MIAMI, Fla. (Sept. 28, 2012) – Three former Panthers are representing FIU in the professional volleyball ranks, as Andrea Lakovic, Yarimar Rosa and Natalia Valentin have built on their collegiate careers and are competing at the next level.
Lakovic, a 2011 FIU graduate, plays for TSV Dudingen, an NLA/First Division volleyball squad in Switzerland. Starting as a middle blocker, Lakovic's team went 8-2 in preseason matches and is currently 2-0 in regular season action, a mark which includes a 3-2 win over Swiss Champion, Koniz. Lakovic has been a member of the Montenegro National Team since 2006.
A native of Bar, Montenegro, Lakovic ended her FIU career ranked atop the rally-scoring era (2001-present) record books for career hitting percentage (.302), block assists (351) and total blocks (388), while her 351 block assists also mark an FIU all-time program best. In addition, the middle blocker ranks second on the rally-scoring era career charts for solo blocks (37), and her career blocks-per-set average of 0.88 ranks third. Lakovic amassed 1,005 kills for her career to rank fifth in the rally-scoring era record book, as she is just the fifth player in program history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau.
Rosa, a 2009 FIU graduate, is playing professional volleyball in her home country of Puerto Rico for Indias de Mayaguez, and is also a member of the Puerto Rican National Team. In 2012, the outside hitter led the team in points (370) and attacks (327), as Indias de Mayaguez went 16-6 for a second-place league finish. Rosa earned the Comeback Player of the Year award after recovering from a 2011 foot surgery, and was also named MVP.
A native of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, Rosa is FIU volleyball's only four-time All-American, as she is the school's all-time leader in career kills (2,083) and career digs (1,053). Rosa earned Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Player of the Week accolades a conference-record 13 times and was a four-time First Team All-Sun Belt Conference and AVCA All-South Region selection. Rosa was tabbed SBC Freshman of the Year and AVCA South Region Freshman of the Year in 2006, and she earned SBC Player of the Year accolades in 2008 and 2009. Also in 2008, the outside hitter was named SBC Female Student-Athlete of the Year after leading the nation in kills per set.
Valentin, a 2011 FIU graduate who currently serves as a volunteer assistant coach with the Panthers, plays professional volleyball for Leonas de Ponce in her home country of Puerto Rico. In 2012, her squad placed fifth and Valentin was tabbed the second-best setter in the league. Valentin is also a member of the Puerto Rican National Team.
A native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Valentin is part of the first trio in FIU volleyball history to receive AVCA All-America honors in 2009, as she also earned AVCA All-South Region recognition that season. Valentin is FIU's all-time assist leader with 4,413 career assists, as she holds three of the top five rally-scoring era single-season assist totals, including a school-record 1,448 assists in 2009. The three-time All-SBC Team and SBC Championship All-Tournament selection also sits on top of the rally-scoring era career digs chart with 1,100 career digs, a mark which ranks second all-time in school history.
Valentin and Rosa are set to travel to Qatar for the FIVB Club World Championships on Oct. 13-18, and the duo will again reunite in the summer of 2013 to compete with the Puerto Rican National Team.
About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports, and is a proud member of the Sun Belt Conference and an affiliate member of Conference USA (men's soccer). Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls nearly 48,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
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