Volleyball

Volleyball

With the U.S. invasion of 1916 and the arrival of a contingent of Marines, the practice of volleyball began in the Dominican Republic.  The discipline quickly took hold in the urban sector, principally in Santo Domingo, where youth of both genders began to participate in intense days of practice on improvised courts.

It was not until 1934 that the Dominican Republic participated for the first time in an international tournament, in Haiti, but the victories won since then in regional and world competitions are evidence of the game’s strong roots in the country.

In 1946, the men’s and women’s teams participated for the first time in the Central American and Caribbean games, held in Colombia.  The women’s team won the gold medal.
In 1962, the national teams represented the Dominican Republic in the Central American and Caribbean Games, held in the city of Kingston, Jamaica.  The women’s team acquired another gold medal while the men’s team won the silver.
In 1974, the women’s volleyball team represented the country for the first time in the world championship in Mexico.  Four years later, the team attended the world championship held in Russia in 1978.
The women’s team won third place in the Continental Championship, NORCECA, held in 1997.  In 1998, in Japan, the national athletes qualified for the World Championship and earned one of the 10 first places.  In the Central American and Caribbean Games held in the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela in 1998, the team earned second place.

In 1999, the volleyball team obtained fourth place in the Pan American Games, held in Winnipeg, Canada.  It won the gold medal in the 1999 and 2000 U.S. Open Tournaments and second place in the International Volleyball Tournament in Bremen, Germany, after competing in the finals against Russia.

In the European Volleyball Cup of 2000, held in the city of Palermo, Italy, the team won third place after defeating various professional teams in the Italian volleyball league.

At the beginning of 2002, the team participated in the U.S. Professional Volleyball Tournament and won first place.  The same year, in the 19th Central American and Caribbean Sporting Games in El Salvador, the team won first place upon defeating 3-0 the Venezuelan team in the final, becoming the Central American and Caribbean champion and PanAmerican sub-champion.

In August 2003, the Dominican team made history, winning the gold medal in the 14th PanAmerican Games held in Santo Domingo.  Five Dominican players were included in the All-Star team of the tournament.

In 2004, in the Second Pan American Cup of Women’s Volleyball, held in the city of Saltillo, Mexico, the team defeated Cuba to compete in the finals against United States.  They earned second place.

Volleyball Immortals of the Dominican Republic

1.- Carmen Lugo Peña, 1967
2.- Vinicio Santana, 1967
3.- Lucidla Pión, 1970
4.- Onaney Sánchez, 1971
5.- Alejandro Kalaf, 1972
6.- Horacio Mazara, 1973
7.- Héctor Manuel Castillo, 1974
8.- Teodoro Berg Alváres, 1977
9.- Nelly Pineda, 1978
10.- Caonabo Fernández Naranjo, 1979
11.- Cherín Lugo, 1982
12.- Ana Celina Sánchez, 1983
13.- Rubén Lulo Gitte, 1985
14.- Carlos Morales, 1987
15.- Margarita González, 1988
16.- Mario Crispín, 1990
17.- Félex Mario Aguliar, 1991
18.- Idelfonso Peña (Fonso), 1992
19.- Freddy Antonio Quezada, 1993
20.- Dulce María Columna, 1994
21.- Alicia Cruzado, 1995
22.- César Portorreal, 1996
23.- Quisqueya Olivero, 1997
24.- Heyda Joaquín Tineo, 1998
25.- Deyanira Pascual, 1999
26.- Thelma Tejada, 2000

IMPORTANT PLAYERS

Yudelkis Bautista
Date of Birth: 12/05/1974
Place of Birth: Santo Domingo
Height: 1.93 mts
Attack Height: 3.03
Blocking Height: 3.08
Games played
Dominican Republic 302
International 212
World Cup 1

Annerys Valdez Vargas
Date of Birth: 08/07/1982
Place of Birth: Santo Domingo
Height: 1.91 m
Attack Height: 3.03
Blocking Height: 2.98
Games played
Dominican Republic 211
Internationals 111
World Cup 1

Evelin Carrera Domingo
Date of Birth: 10/05/1971
Place of Birth: Santo Domingo
Height: 1.82 m
Attack Height: 3.01
Blocking Height: 2.97
Games played
Dominican Republic 322
Internationals 215
World Cup 1

Milagros Cabral de la Cruz
Date of Birth: 10/17/1978
Place of Birth: Santo Domingo
Height: 1.85 m
Attack Height: 3.08
Blocking Height: 3.05
Games played
Dominican Republic 305
Internationals 247
World Cup 1

Sofia Mercedes Heredia
Date of Birth: 05/25/1976
Place of Birth: Independencia
Height: 1.85 m
Attack Height: 3.06
Blocking Height: 2.98
Games played
Dominican Republic 203
Internationals 105
World Cup 1

Juana González Sánchez
Date of Birth: 01/03/1979
Place of Birth: Santo Domingo
Height: 1.85 mts
Attack Height: 2.95
Blocking Height: 2.90
Games played
Dominican Republic 125
International 70
World Cup 1

Francia Jackson Cabrera
Date of Birth: 11/08/1975
Place of Birth: Santo Domingo
Height: 1.68 m
Attack Height: 2.80
Blocking Height: 2.75
Games played
Dominican Republic 320
International 259
World Cup 1

Priscila Rivera Brens
Date of Birth: 12/29/1986
Place of Birth: Santo Domingo
Height: 1.83 m
Attack Height: 3.09
Blocking Height: 3.05
Games played
Dominican Republic 162
International 132
World Cup 1

Cosiris Rodríguez Andino
Date of Birth: 08/30/1977
Place of Birth: San Cristóbal
Height: 1.91 m
Attack Height: 3.13
Blocking Height: 3.05
Games played
Dominican Republic 295
International 245
World Cup 1

Kenia Moreta Pérez
Date of Birth: 04/07/1981
Place of Birth: Santo Domingo
Height: 1.91 m
Attack Height: 3.10
Blocking Height: 3.05
Games played
Dominican Republic 160
International 178
World Cup 1

Data from the Federación Dominicana de Voleibol