Melissa Vargas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Melissa Vargas |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Melissa Teresa Vargas Abreu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Vargas Airlines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  Turkey  Cuba |
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| Born | 16 October 1999 Cienfuegos, Cuba |
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| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spike | 3.26 m (128 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Block | 3.15 m (124 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College(s) | University of Cienfuegos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Volleyball information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing Spiker / Opposite Spiker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Fenerbahçe Opet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 4 (national team), 44 (club) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Melissa Teresa Vargas Abreu, born on October 16, 1999, in Cienfuegos, Cuba, is a super talented volleyball player. She is known for her powerful spikes and amazing skills on the court.
Melissa plays for Fenerbahçe Opet, a famous club in Turkey. She also represents the Turkey women's national volleyball team. Before joining Turkey, she played for the Cuba women's national volleyball team. She was part of the Cuban team at the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship in Italy. Since 2023, she has been a key player for the Turkish national team.
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About Melissa Vargas
Melissa was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba. Her dad was a handball player, so sports were in her family! She started playing volleyball on the street when she was just six years old. By age eight, she joined her school's team. In 2021, Melissa became a citizen of Turkey.
Melissa's Volleyball Journey
Melissa began training with the Cienfuegos team when she was 12. She also played for the Cuban national youth volleyball teams, showing her talent from a young age.
Playing in Europe
In 2016, Melissa played for Agel Prostějov in the Czech Republic for one season. She got a shoulder injury and went back to Cuba for treatment. She wasn't happy with the medical care there. Because she spoke about her concerns, she was not allowed to play for the Cuban national team for four years, from 2017 to 2021. After this, she moved to play for Volero Zürich in Switzerland.
Joining Fenerbahçe Opet
On June 29, 2018, Melissa made a big move to Turkey and joined Fenerbahçe Opet. This was a huge step in her career!
She also played in the Chinese League for parts of the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons. She would play the first half of the season there and then return to Fenerbahçe for the second half.
On April 10, 2021, Melissa officially became a citizen of the Republic of Turkey. The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, even gave her Turkish ID card to her personally. On July 9, 2024, she signed a new contract to stay with Fenerbahçe Opet for three more years.
Playing for Her Country
Representing Cuba
Melissa had some international experience playing for Cuba. She played in the 2014 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship, the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup, and several FIVB World Grand Prix events.
After her shoulder injury in 2016, she returned to Cuba for treatment. When she looked for treatment outside of Cuba, the Cuban Federation stopped her from playing for four years.
Playing for Turkey
After becoming a Turkish citizen in 2021, Melissa could play for the Turkish national team starting in 2023. She had already been playing for the Turkish club Fenerbahçe for five seasons.
She made her debut with the Turkish team at the 2023 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League. She played in 11 matches and helped her team win the gold medal! Melissa was even named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the competition. At the 2023 Women's European Volleyball Championship, Melissa was again named MVP after Turkey won another gold medal.
Melissa's Awards and Honors
Melissa Vargas has won many awards throughout her career, both with her clubs and with national teams.
Club Honors
- Czech Republic:
- Czech Volleyball Extraliga: Gold in 2015–16
- Czech Cup: Gold in 2015–16
- Switzerland:
- Swiss Volleyball League A: Gold in 2017–18
- Swiss Cup: Gold in 2017–18
- China:
- FIVB Club World Championship: Bronze in 2023
- Chinese Volleyball Super League: Gold in 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
- National Games of China: Gold in 2021
- Turkey (Fenerbahçe):
- FIVB Club World Championship: Bronze in 2021
- CEV Champions League: Bronze in 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Turkish Volleyball Sultanlar Ligi: Gold in 2022–23, 2023–24; Silver in 2020–21, 2021–22; Bronze in 2018–19
- Turkish Cup: Gold in 2023–24, 2024–25; Silver in 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23
- Turkish Super Cup: Gold in 2022, 2024; Silver in 2023
International Honors
- With Cuba:
- U23 Pan-American Cup: Bronze in 2014
- With Turkey:
- FIVB Volleyball World Cup: Gold in 2023
- FIVB Volleyball Nations League: Gold in 2023
- European Volleyball Championship: Gold in 2023
Individual Awards
Melissa has also won many individual awards for her amazing performance:
- 2023 Turkish Athlete of the Year
- Best Scorer and Best Server in Turkish and Chinese Leagues multiple times.
- Best Opposite Hitter in Turkish and Chinese Leagues.
- Finals MVP in Turkish Volleyball League and Turkish Cup multiple times.
- MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League and the 2023 Women's European Volleyball Championship.
- Best Scorer and Best Server at the 2024 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League.
- Best Scorer at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
See also
In Spanish: Melissa Vargas para niños
