Meet most of the volleyball athletes born and raised on the island who earned college scholarships in the United States.
The following article written by Camila Santiago Martínez first appeared in Puerto Rico’s daily, elnuevodia.com. We have translated and edited for our readers.
By Camila Santiago Martínez (El Nuevo Día)
Puerto Rican volleyball hopefuls Claudia Rivera, Sofía Vega, and Daniella González have something in common this year.
All of them will be first-year players in NCAA Division I volleyball after receiving scholarships from Temple University.
More than 30 volleyball players born and raised on the island will go on to play for various college programs in the United States, thanks to the efforts of Vallejo Sports Recruiting.
From Division I, II, and III programs to the NAIA, these young athletes will have the opportunity to represent their respective universities and also to raise the profile of Puerto Rico.
Vallejo Sports Recruiting shared a list of 32 Puerto Ricans who will make their debut this coming semester. The number rises to 53, with other players recruited in the United States, some of whom are not Puerto Rican.
Other players who will play this season are Alondra Fargas, Valeria Torres, and Andrea Rodríguez, all at St. Peter’s; Cherisse Atilano and Andrea Cintrón, at Coppin State; Alanys Nieves at Eastern Illinois; and Isabella Nieves at Marshall.
Cintrón, in her case, is a program transfer.
All of these players are from Division I programs.
The list includes another player who came from the prestigious Miami program and recently transferred to Georgia State.
This is Marla Valentín, who shared her experience as a student-athlete in the NCAA.
“Being a student-athlete in college is a huge achievement for me. To get where I am, I dedicated a lot of time to training and developing as an athlete. It’s tough, but at the end of the day, it was worth it to use sports to earn a scholarship to the United States and continue doing something I’m passionate about,” the 19-year-old player told El Nuevo Día.
Balancing studies and sports is, without a doubt, one of the biggest challenges for any college athlete. Knowing how to manage time, staying focused, and meeting the demands both in the classroom and on the court is essential to succeed in this competitive environment.
“To manage my time, I have to be well organized and focused. “Of course, there are times to have fun and spend time with friends off the court, but it’s essential to put training and studying first,” added Valentín.
According to Vallejo Sports Recruiting, this year they received 64 players from Puerto Rico to be evaluated for the college recruiting process in the United States. Not all of them accept the offers, whether due to location, academic interests, or other reasons.
Recruiting is a long and demanding process, in which many players begin with enthusiasm, but then drop out midway, or simply discover how much work it really entails.
It’s not just about playing well on the court, but much more: recording and editing your games, sending dozens of emails to coaches, having calls with managers, coordinating visits to universities, and staying consistent at every step.
It’s a path that requires discipline, organization, and above all, a lot of perseverance. The players who manage to commit to a university institution not only have talent, but also great dedication to the process.
“One piece of advice I would give to high school players who want to get an athletic scholarship is that they don’t give up. In my case, I committed to my university in the first semester of my senior year, which some consider late in the volleyball world. But I stayed focused on my goal, and in the end, I signed with my dream school,” Valentín said.
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