Freshmen Defensive Specialist From Puerto Rico Serving As Lady Sharks Spark Plug
On the volleyball court, Kiaraliz Perez resembles the high-speed action inside a pinball machine.
The Lady Sharks freshmen defensive specialist fearlessly dives after any ball hit in her vicinity, oftentimes leaving her body sprawled on the court and her face grimacing.
“[Kiaraliz] has great movement,” said Lady Sharks outside hitter Janelly Ceopa. “[She] makes great saves on hard balls to get to.”
That ferocity has served Miami Dade College volleyball well. Perez leads the team with 267 total digs and 5.45 digs per set.
She has collected more than 25 digs in four games this season. Perez had 27 digs on Aug. 21 in a 3-2 loss versus Daytona State College, 28 digs on Aug. 27 in a 3-2 win versus Salt Lake Community College, 26 digs in 3-1 win versus Indian River State College on Sept. 21 and 25 digs in a 3-1 win on Sept. 23 versus Eastern Florida State College.
“She has great vision,” Ceopa said. “She knows where the ball can fall and that is where she positions herself.”
Perez has almost seamlessly replaced arguably the Lady Sharks best player last year, Paola Pimentel who transferred to Georgia Tech. During her career at MDC, Pimentel had a total of 1,187 digs in two years and she was selected First-Team All-Southern Conference, to the Florida College System Athletics Association All-Tournament Team and won the Outstanding Player Award during the State Tournament as a sophomore.
Volleyball has been in Perez’s life from an early age. The Lady Sharks spark plug was born in Naranjito, Puerto Rico. She picked up the sport when she was four years old.
Perez became a defensive setter full time when she was 11 and has played for the Puerto Rican national team for the past three years. While representing her homeland, Perez has been named best defensive setter, best passer and best defender.
“I have always worked hard because you can’t rest [on your accomplishments],” Perez said.
She has continued that mentality at MDC. Teammates describe her as a great communicator and motivator.
“[Kiaraliz] is very positive,” said outside hitter Romina Cornelio. “She is a verbal leader. She is always encouraging us to keep on fighting.
Perez is a big reason why the Lady Sharks, who are 12-3 and ranked 6th in the nation, have won 12 of their last 14 games including a 3-0 win on Oct. 2 versus 18th-ranked Daytona State College. The victory avenged one of their losses earlier this season.
“It is my teammates that help me the most when I am on the court.” Perez said. “[They] motivate me and help push us forward.”
The Lady Sharks next game is on the road Oct. 19 versus Indian River State College at 5:30 p.m.
