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 |  Cuba  Turkey |
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| Born | 16 October 1999 Cienfuegos, Cuba |
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| Height | 1.94 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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Melissa Teresa Vargas Abreu (born 16 October 1999) is a talented volleyball player. She was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba. Melissa now plays for Fenerbahçe Opet in Turkey. She also plays for the Turkey women's national volleyball team.
She used to be a member of the Cuba women's national volleyball team. She played with them at the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship. Since 2023, she has been a key player for the Turkish national team.
Contents
About Melissa Vargas
Melissa was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba. Her father was a handball player. 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.
Her Amazing Volleyball Journey
Melissa began training with the Cienfuegos team at age 12. She also played for the Cuban national youth volleyball teams.
Playing Abroad and a Tough Time
In 2016, she played for Agel Prostějov in the Czech Republic. She got a shoulder injury and went back to Cuba for treatment. Melissa was not happy with the treatment options there. Because of this, she faced a challenge with her home country's volleyball federation. She was not allowed to play for the Cuban national team for four years. After this, she moved to play for Volero Zürich in Switzerland.
Joining Fenerbahçe Opet
On 29 June 2018, Melissa joined Fenerbahçe Opet in Turkey. This was a big step in her career.
She also played in the Chinese League for Tianjin Bohai Bank during the first parts of the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons. Then, she returned to Fenerbahçe for the second parts of those seasons.
On 10 April 2021, Melissa officially became a citizen of the Republic of Turkey. The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, even gave her TR ID Card to her. On 9 July 2024, she signed a new contract with Fenerbahçe Opet for three more years.
Playing for Her Country
With Cuba
Melissa played for Cuba in several international events. These included the 2014 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship and the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup. She also played in three FIVB World Grand Prix tournaments.
After her shoulder injury in 2012, she returned to Cuba for treatment. When she looked for other treatment options, the Cuban Federation decided she could not play for them for four years.
With Turkey
After becoming a Turkish citizen in 2021, Melissa could play for the Turkish national team starting in 2023. She had already played for the Turkish club Fenerbahçe for five seasons.
She made her debut with Turkey at the 2023 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League. She played in 11 matches and helped her team win the gold medal. Melissa was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the competition. At the 2023 Women's European Volleyball Championship, she won another gold medal with Turkey. She was again named MVP for her amazing performance.
Awards and Achievements
Team Honors
Club Teams
Agel Prostějov
- Czech Volleyball Extraliga:
2015-16 - Czech Cup: 2015-16
Volero Zürich
- Swiss Volleyball League A: 2017-18
- Swiss Cup: 2017-18
Tianjin Bohai Bank
- FIVB Club World Championship:
2023 - Chinese Volleyball Super League: 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23
- National Games of China: 2021
Fenerbahçe
- FIVB Club World Championship: 2021
- CEV Champions League: 2018-19, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24
- Turkish Volleyball Sultanlar Ligi: 2022-23, 2023-24
2020-21, 2021-22 2018-19 - Turkish Cup: 2023-24 2018-19, 2021-22, 2022-23
- Turkish Super Cup: 2022, 2024 2023
International Teams
Cuba
- U23 Pan-American Cup: 2014
- Turkey
- FIVB Volleyball World Cup: 2023
- FIVB Volleyball Nations League: 2023
- European Volleyball Championship: 2023
Individual Awards
- 2023 Turkish Athlete of the Year
- 2023 FIVB Nations League - "MVP"
- 2023 European Volleyball Championship - "MVP"
- 2023-24 Turkish Cup - "MVP"
- 2024 Turkish Super Cup - "MVP"
- 2022–23 Turkish Volleyball League - "Finals MVP"
- 2023–24 Turkish Volleyball League - "Finals MVP"
- 2013 U20 Pan-American Cup - "Best Spiker"
- 2014 U23 Pan-American Cup - "Best Opposite Hitter"
- 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games - Best Scorer
- 2015 Pan American Games - "Best Outside Hitter"
- 2015 Pan-American Volleyball Cup - "Best Outside Hitter"
- 2015 Pan-American Volleyball Cup - "Best Server"
- 2015 Pan-American Volleyball Cup - "Best Scorer"
- 2023 FIVB Nations League - "Best Opposite Hitter"
- 2023 European Volleyball Championship - "Best Opposite Hitter"
- 2024 Summer Olympics - "Best Scorer"
- 2024 FIVB Nations League - "Best Scorer"
- 2024 FIVB Nations League - "Best Server"
See also
In Spanish: Melissa Vargas para niños
