Natalia Valentin-Anderson

Personal: Valentin-Anderson's husband, Colt, played football at FIU. She has a dog named Bernie and enjoys going to the beach along with spending time with friends and family. She also likes playing pickleball, running, cooking, listening to music, going for walks with her dog Bernie, visiting coffee shops, and working out. In her childhood, she was involved in ballet and track and field. Interestingly, she started her volleyball journey as an outside hitter.

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: Valentin-Anderson has played professionally since 2010 with ten different teams in Puerto Rico, Italy, France, Azerbaijan, and Poland. She spent four years with Leonas de Ponce in Puerto Rico and most recently played for Cangrejeras de Santurce in 2022-23 after spending time with Valencianas de Juncos.

International Experience: On the international stage, Valentin-Anderson competed on the Puerto Rico National Team at the 2016 Olympics and played a pivotal role in guiding Puerto Rico to a Silver medal at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games. She also earned Bronze medals at the 2014 and 2017 Pan American Cups and was a member of the Silver medal-winning squad at the 2016 Pan American Cup. Valentin-Anderson competed in three world championships (2014, 2018, 2022) and helped Puerto Rico win a Silver medal at the 2021 NORCECA Championship, earning Best Setter accolades.

At FIU: Valentin-Anderson was a three-time All-Sun Belt Conference performer for the Panthers at Florida International University. She also earned Sun Belt All-Tournament Team recognition three times. 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 and 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 and ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference with 1,170 assists as a senior. Valentin-Anderson also held the first-place position in the conference and ninth in NCAA Division I as a junior by averaging 11.87 assists per set, setting an FIU single-season record with 1,448 assists in 2009.