Natalia Valentin-Anderson

Personal: Natalia Valentin-Anderson's husband, Colt, played football at FIU from 2007-11. She has a dog named Bernie. Natalia Valentin-Anderson enjoys going to the beach along with spending time with friends and family. She lists her mother as a person who has made a difference in her life. Natalia Valentin-Anderson lists Kobe Bryant as one of her idols. She became starstruck when she participated in the opening ceremonies at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Natalia Valentin-Anderson also lists getting married in Puerto Rico as a moment when she was starstruck. She enjoys cooking fresh foods from scratch, going to the beach, and being outdoors. Natalia Valentin-Anderson also likes pickleball and playing golf along with riding her electric bike. She was involved in ballet and track and field as a child. Natalia Valentin-Anderson started as an outside hitter when she began playing volleyball. She owns a youth training facility named Inspire Greatness (IG) Sports Academy, which is a speed and agility academy.

2024 Season: Natalia Valentin-Anderson was an All-Position Team selection who completed her third Athletes Unlimited season, earning 10th place with 2,828 leaderboard points. She ranked fifth in the circuit with 1,528 stat points and served as team captain in Week One. Natalia Valentin-Anderson led the league with 12 double-doubles and 549 assists. She was the only setter to record 20 or more assists in all 15 matches and also led the league with 14 outings of 30 or more assists. Natalia Valentin-Anderson reached 40 assists in a match four times. She tied for second in the league with 12 double-digit dig outputs and also ranked third in the league with 178 digs, which led all non-libero players. Natalia Valentin-Anderson contributed 20 kills and eight solo blocks. She appeared in all 46 sets across 15 matches. Natalia Valentin-Anderson closed Week One with 38 assists, 10 digs, and a pair of kills for 232 leaderboard points against Team Nuneviller on October 7. She earned MVP 2 commendation after pitching in 31 assists and a season-high 19 digs for 364 leaderboard points against Team Nootsara in the Week Two opener. Natalia Valentin-Anderson dished out 40 assists with 12 digs against Team Caffey on October 13. She registered a season-high 46 assists with 12 digs against Team De La Cruz-Mejía on October 25. Natalia Valentin-Anderson accrued 42 assists with 14 digs and a solo block to total 312 leaderboard points against Team Member-Meneh in the Week Four finale. She matched her season high with 46 assists while chipping in 16 digs in the season finale against Team Kingdon Rishel. Natalia Valentin-Anderson posted 100 or more leaderboard points in 12 outings, including each of the first 10 matches.

2023 Season: Valentin-Anderson made history as the second player in Athletes Unlimited Volleyball to earn medalist honors in consecutive seasons. She secured a fourth-place finish in the league standings after accumulating 3,369 leaderboard points. Valentin-Anderson ranked fifth in the league with 1,549 stat points and also tied for seventh in the circuit with 1,600 win points. Additionally, she tied for fourth in the league with 10 match victories and was eighth in the league with 220 MVP points. Valentin-Anderson garnered Match MVP distinction five times, including final four matches in a row. She also served as a team captain during Week One. Valentin-Anderson ranked second in the league with eight double-double outputs and appeared in all 46 sets. She was second in the league with 544 assists while adding 23 kills and 163 digs. She joined Sydney Hilley as one of the only players in the league with 20 or more assists in all 15 matches. Valentin-Anderson was also second in the league with 12 outings of 30 or more assists and tied with Alisha Childress for the league lead with six performances of 40 or more assists. She accumulated 40 or more assists in all three matches during Week Two. Valentin-Anderson posted a double-double of 41 assists and 12 digs on October 15 against Team Edmond and started the season with back-to-back double-double contests. Additionally, she dished out 29 assists with 15 digs against Team Nootsara in the season opener and notched 27 assists with a season-high 16 digs against Team Edmond. Valentin-Anderson set the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball single-match record with five service aces in the Week Two opener against Team Linnehan and also tallied 43 assists with seven digs and two blocks. She received MVP 3 honors on October 22 after posting 40 assists with 15 digs against Team Hilley. Furthermore, Valentin-Anderson posted MVP 1 accolades in all three matches during Week Five with a double-double in each contest. She dished out 31 assists with 14 digs against Team Nuneviller on November 3 and tallied 40 assists with 12 digs and 340 leaderboard points against Team Hentz before ending the season with a season-high 44 assists and 16 digs against Team Linnehan. Valentin-Anderson accumulated 100 or more leaderboard points in 12-of-15 matches, including four outings of 300 or more points.

2022 Season: Valentin-Anderson's exceptional performance during the 2022 season earned her a finalist position for the GEICO Defensive Player of the Year award and a place in the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Dream Team. Throughout the season, she accumulated an impressive 3,337 points, securing second place on the leaderboard. Her consistency was evident through her nine matches with 200 or more leaderboard points, with her standout performance of 377 points against Team De La Cruz in Week Four. Notably, she achieved 200+ points in seven consecutive matches from March 25 to April 8. Leading the Athletes Unlimited with 543 assists in 15 matches, Valentin-Anderson's setting skills were at the forefront, achieving the second-highest single-season total in league history. She achieved 30 or more assists in 13 out of 15 matches, including a season-high of 48 assists against Team De La Cruz on April 8. Notably, she also posted four matches with 40 or more assists, including consecutive efforts on March 19 against Team Lowe and March 23 against Team De La Cruz. A remarkable achievement during the season was her distinction as the second athlete in AU Volleyball history to record 30+ assists and 20+ digs in a single match. This feat was accomplished with 33 assists and 20 digs against Team Drews on April 14. Her impact extended beyond setting, as she ranked third in the league with 195 digs and 13 service aces. In the defensive aspect, Valentin-Anderson achieved 10 or more digs in 11 out of 15 matches, including the final seven matches in a row. Her consistent all-around performance was evident as she achieved a league-high of 11 double-double performances, culminating with a double-double in the final seven matches. Her leadership role was evident as she served as a captain three times, particularly in the final two weeks, leading her teams to a 5-4 record. Notably, she achieved a league season-high of 48 assists against Team De La Cruz on April 8, securing the second position on the league's all-time single-match list. Additionally, she added 17 digs to her exceptional performance, totaling 377 leaderboard points. The start of the season witnessed her placing third on the leaderboard with 667 points during the first week, leading her to be one of three first-time captains in Week Two. She further solidified her leadership by leading the league with 107 assists in three matches, including 43 assists against Team Lowe in a three-set sweep.

Other Professional Experience: Natalia Valentin-Anderson has played professionally since 2010 with 10 different teams in Puerto Rico, Italy, France, Azerbaijan, and Poland. She played four years with Leonas de Ponce in Puerto Rico. Natalia Valentin-Anderson most recently played for Cangrejeras de Santurce in 2022-23 after spending time with Valencianas de Juncos. She led Omaha Supernovas to the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation title in 2024. Natalia Valentin-Anderson compiled 473 assists with 158 digs during her league debut. She guided Supernovas to a runner-up finish in the 2025 PVF campaign. Natalia Valentin-Anderson tallied 871 assists, 283 digs, and 12 blocks across 91 sets.

International Experience: Natalia Valentin-Anderson competed on the Puerto Rico National Team at the 2016 Olympics. She guided Puerto Rico to a Silver medal at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games. Natalia Valentin-Anderson earned a Bronze medal at the 2014 and 2017 Pan American Cups. She was also a member of the Silver medal-winning squad at the 2016 Pan American Cup. Natalia Valentin-Anderson competed in three world championships (2014, 2018, 2022). She helped Puerto Rico win a Silver medal at the 2021 NORCECA Championship while earning Best Setter accolades. Natalia Valentin-Anderson played on the Puerto Rico National Team alongside Ray Santos, Aury Cruz, Genesis Collazo, and Nomaris Vélez Agosto.

At FIU: Natalia Valentin-Anderson was a three-time All-Sun Belt Conference performer at Florida International. She also earned Sun Belt All-Tournament Team recognition three times. Natalia Valentin-Anderson was part of the first trio in school history to earn AVCA All-America distinction in 2009. She finished her career as FIU’s all-time leader with 4,413 assists. Natalia Valentin-Anderson also closed her career at the top of the school’s rally-scoring era digs chart with 1,100 digs. She tallied a team-high 15 double-doubles in 2010. Natalia Valentin-Anderson ranked second in the Sun Belt with 1,170 assists as a senior. She ranked first in the conference and ninth in NCAA Division I as a junior by averaging 11.87 assists per set. Natalia Valentin-Anderson set an FIU single-season record with 1,448 assists in 2009.