Living an Olympic Dream

Ariana Rodriguez grew up in a volleyball family and thanks to years of training, had already played in more than her fair share of high-level international tournaments.

But there were still moments last September when the redshirt freshman looked around and felt like she had to pinch herself when lining up alongside her new teammates, some of whom she’d been cheering for since her childhood.

Rodriguez, a setter, had earned a spot on the senior women’s national team for the Dominican Republic and she and her teammates were trying to clinch an Olympic berth.

It was an exciting – and nerve-wracking – experience the 18-year-old will never forget.

“We started off with a loss and that was a bump in the road. But after that one loss, all of our other games, we were lights out,” Rodriguez said. “We won every single match. We beat countries like Serbia and China, which at the time, were ranked above us. It was huge. And then we ended up actually finishing first in our pool, despite that first loss. That feeling, when we beat the Netherlands to secure our spot, was the best moment ever. …

“It was like being on top of the world. I mean, you’re going to the Olympics.”

Ten months later, the Olympic Games are finally here, Rodriguez is headed to Paris and the youngest player on the Dominican Republic’s roster is ready to make more memories.

“It’s definitely very special, especially coming from such a small country and having such high-level volleyball, to be able to represent it somewhere like the Olympics. It means more than a thousand words,” Rodriguez said. “It’s something I can’t even put into words. I’m just so grateful for everything, for the coaches believing in me and in my talent and what I can contribute to the team.”

For Rodriguez, the journey to Paris – and to sporting orange and green at Miami – began years ago.

She grew up in a volleyball family, with her father, Elvis, playing professionally in Switzerland and suiting up for the Dominican Republic national team himself.

Her mother, Suquin Fung, played collegiately at Columbia University before joining the superior league in the Dominican Republic. And her older sister, Iliana, played at both St. John’s and Virginia Tech and has competed with the Dominican Republic’s national team, too.

Given all of that, it’s no wonder Rodriguez eventually picked up a volleyball herself – and quickly discovered she had a knack for the sport, just like her parents and sister.

“When you have two parents that know the sport that you’re playing, they can help you in your tough moments. When you don’t want to [listen] to them, you have to because you know they know what they’re talking about,” Rodriguez said. “I just give credit to both of them for teaching me literally everything I know about the sport. … My dad knows the [international] process. He knows how it works. He knows the traveling. He knows the stress of competing at a high level in front of so many people. I think just having both of them as mentors, guiding me through being such a young player and competing at a high level with women that have 12 and 13 years of experience has been important. I’ve learned patience.”

As Rodriguez made her way onto the varsity team at New York’s Poly Prep Country Day School and worked her way up the junior ranks – including spending time with the Dominican Republic’s Under-19, Under-20, and Under-23 teams – college programs began taking notice.

Miami was among them – especially when Hurricanes head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara – saw Rodriguez excel even while playing out of her natural setting position at a tournament.

Even playing on the right side versus setting, Rodriguez was a force.

“We knew of her because of her accomplishments internationally and then obviously, I had a connection with her father. We met a long time ago, him being from the Dominican Republic and me from Puerto Rico. We competed at many men’s tournaments … We spoke and we would see each other every so often, but mostly our [conversations] became about Ariana and the type of volleyball player she was,” Gandara said. “She wasn’t just a hitter or a setter. She could play many positions. The understanding of the game, the passion that she played with, the composure she played with, it’s just a really good balance of a high-IQ volleyball player. … She can play double; she can play one-on-one. She can hit. She can block. She likes playing other positions. … She just loves to play.”

Rodriguez helped the Dominican Republic earn its fifth U23 Pan-American Cup title. In 2022, she claimed the silver medal at the U23 Bolivarianos and a bronze at the U19 Pan-American Cup, where she was named the tournament’s best server.

And she was as impressed with Miami as the Hurricanes were with her.

Rodriguez clicked with Gandara, the rest of the coaching staff and the Hurricanes on the roster. She felt at home in Miami, which she says reminded her of the Dominican Republic with its warm temperatures and ubiquitous palm trees. And she felt pursuing her degree and competing at Miami would help her grow, both as a volleyball player and as a person.

That Miami was willing to give her the ability to pursue her Olympic dreams helped as well.

Rodriguez missed nearly a month of the 2023 season while the Dominican Republic made its way through Olympic qualifying. She redshirted, to preserve her eligibility, and navigated the process of completing her classwork while abroad.

It wasn’t always easy – especially once she returned from qualifying and had to watch from the sideline as the Hurricanes earned an NCAA Tournament berth.

But, Rodriguez notes, the entire process prepared her for the challenges that await in Paris.

“It was definitely not easy doing everything with the team – weights, practice, traveling, film – and then not being able to put that jersey on. But I always tried to find the bright side and saw it as a chance to get better at my skills,” Rodriguez said. “I thought, ‘What’s good for me? What do I need to work on? Maybe I need to focus on this skill or a chance to put on more muscle.’ I definitely looked at the bright side and was like, ‘This is just more time for me to develop in my skills so when I go, I’m even more ready than I thought I was.’”

With the training, the practices, and her first year of college now behind her, Rodriguez is eager for the next step in her Olympic journey.

The Dominican Republic is set to open pool play against Italy on July 28th. Before that, she’ll get her first taste of life in the Olympic Village and participate in Opening Ceremonies.

Her family will be at her side and in Coral Gables, the Hurricanes will be cheering for her and awaiting her return.

“Obviously, we’re super proud of Ariana and her dream coming true,” Gandara said. “There are some things that she always had in mind. Playing for her home country, on the biggest stage was one of them. And we were talking the other day about how this came a little earlier than expected, but she’s ready. And that’s what I’m most proud of. She has that understanding that for her to get what she wants, she needs to be ready and that’s how she goes about her life.”

Said Rodriguez, “The Olympics only come around every four years and you want to be part of such a special event. You work hard to be part of such a special event. And you work hard every single day to practice and get up and do weights, just for that one moment. I still remember how we were all jumping when the people who worked at the [qualifying] competition gave us our Olympic hats. It was just like a huge sigh of relief, and everyone was on cloud nine, dancing and in a happy vibe. It was so surreal. So surreal.”