Nov. 15, 2002
BY JERAMY YOUNG
UNLV Sports Information
In Puerto Rico, volleyball is the dominant sport of choice for children who grow up wishing to become a professional athlete.
It is their passion. It is their national pastime as baseball is to Americans.
For the first time in several years, the Puerto Rican National Team competed on a world stage. This summer, the 2002 Women's Volleyball World Championships were held in Germany, and the tiny island nation was there. And, they came to play.
After fighting through a tough qualifying tournament, where they played against the likes of the U.S. and Mexico in the summer of 2001, the Puerto Rican ladies, ranked 46th in the world standings, had an impressive showing and made a name for themselves by winning three first round matches in three consecutive days. Kenya fell three games to one, the Dominican Republic was shut out three games to none and Argentina was held off three games to two. Puerto Rico, a team no one thought would make the championship tournament, was on its way to the second round ...
There, they would taste defeat, falling from their glorious heights to Korea, China and finally, Bulgaria. Puerto Rico, however, had accomplished something that will remain embedded in the memories of its island people for many years to come. Not to mention the fact, they moved up in the international rankings and now have a firm hold on the No. 12 spot.
This was truly great news for UNLV. When Puerto Rico advanced to the World Championships in Germany, one of their very own was selected to the country's national team.
From August-September, Sheila (pronounced SHAY-lah) Ocasio-Clemente gained valuable experience with the Puerto Rican National Team and brings that competitive edge to the court as a current member of the UNLV women's volleyball team. Sheila is a humble student-athlete who likes to keep to herself and let her game do the talking. But, when it comes to the feeling of pride for her country and team's performance, she's not above getting excited.
"It brought a lot of excitement to the island," said Ocasio-Clemente on Puerto Rico's World Championships appearance. "It was our time to show people that we can play volleyball (among the world's best)."
Competing on the national team prepared her for the collegiate game very well. "It is a faster game and the people are a lot taller," she said with a laugh.
But it works both ways. "People on the national team have noticed the difference in my playing since I started competing at UNLV," she said. Since stepping foot on campus in 2001, she has become a more disciplined player and has brought a tremendous work ethic to the team.
The 6-foot-5 middle blocker enjoys playing at UNLV. She likes the coaches and she likes the team, but maybe more importantly, she really likes the school. She is in her sophomore season with the Rebels and has no plans to leave before her time is up as a student-athlete. Last year in her rookie campaign, she was named Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year and led the nation in blocks per game.
Ocasio-Clemente, who will turn 20 this weekend on Nov. 17, has been playing volleyball since she was 13 years old. She became too much of an active person to sit around the house, so she focused her energy on sports.
"I watched it (volleyball) on TV as a kid," she said. "I was too girly to play basketball and volleyball was my passion."
That passion has led one island girl from Puerto Rico to a budding young career at UNLV ever since.
Photo courtesy / FIVB website
