Annerys Victoria Vargas Valdez (born August 7, 1981) is a retired female

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

player from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

who won four consecutive gold medals at the

Central American and Caribbean Games The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for 32 countries and ...

Career

2003

Vargas won gold medal with the women's national team at the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games, officially the XIV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Santo Domingo 2003, were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the Games was made in the mid-1990 ...

in her home town

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

. She was selected as the Best Server and Best Blocker. Later that year, she won the bronze medal at the 2003 NORCECA Championship, and was selected as the Best Blocker.

2004

Vargas played as a middle blocker and competed at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

for her native country, which finished in 11th place. Playing with the Dominican club Los Cachorros, Vargas finished the 2004 season of the Superior Tournament as the First Runner-Up, after losing to Mirador in the final series.

2005

Vargas joined the Puerto Rican professional team Vaqueras de Bayamón from the LVSF for the 2005 season. She was selected among the "Offensive Team".

2006

In her second season with the Bayamón team, Vargas was selected as the "Best Blocker" and as an "All-Star" for the 2006 season. While playing a game Puerto Rico, where she was seen as an idol, she lost a

shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

and a fan jumped to the

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

and picked it up, forcing her to finish the game with just one shoe. At the volleyball tournament during the

2006 Central American and Caribbean Games The 20th edition of the Central American and Caribbean Games was held in the city of Cartagena, Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, in ...

, Vargas won the "Most Valuable Player", "Best Blocker" and "Best Server" awards and with her team the gold medal. After a successful 2006 season, she won the Dominican Republic "Volleyball Athlete of the Year" award.

2007

Playing with the Spanish team

Grupo 2002 Murcia Club Atlético Voleibol Murcia 2005, also known for sponsorship reason as ''Grupo 2002 Murcia'', was a Spanish volleyball club based in Murcia that played their home matches at the Pabellón Príncipe de Asturias. The team participated in the Wo ...

, Vargas won the Supercup, Queen Cup, and Spanish Superliga. After winning the Superliga, she celebrated with her team by taking a bath at

Murcia Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...

's Plaza Circular. In the same season, she won the 2007 CEV Top Teams Cup.

2008

Vargas participated at the

2008 FIVB Women's World Olympic Qualification Tournament The 2008 FIVB Women's World Olympic Qualification Tournament is a qualification tournament to determine the final four spots for the 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and offici ...

, and her team finished in 4th place failing to qualify to the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

. She was selected tournament's "Best Blocker". Vargas won the 2008

CEV Challenge Cup The CEV Challenge Cup is the third tier official competition for men's volleyball clubs from the whole of Europe. The competition started in the 1980–81 season under the name CEV Cup. In 2007 it was renamed to CEV Challenge Cup. History * # ...

with Vakifbank Gunes Sigorta Stambuł and was awarded "Best Blocker".

2009

Vargas played with Criollas de Caguas from the Puerto Rican LVSF for the 2009 season, helping her team to reach the quarterfinals. After winning the gold medal at the 2009 NORCECA Championship, Vargas qualified for the very first time for the 2009 World Grand Champions Cup, where her team won the bronze medal. For the 2009-2010 season, Vargas played for the club Usiminas/Minas, from the

Superliga Brasileira de Voleibol The Brazilian Volleyball Super League () is the top level Brazilian professional volleyball competition. It is organized by the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation. It shares the same name with the women's tournament, and are disputed simultane ...

2010

Vargas finished the 2009-2010 season of the Brazilian Superliga as the fourth best blocker. With the national team, Vargas won the gold medal at the 2010 Pan-American Cup held in

Rosarito is a coastal city in Playas de Rosarito Municipality, Baja California, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. As of 2010, the city had a population of 65,278. Located south of the US–Mexico border, Rosarito is a part of the greater San Diego–Tiju ...

and

Tijuana Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. In Mayagüez,

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, Vargas was the recipient of the "Best Blocker" award during the volleyball tournament at the

2010 Central American and Caribbean Games The 21st Central American and Caribbean Games (Spanish: ''XXI Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe, Mayagüez 2010'') took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from 18 July 2010 to 1 August 2010. Bid It was understood that Mayagüez was going to b ...

won by her home team. Vargas joined the Dominican Republic club Mirador to play at the 2010 FIVB World Club Championship, where her team finished in fourth place after being defeated by

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

for the Bronze medal. Vargas won the "Best Blocker" award.

2011-retirement

Vargas was selected 2017 Volleyball Player of the Year by her National Federation. Vargas played the 2018 season at Dominican Republic Superior Volleyball League from the National District, joining the team Caribeñas VC. She became league champion and was awarded Best Blocker. During the 2019 season, she helped Caribeñas VC to finish second place in the league. For the 2021-22 season, Vargas joined the Republic of China's Enterprise Volleyball League team CMFC Volleyball, and had matches suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in Taiwan. She led her team to qualify to the league's playoff, but they lost 0-3 to Taipei King Whale in the knockout round and could not make it to the semifinals, finishing in fourth place. Vargas announced her retirement on May 5, 2022, sending a letter to the women's national team director, Cristobal Marte, ending a 25-year career. Her career began in 1998, and encompassed three Olympic Games, five World Championships, five World Cups, five Pan American Games, and five Central American and Caribbean Games.

Clubs

* Simón Bolívar (1996–1998) * Modeca (1999–2002) * Los Cachorros (2003–2004) * Modeca (2005) * Bameso (2006) * Vaqueras de Bayamón (2005–2006) *

(2006–2007) * Vakifbank Gunes Sigorta Stambuł (2007–2008) * La Romana (2008) * Criollas de Caguas (2009) * Usiminas/Minas (2009–2010) * Mirador (2010) * Criollas de Caguas (2011–2012) * Azeryol Baku (2013–2014) * River Volley Piacenza (2014–2015) * Caribeñas VC (2018-2019) * CMFC Volleyball (2021/22)

Awards

Individuals

* '' 2003 Pan-American Games "Best Server"'' * '' 2003 Pan-American Games "Best Blocker"'' * '' 2003 NORCECA Championship "Best Blocker"'' * ''2005 Puerto Rican League, "Offensive Team"'' * ''2006 Puerto Rican League, "All-Star"'' * ''2006 Puerto Rican League, "Best Blocker"'' * '' 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games "Most Valuable Player" '' * '' 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games "Best Blocker" '' * '' 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games "Best Server" '' * ''2006 Dominican Republic "Volleyball Player of the Year"'' * '' 2008 Olympic Qualifier "Best Blocker"'' * '' 2007-08 CEV Challenge Cup "Best Blocker"'' * '' 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games "Best Blocker" '' * '' 2010 World Club Championship "Best Blocker"'' * '' 2012 Summer Olympics NORCECA qualification tournament's "Best Blocker"'' * ''2013 Dominican Republic "Volleyball Player of the Year"'' * '' 2013–14 Azerbaijan Super League "Best Blocker"'' * '' 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games "Best Middle Blocker"'' * ''2017 Dominican Republic "Volleyball Player of the Year"'' * ''2018 Dominican Republic Superior Volleyball League, "Best Blocker"''

Clubs

* 2004 Dominican Republic Distrito Nacional Superior Tournament – Gorm silver cup

Runner-Up, with Los Cachorros * 2006 Spanish Supercup – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Grupo 2002 Murcia * 2007

CEV Top Teams Cup The CEV Cup is the second tier official competition for men's Volleyball clubs of Europe. The competition takes place every year. Until 2000, it was the CEV Cup Winners' Cup. In 2000 it was renamed to CEV Top Teams Cup and in 2007 to CEV Cup. T ...

–

Champion, with

* 2007 Spanish Queen's Cup – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Grupo 2002 Murcia * 2007 Spanish Superliga – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Grupo 2002 Murcia * 2008

–

Champion, with VakıfBank Güneş Sigorta Istanbul * 2011 Puerto Rican League – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Criollas de Caguas * 2012 Puerto Rican League – Gorm silver cup

Runner-Up, with Criollas de Caguas * 2013–14 Azerbaijan Super League – Gorm silver cup

Runner-Up, Azeryol Baku * 2014 Italian Supercup – Simple cup icon

Champion, with River Piacenza * 2018 Dominican Republic Superior Volleyball League – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Caribeñas VC * 2019 Dominican Republic Superior Volleyball League – Gorm silver cup

Runner-Up, with Caribeñas VC

References

External links