Griselle is TOPS in our book
Off the court, Griselle Lopez Pereira stands 5 feet 5 inches and has a gentle, unassuming personality. On the court, Virginia Commonwealth University’s volleyball captain plays with unmatched fire and passion.
The senior libero from Caguas, Puerto Rico, became the university’s all-time leader in digs, surpassing the 2,000 mark, and is the fuel for a team that has made a tremendous turnaround.
Off the court, Griselle Lopez Pereira stands 5 feet 5 inches and has a gentle, unassuming personality. On the court, Virginia Commonwealth University’s volleyball captain plays with unmatched fire and passion.
The senior libero from Caguas, Puerto Rico, became the university’s all-time leader in digs, surpassing the 2,000 mark, and is the fuel for a team that has made a tremendous turnaround.
Last season the Rams finished 6-21, but with Lopez Pereira as the floor leader, VCU has won 16 of its past 19 matches, including VCU’s first Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship.
Her accomplishments during the past four years, the success she has achieved with the Rams this season and the excitement she brings to the court are reasons why the editors of The Commonwealth Times has chosen Lopez Pereira as the top student-athlete of the fall season.
Even as her team prepares to play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament, she remains humble and deflects the recognition away from herself.
“I am grateful for the attention,” Lopez Pereira said. “But I just play my game with my teammates and do what I can for the team.”
She also credits head coach James Finley for the team’s success this season.
“He prepares us mentally,” Lopez Pereira said.
VCU student-athletes who received votes:
Sandra Anger,
Women’s Soccer
Ashley Cadwallader,
Field Hockey
Ludmilla Francescatto,
Volleyball
Nikki Lloyd,
Field Hockey
Ana Luiza de Borja,
Volleyball
Dominic Oduro,
Men’s Soccer
Stephanie Power,
Women’s Soccer
Pat Viray,
Men’s Soccer
Jennifer Woodie,
Women’s Soccer
Philip Bogenberger (Sports Editor) ,Weston Reeves (Associate Sports Editor), Pat Kane (Photography Editor), Katie Gantt (Executive Editor) participated in the voting.
Even though Lopez Pereira leaves the job of blasting thunderous spikes to Ludmilla Francescatto (Fraiburga, Brazil) and Renata Salvatori (Londrina, Brazil), she flings her body around the court to save balls and prepares the Rams to go on the offensive.
And her energy and effort do not go unnoticed.
During the volleyball selection show party at the Siegel Center on Sunday, Finley presented Lopez Pereira with a bouquet of flowers for reaching many milestones throughout her career and called the libero “the best in the country.”
The high praise was also due to Lopez Pereira’s ability to be a steadying force when the team was struggling earlier in the season. At one point the Rams had dropped seven of eight games before their season turned around.
“We had all the problems of a new team,” Lopez Pereira said. “We had to get to know each other personally and on the court.”
Lopez Pereira and the rest of the Rams have been getting to know a lot about Purdue this week because they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to play the Boilermakers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.