Lynda Morales

Lynda Morales (born May 20, 1988) is a Puerto Rican indoor

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 who plays for Criollas de Caguas in the

Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino The Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino (LVSF) is a professional volleyball league in Puerto Rico. The competitions are organized by the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation (Federación Puertorriqueña de Voleibol, FPV). Current teams League c ...

(LVSF). She was a member of the

Puerto Rican national team Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

from 2011 to 2016. She participated in the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

and the 2014 FIVB World Championship. Morales twice won the bronze medal in the NORCECA Championship, in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

and

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

when she was awarded Best Middle Blocker. She won the Pan-American Cup silver medal in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

after the bronze taken in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. She also won the silver medal from the

2014 Central American and Caribbean Games The 22nd Central American and Caribbean Games were held November 14–30, 2014 in Veracruz, Mexico.Sport page

.

Personal life
Morales was born on May 20, 1988, in
Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
. She is tall and . She went to Fallbrook High School in Fallbrook, California, but finished at Centennial High School in
Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...
, and later enrolled in the
California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...
majoring in Family and Consumer Sciences - Consumer Affairs. Even when she was born in the United States, she has double citizenship having opted for Puerto Rican sports citizenship.

Career
Playing as a center, Morales was awarded all-league Second Team in basketball and as volleyball player 2005 All-Southwest Yosemite League. She also practiced high jump while in high school. With the
Cal State Northridge Matadors The Cal State Northridge Matadors (branded as the CSUN Matadors) are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Northridge in Northridge, Los Angeles, California. The Matadors field 17 teams in nineteen sports. The Matadors c ...
, Morales was included in the 2008 Sacramento State All-Tournament Team. Morales was drafted for the
Puerto Rican League Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places * El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines * Puerto Colombia, Colombia * Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela * Puerto Galera, O ...
by the club
Llaneras de Toa Baja Llaneras de Toa Baja is the professional female volleyball team of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico Toa Baja (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Toa Alta and Bayamón; east of Dorado; and west of Cata� ...
. On 8 November 8, 2011, Morales was transferred to Gigantes de Carolina for two players, Tatiana Encarnación and Grace Saladobut and later was transferred again to Mets de Guaynabo on 30 November 2011 for the first pick of the 2013 draft and cash. She played with Mets de Guaynabo from 2012 to 2013, being selected for the All-Star game in 2013. At the 2013 NORCECA Championship, Morales helped Puerto Rico to win the bronze medal, the second meal ever in the continental championship, when her team defeated 3–0 to Canada. She then signed with the Brazilian Superleague club
Minas Tênis Clube Minas Tênis Clube (short, just ''Minas'') is a social, recreational and sports club from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. By 2013, it has more than 73,000 members. Its patrimony comprises two urban units, the Minas I and Minas II, and two country units, ...
for the 2013–14 season.

2014
After the Brazilian league, she returned to the Puerto Rican league, playing for Mets de Guaynabo in 2014. She was named among the World Championship qualifier team, winning the berth for the
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
after winning all three matches against Costa Rica, Saint Lucia and Barbados. She won with her national team the bronze medal in the 2014 Pan-American Cup, the first medal ever in this continental competitions. She was named to represent Puerto Rico during the
2014 Central American and Caribbean Games The 22nd Central American and Caribbean Games were held November 14–30, 2014 in Veracruz, Mexico.Sport page
, and her national team reached the volleyball tournament final match, winning the silver medal when her team lost to the Dominican Republic 0–3. She played the 2014 FIVB World Championship in Italy, but her team could not make it to the second round ending up in with a 1–4 mark and a tied 17th rank. After the World Championship, Morales traveled to Turkey and signed with the club
Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
from
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
to play the Turkish league season 2014-2015.

2015
Citing administration problems, Morales club in the Puerto Rican league withdraw its league participation for the 2015 season and all the player were drafted and she was picked in first round by Criollas de Caguas. When the season was over for her Turkish team she returned to the Puerto Rican league with Criollas de Caguas, recalling her experience in Turkey for the lack of physical preparation as disappointing and a no postseason result. Morales joined her national team in the 2015 Pan-American Cup, but her team lost their quarterfinal match 2–3 to Cuba and the 5/6 placement match 1–3 to Canada to settle in the sixth place of the tournament. Her national team then headed to Toronto, Canada to play the
2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...
, were her team lost the bronze medal match to the Dominican Republic. With her national team she won the 2015 NORCECA Championship bronze medal after defeating 3–1 the Canadian national team, and after finishing with 19 blocks, she was awarded tournament's Best Middle Blocker. She then played with the Filipino club RC Cola Air Force Raiders in the 2015 Philippine Super Liga Grand Prix Conference. She later confessed that she was attracted to the Philippines because she was told by former league player how passionate the fans were. She was also pointed out for the RC Cola Air Force Raiders coach Rhovyl Verayo as a key player in both, team offense and defense. For her performance through all the 2015 year, Morales was awarded by the
Puerto Rico Olympic Committee The Puerto Rico Olympic Committee (COPUR, es, Comité Olímpico de Puerto Rico) is the National Olympic Committee for Puerto Rico. It oversees Olympic-sports in Puerto Rico, and selects the Olympic team which represents the island. It was founde ...
and the
Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation The Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation ( es, Federación Puertoriqueña de Voleibol) is a non-profit organization which serves as the national governing body of volleyball in Puerto Rico. The national federation is recognized by the Fédération ...
in the Olympic Awards as the Volleyball Player of the Year.

2016
Morales returned to play with Criollas de Caguas for the 2016 season, but she suffered an injury in the right ankle and was replaced temporally by Laudevis Marrero. But she returned to help her club to win league championship. Soon after that, Morales participated with her national team in the 2016 Summer Olympics second qualifier, winning for the first time the berth to the
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
. She won the silver medal in the 2016 Pan-American Cup held in Santo Domingo, when her national team lost 2–3 from the Dominican Republic. Morales was selected to represent Puerto Rico during the
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
. Her national team ended up in tied 11th place finishing with a 0–5 in their first ever Olympic participation. Even though she was hoping to sign for a European club after the Olympics, she signed with the
Cignal HD Spikers Cignal HD Spikers may refer to: * Cignal HD Spikers (men's team), Filipino men's volleyball team * Cignal HD Spikers (women's team), Filipino women's volleyball team {{disambiguation ...
to play the 2016 Philippine Super Liga Grand Prix Conference. She later recalled how disappointed she was when she could not get an important contract after having such a good summer season. She was later announced to join the Philippines representatives for the 2016 FIVB Club World Championship, PSL-F2 Logistics Manila. Morales retired herself from her national team after the 2016 Summer Olympics.

2017
She joined the Puerto Rican season in the later stages, nonetheless, she won the championship with Criollas de Caguas. After the Puerto Rican season, she dedicated herself to play beach volleyball and teaching. She then played with the
Association of Volleyball Professionals The Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) is the biggest and longest-running professional beach volleyball tour in the United States. Founded in 1983, the AVP is headquartered in Newport Beach, California. The AVP operates as a 3-tiered ...
2017 sand tour, partnering Desirae Elizondo, Lillian Raney and Andrea Nucete. She also joined the Temecula Valley Volleyball varsity team and the Viper club as coach.

2018
For the second half of the 2017/18 Romanian League season, she signed with the club Alba Blaj, replacing the Brazilian Renata de Andrade Maggioni.

Clubs
*
Llaneras de Toa Baja Llaneras de Toa Baja is the professional female volleyball team of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico Toa Baja (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Toa Alta and Bayamón; east of Dorado; and west of Cata� ...
(2011) * Mets de Guaynabo (2012-2013) *
Minas Tênis Clube Minas Tênis Clube (short, just ''Minas'') is a social, recreational and sports club from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. By 2013, it has more than 73,000 members. Its patrimony comprises two urban units, the Minas I and Minas II, and two country units, ...
(2013-2014) * Mets de Guaynabo (2014) *
Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
(2014-2015) * Criollas de Caguas (2015) * RC Cola Air Force Raiders (2015) * Criollas de Caguas (2016) *
Cignal HD Spikers Cignal HD Spikers may refer to: * Cignal HD Spikers (men's team), Filipino men's volleyball team * Cignal HD Spikers (women's team), Filipino women's volleyball team {{disambiguation ...
(2016) * PSL-F2 Logistics Manila (2016) * Criollas de Caguas (2017) * Alba Blaj (2018)

Awards

Individuals
* ''2013 Puerto Rican League "All-Star"'' * '' 2015 NORCECA Championship "Best Middle Blocker"'' * ''2015 Puerto Rican "Volleyball Player of the Year"''

Clubs
* 2014
Puerto Rican League Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places * El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines * Puerto Colombia, Colombia * Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela * Puerto Galera, O ...
- Champion, with Criollas de Caguas * 2015 Puerto Rican League - Champion, with Criollas de Caguas * 2016 Puerto Rican League - Champion, with Criollas de Caguas * 2017 Puerto Rican League - Champion, with Criollas de Caguas *
2017–18 CEV Champions League The 2017–18 CEV Champions League was the 59th edition of the highest level European volleyball club competition organised by the European Volleyball Confederation. Qualification Pools composition Drawing of Lots was held on 17 November 20 ...
- Runner-Up, with
CSM Volei Alba Blaj Clubul Sportiv Municipal Volei Alba Blaj, commonly known as CSM Volei Alba Blaj, is a professional women's volleyball club based in Blaj, Transylvania, Romania, that competed in the CEV Cup. History In 2018, Alba reached the CEV Champions L ...

References

External links

CEV Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morales, Lynda 1988 births Living people Puerto Rican women's volleyball players Sportspeople from Glendale, California Volleyball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Pan American Games competitors for Puerto Rico People from Fallbrook, California Volleyball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Puerto Rico Competitors at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Puerto Rican expatriate sportspeople in Romania Expatriate volleyball players in Romania Middle blockers Summer Olympics competitors for Puerto Rico Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in volleyball American expatriate sportspeople in Romania American expatriate sportspeople in Turkey American expatriate sportspeople in Brazil American expatriate sportspeople in the Philippines Puerto Rican expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Puerto Rican expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Puerto Rican expatriate sportspeople in the Philippines Volleyball players from California Expatriate volleyball players in the Philippines Expatriate volleyball players in Brazil Expatriate volleyball players in Turkey Cal State Northridge Matadors women's volleyball players American expatriate volleyball players American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent