team debut?
USA Volleyball records Maʻa’s senior debut in 2018 during friendlies in Argentina.
What major club titles has Micah Maʻa won?
His major club honors include the French Cup with Poitiers, consecutive Turkish Cups and the Efeler Ligi championship with Halkbank, and the 2026 AXA Sigorta Champions Cup with Galatasaray.
References
- Galatasaray — 2026–27 men’s volleyball team roster
- Galatasaray — AXA Sigorta Champions Cup victory over Ziraat Bankkart
- Galatasaray — 2026–27 season opener against Ziraat Bankkart
- USA Volleyball — Micah Maʻa official athlete profile
- USA Volleyball — Paris 2024 U.S. Men’s Olympic roster
- USA Volleyball — U.S. Men win bronze at Paris 2024
- USA Volleyball — 2026 Volleyball Nations League Final
- USA Volleyball — U.S. Men take silver at the 2026 VNL
- USA Volleyball — U.S. Men win the 2026 NORCECA Continental Championship
- USA Volleyball — Maʻa and the U.S. offense in the 2026 NORCECA semifinal
- Volleyball World — Micah Maʻa VNL 2026 player profile and statistics
- UCLA — Micah Maʻa collegiate biography and career statistics
- UCLA — Maʻa earns 2019 AVCA First Team All-America honors
- UCLA — 2018 NCAA championship final against Long Beach State
- UCLA — Micah Maʻa Freshman All-America profile
- FIVB — Micah Maʻa: What it takes to win is always going up
- GKS Katowice — Micah Maʻa player profile
- CEV — Micah Maʻa ahead of his Champions League debut with Halkbank
- CEV — Micah Maʻa player record and verified Instagram
- Halkbank — 2023 Turkish Cup championship
- Halkbank — 2024 Turkish Cup championship
- Halkbank — 2023–24 Efeler Ligi championship and Best Setter award
- Halkbank — Maʻa contract renewal after the 2023–24 championship
- Halkbank — Maʻa concludes his three-season tenure as club captain
- Out of System — Micah Maʻa and the Out of System team
- Volleybox — Micah Maʻa player data and club history
