Wilmington native and Ursuline graduate Heyli Velasquez ready for new volleyball journey at Virginia
WILMINGTON, Del. (BVM) — Heyli Velasquez was able to become one of the best volleyball players in the state of Delaware, which is even more impressive considering her short stature. At just 5-foot-5, Velasquez’s size doesn’t fit the mold one typically associated with volleyball, however using her speed and her ability to set up her teammates the Ursuline graduate was able to become one of the top libero/defensive specialists in the first state. This ability allowed Velasquez to continue her volleyball journey by traveling down the Atlantic coast to the University of Virginia, where she begins classes this fall.
“I’m super, super excited,” Velasquez said. “We have our new coach and our new staff so she’s really trying to change the culture around and really get us working hard in the gym and everyone is really excited to turn the program around. I’m really hyped.”
During her first two prep seasons at Tower Hill School, Velasquez helped the team to its best finish in program history with a No. 3 ranking in the state. Back then, Velasquez played a far different role on the team as she was used mostly on the offensive side as a setter and giving her teammates opportunities to make solid plays on the ball.
“At this point I was pretty unsure of what I wanted to be in the future for my position,” Velazquez said. “Being a setter it helped a lot defensively playing in different spots. It got me prepared playing defense in every spot on the court and got me used to being disciplined all the time and being ready for a hit down the line or across the court. It was a good foundation.”
In addition to her strong prep play, Velasquez also had a strong club career with East Coast Power, a program that has had a lot of success getting players to the next level. Upon joining the Power, Velazquez learned how to play the libero position at a high level after her being setter with Tower Hill.
“[The position switch] was pretty scary, I’m not going to lie because I was playing setter for so long,” Velasquez said. “EC Power introduced me to the spot officially and I was really nervous and really excited because it was something new that I had never tried before. But at the same time I was very excited because I decided this was the position I wanted to play in the future and possibly go to college for.”
However, despite the jump in competition at a new position, Velazquez was able to learn the nuances of the game from a different perspective while also proving she was more than capable of playing at a high level regardless of position.
“I would say speed would be the best thing [I have],” Velasquez said. “As a setter, you really need to be quick to get to the ball and quick to get there. That helps a lot as a libero because you need to be quick, you need to be speedy because if you’re not, you’re just not going to be as successful as you should be. Also, playing defense as a setter really helped because I already had a foundation for defense.”
After two seasons at Tower Hill, Velasquez would transfer to Ursuline Academy where the competition would be even stiffer in the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Catholic Conference. In her two seasons in the Catholic Conference, Velasquez would make her presence felt as during her junior campaign she helped the Raiders to a third–place finish in the state tournament while also earning second team all-conference honors.
“The first time I got all-conference at libero I just felt so proud of myself,” Velasquez said. “I was like, ‘Wow! I really made it as a libero, this is awesome!’ Especially in a more competitive conference.”
During an abbreviated 2020 season, Velasquez performed admirably for an underperforming Raiders team. Though the team would finish 5-7 with a second-round loss in the DIAA state playoffs, Velasquez stood out on her way to second team all-state honors, her first time receiving state recognition.
“My senior year getting second-team all-state was also really meaningful because it was statewide recognition for a position I was only playing for about two years,” Velasquez said. “It was really awesome and a really big confidence booster going into college too.”
Unlike some of her teammates on both the Power and Raiders teams, Velazquez didn’t receive a lot of collegiate attention which threw her recruitment in flux. After considering reclassifying into the Class of 2022, the senior threw a line out to the team at the University of Virginia where she had already been academically accepted. With the program having a new staff and rebuilding its culture, Velasquez hoped her skills would give her an opportunity.
“I ended up getting looked at by Virginia when the new staff came in, I sent out an email and they responded and I eventually got an offer,” Velasquez said. “Virginia was my first and only offer and I took it and I have been forever grateful since. No regrets ever.”
Both Velazquez’s knowledge of the game and performance on the court caught the attention of Virginia, a Division I program in the always competitive Atlantic Coast Conference, and the team offered her after viewing some of her videos. It was a dream come true for both Velazquez and her family and the senior officially signed with the team during a ceremony at Ursuline on May 25.
“I was ecstatic,” Velasquez said of the offer. “When I got the offer everyone was so happy. It was my first and only offer and also my mom went to school here so my mom was super excited. There were a lot of tears. It was one of the best moments of my life, I will never forget it.”
As she begins her first collegiate season with the Cavs, Velazquez will once again rely on her knowledge of the game and skills on the court to help her succeed over players who may be more gifted physically with height and size. Though she may not fit the textbook definition people see when they think of a volleyball player, don’t underestimate the abilities Velazquez brings to the Cavaliers program.
