Mariam Maldonado was named the Most Valuable Player of the FSCAA state championship tournament in November. She had 53 assists, 8 kills, 1.5 blocks and an ace while helping her team win the state championship. Mariam was also named 1st team Suncoast All Conference while showcasing her skills as a setter by being one of the nation’s leaders in assists per set (9.39).

Maldonado was more than surprised to find out that she was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. “It was actually pretty exciting I wasn’t expecting it at all. I wanted to cry for one second,” she said. “The tournament was so competitive. Everyone was playing great volleyball. You couldn’t tell who was going to win. It was great competition.”

When asked what the difference between this season and last season was, Maldonado said, “We’re definitely more confident and we were ready for it, we were prepared. We waited a whole year for nationals and this tournament. We were focused for the big target which was state champs.”

Maldonado looked back at the season and what she and her team must do moving forward, “I feel great about this season. We have had our ups and downs, but we have definitely had great ups. Conference Champs, State Champs, and we’re headed to nationals next week.”

“It’s going to be a lot different; we’re laying in another state, another team. We don’t know what to expect. We just have to play even harder,” she said. The keys for Maldonado and her team’s improvement were “commitment and determination, communication or everything, that’s the key, but most importantly, commitment. Its business, we play, we have fun, and the next day it is back to business.”

Maldonado is one of four players on this team that have come from Puerto Rico to Hillsborough Community College. “I played volleyball there since I was little. Then my senior year I got an offer from HCC to come here and play volleyball. It was kind of tough, but I decided to come because I wanted to try something new. A new experience in my life, I wanted to see the big picture, living in the U.S. and playing Volleyball at another level. It is honestly the best choice I have ever made in my life so far.”