Wilma Rivera

Class:
Junior
Position:
Setter
High School:
Saint Francis
Hometown:
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Prev School:
Penn State

2017: Wilma stepped into the starting setter position, played every single set and led the Cards to an ACC Championship. She was named ACC Setter of the Year and made All-ACC First Team as well as being named to the AVCA All-East Region team and earning All-American Honorable Mention honors. She was an ACC Player of the Week and was All-UNLV Challenge. She had 61 kills, hit .198 with a team-high 1215 assists and 36 aces. She recorded 50 blocks and 332 digs. For her season highs, she had six kills at Duke, 58 assists versus Notre Dame, six aces at Notre Dame and five blocks at both Syracuse and at Virginia Tech. Wilma is outstanding in the classroom and was named Academic All-ACC, and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
2016: As a sophomore at Penn State, Wilma played in 19 sets over ten matches with one start. She had two assists, four aces and 16 digs. She served up two aces and three digs in the season opener against West Virginia and logged eight digs against No. 19 North Carolina.

2015: As a freshman at Penn State, she played in 20 matches on the year, seeing action in 50 sets totaling 78 digs, 27 assists and six aces. She made her collegiate debut against Buffalo and had four assists and one dig against No. 21 Colorado. She had a career-high nine digs at South Florida and made her Big Ten debut at Illinois, posting four digs. She finished second on the team with seven digs at Iowa and had eight digs at No. 4 Minnesota. She had five digs at No. 5 Nebraska and logged five digs in the NCAA first and second round matches against Howard and Dayton. She also had four digs in the NCAA regional semifinals against Hawaii.

Prep: In high school, she was a four-year team captain and MVP at Saint Francis School, helping her team to the 2014 Puerto Rico Lopa El Nuevo Dia Championship, There she played for Jose Perez. She gained LACC All-State Best Setter and MVP honors in 2014 and lettered in track and field and softball. She led her softball team to an LACC championship in 2014. She is a member of the Puerto Rican National Team and was named Best Setter at Copa Pan Americana U18 in 2013, while also earning silver with her team. She earned the bronze medal at the NORCECA U18 games in 2013. Her coaches on the National Team were Eric Gonzalez, Juan Carlos Rodriguez and Juan Cartagena.

Personal: Daughter of Esmeralda Roldan and Wilmar Rivera. Born Feb. 14, 1997. Major is human resources.

Favorites
Athlete: Bruno Rezende
Hobbies: Going to the beach, being with friends
Musician: Beyonce
Pre-match superstition: Always wears cross
Class: Human resources
Food: Rice and beans
Book: The Running Dream
TV Show:  Parenthood
People she’d most like to meet: Bruno, Beyonce, Zendaya
Words that describe her:  Passionate, fun, happy
Best advice: If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you
Person with greatest influence on athletic career: Parents and brothers
Best part of being an athlete:  Getting to do what I love everyday
What people should know about me: I took Portuguese and French in high school
Post-College Ambition: Play pro volleyball and work in the human resources field

Career Highs (At Louisville)
Kills: 6 vs. Duke, Nov. 5, 2017
Attacks: 12 vs. Duke, Nov. 5, 2017
Assists: 58 vs. Notre Dame, Sept. 22, 2017
Aces: 6 vs Notre Dame, Oct. 25, 2017
Digs: 27 vs. Duke, Nov. 5, 2017
Block assists: 5 vs Syracuse Nov. 24, 2017, vs. Virginia Tech Oct. 6, 2017
Block solos: 1 vs. North Carolina, Sept. 24, 2017
Total Blocks: 5 vs. 5 vs Syracuse Nov. 24, 2017; vs. Virginia Tech Oct. 6, 2017