Foundation's Geiliany Del Valle breaks school assists record

In volleyball, the setter is in charge of passing the ball to her teammates to set them up for spikes. Because the setter typically isn’t the person who smashes the ball over the net and into the hardwood, they often can be overlooked.

That should never be the case. The setter is the glue who makes everything stick together. And because of the unselfish nature of the role, the setter usually makes for a great leader. 

Foundation Academy setter Geiliany Del Valle is one of those crucial connecting players.

In the Lions’ opening game of the 2024 season, she showed just how important the connection that a good setter creates is to the success of a volleyball team by breaking the school’s single-game assists record of 51, in a road victory over The Master’s Academy. 

She set the new Lions’ top assists mark at 55 during the Aug. 20, four-set match at the Oviedo school. Del Valle, however, had no idea she broke the record until after the match.

“I was actually really surprised,” she said. “It felt like I had a good game — but not that good of a game. But when my coach told me, I felt really accomplished and proud but also thankful to my teammates, who were able to put those sets away for the team.”

Although Foundation coach Vicki Veloz agrees with her star setter’s deferential attitude in receiving praise for her record-breaking night, she also understands how Del Valle’s role contributes to the overall team’s success.

“It was a great game overall; the whole team was clicking,” Veloz said. “That game, we also had our outside hitter, Madison (Krause), get 26 kills. So it was a great way to start the season. … And Geiliany was a huge part of that. She just has a great ability to read the game, and her understanding of her teammates is incredible. She just knows exactly where to go with the ball to set up her hitters at the right time. A lot of that has to do with how much experience she has and she uses that to get the best out of her teammates and it’s a big reason why we’re successful.”

Setting the tone

Since becoming a member of the Lions’ varsity program as an eighth-grader, Del Valle has been a vital part of this program, recording more than 1,600 assists in nearly 200 sets played. 

Moreover, her play and leadership have helped Foundation have three consecutive seasons with a winning record. Her only losing season came as an eighth-grader, while last season’s 15 wins were the most for the program since 2019.

Based on the way the 2024 season began — with not only a record-breaking performance by Del Valle but also a 3-0 start — it’s safe to say she has yet again set the tone for this Lions team. And according to her coach, Del Valle is leading by taking a bigger vocal role on the court and making sure to spread the ball all around to her hitters. 

“Geiliany is a great leader, and the whole team knows it and follows her lead as the commander of our offense,” Veloz said. “That’s what happened in the record-breaking game. She was so vocal and she directed the team that game by giving directions to players and setting the pace. She also did a really good job of moving the ball everywhere — to all our hitters on the court … making sure to get everyone involved; which also made the other team defend every corner of the court and open them up a bit for our hitters.”

Although breaking a school record each game is highly unlikely for the Lions and Del Valle, that opening performance and Foundation’s subsequent pair of 3-0 wins, has created a new standard for the program — a standard Del Valled hopes will carry her team through the postseason.

“The start set really good expectations for us, because we know what kind of team we’re capable of becoming each game,” Del Valle said. “The past several seasons, it’s felt like we’ve started off slowly and then played well at the end. … If we can build off of this strong start, then we can finish even stronger this year. I feel like we have a really good chance of making a deep run this year.”